The Early History of American Pie
Recorded on May 26, 1971, and airing on the radio a month later, the track American Pie reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 15, 1972. Due to its length (8:33 minutes long), the song was distributed on both sides of the disc. To this day, it is McLean’s most successful single release.
‘Loose Women’ TV Programme, London, Britain, 2015. Photo By Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
The song’s meaning itself is a can of worms, so to speak. It started when WCFL DJ Bob Dearborn published the first interpretation of the lyrics on January 7, 1972. Most of the subsequent interpretations stem from his initial analysis. It wasn’t until 1978 that McLean himself stated that the lyrics were autobiographical. He said the lyrics present a shortened version of his life between the mid-‘50s and the late ‘60s. But that’s all he said.