Celebrating 50! "American Pie"

Grammy-winning Songwriters Hall of Fame member Don McLean celebrates the 50th anniversary of his global hit “American Pie” reaching #1 on the Billboard chart, where it stayed for four weeks! To commemorate the anniversary, McLean has coined his international 50th Anniversary “American Pie” World Tour which will visit multiple destinations in N. America, UK/Europe, and Australia!  

American Songwriter discusses the oft-debated meaning of “American Pie” here. And CBS News Radio’s Steve Futterman caught up with McLean recently and shared this story with their listeners.
 
“I was writing songs and started singing ‘A long, long time ago’ right through ‘til the day the music died… I can still remember how that music used to make me smile…’ on and on right that day - just that whole thing right into the tape recorder. And I said, ‘Man, what is that?? That is so neat.’ I realized I'd captured the thing about Buddy and his death that I'd been feeling all those years in that one piece of music. Then I waited about three months and I figured out what I was gonna do and just wrote the whole thing in about an hour…,” said McLean.

McLean kicks off his international tour next Friday, January 28 at the Blue Note in Hawaii, then takes a midwestern swing with a stop at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. “American Pie” was birthed from death - ‘The Day The Music Died’ – coined after the fatal flight when pop/rock legends Buddy Holly (“That’ll Be The Day”, “Peggy Sue”), Ritchie Valens (“La Bamba”), J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Jr. (“Chantilly Lace”) tragically lost their lives in an airplane crash after the concert February 3, 1959. McLean will pay tribute to the legendary trio with his sold-out anniversary concert there on February 3, 2022.  

 

50th Anniversary ‘American Pie’ World Tour 2022 North American Dates:
January 28, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii
January 29, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii
January 30, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii
February 3, 2022 – Clear Lake, IA – Surf Ballroom
February 5, 2022 – Grand Forks, ND – Chester Fritz Auditorium
February 11, 2022 – The Villages, FL – Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center
February 12, 2022 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
February 14, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise
February 15, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise
February 16, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise
February 17, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise
February 18, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise
February 19, 2022 – Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
February 24, 2022 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre
April 29, 2022 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
May 1, 2022 – Indianapolis, IN – Clowes Memorial Hall
May 7, 2022 – Toronto, Canada – John W H Bassett Theatre
May 12, 2022 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
May 13, 2022 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall
May 19, 2022 – St. Louis, MO – Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
May 20, 2022 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre
June 2, 2022 – Albany, NY – The Egg
June 3, 2022 – Boston, MA – Shubert Theatre
June 4, 2022 – New York, NY – Town Hall
June 11, 2022 – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric
June 12, 2022 – Tysons, VA – Capital One Hall
June 17, 2022 – Grand Rapids, MI – DeVos Performance Hall
June 18, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater
June 24, 2022 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
June 25, 2022 – Houston, TX – Cullen Performance Hall
June 26, 2022 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
July 7, 2022 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
July 8, 2022 – Grand Junction, CO – The Avalon Theatre
July 9, 2022 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre
 
50th Anniversary ‘American Pie’ World Tour 2022 European Dates:
September 11, 2022 – Cardiff, U.K. – St. Davids
September 13, 2022 – Ipswich, U.K. – Ipswich Regent Theatre
September 14, 2022 – Birmingham, U.K. – Symphony Hall
September 16, 2022 – Bath, U.K. – The Forum
September 17, 2022 – Torquay, U.K. – Princess Theatre
September 18, 2022 – Bournemouth, U.K. – Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
September 20, 2022 – Brighton, U.K. – Brighton Dome Concert Hall
September 21, 2022 – Southend-on-sea, U.K. – Cliffs Pavilion
September 23, 2022 – Manchester, U.K. – Bridgewater Hall
September 24, 2022 – Gateshead, U.K. – Sage Gateshead
September 25, 2022 – Glasgow, U.K. – The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
September 27, 2022 – Edinburgh, U.K. – Usher Hall
September 28, 2022 – York, U.K. – York Barbican
September 30, 2022 – Leicester, U.K. – De Montfort Hall
October 1, 2022 – Sheffield, U.K. – City Hall
October 2, 2022 – Liverpool, U.K. – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
October 4, 2022 – London, U.K. – London Palladium
October 7, 2022 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
October 9, 2022 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Concertgebouw de Vereeniging
October 10, 2022 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Koninklijk Theater Carré
October 14, 2022 – Bergen, Norway – Peer Gynt Salen
October 15, 2022 – Stavanger, Norway – Stavanger Kuppelhallen
October 16, 2022 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
October 18, 2022 – Göteborg, Sweden – Lorensbergsteatern
October 20, 2022 – Turku, Finland – Logomo
October 21, 2022 – Helsinki, Finland – Kulttuuritalo
October 23, 2022 – Stockholm, Sweden – Göta Lejon
October 24, 2022 – Malmö, Sweden – Palladium
October 25, 2022 – Greve, Denmark – Portalen
October 27, 2022 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
October 28, 2022 – Neuruppin, Germany – Kulturkirche
October 29, 2022 – Berlin, Germany – Admiralspalast
November 1, 2022 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Singel
November 11, 2022 – Munich, Germany – Prinzregententheater
November 13, 2022 – Linz, Austria – Posthof
 
For tickets and more information, visit donmclean.com.

"American Pie" Celebrates 20 Madonna Style

Tiara Time!
Madonna

"AMERICAN PIE" MADONNA STYLE CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY

Madonna's Version Topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart in 2000

Don McLean's Original Recording To Celebrate 50th Anniversary In 2021

Original "American Pie" crooner and songwriter Don McLean celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Madonna's version! 

As many people know, there are some songs that are considered classics. So when another artist covers a classic song, it can either turn out to be a hit (Whitney Houston covers Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’) or it could be a dud (Jessica Simpson covering Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’’).

One song that would be considered both, depending on who you talk to, is Madonna’s take on "American Pie" by Don McLean.

At the behest of her co-star Rupert Everett, Madonna recorded her version for the soundtrack to their film The Next Best Thing, a romantic dramedy from Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger, which starred Madonna, Rupert Everett, Benjamin Bratt, and Neil Patrick Harris.The film was critically panned and soon faded from memory, but “American Pie” -- released as a single the same day on March 3, 2000 -- became a polarizing global hit.

While the movie did not do well, the song hit its peak at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Produced by William Orbit, her lead collaborator on Ray of Light and “Beautiful Stranger” (her psychedelic 1999 single from the second Austin Powers soundtrack), the “American Pie” track is colorful, almost gaudy -- the theremin-like synths and marching snares threaten to tip over into kitsch. 

Don McLean, when interviewed in 2015, said this about Madonna covering his song: “I loved it. I thought it was outstanding. I thought Madonna did a great job with it. To me, she’s an artist for the 20th and the 21st century. She’s magnificent."

"It is a gift for her to have recorded 'American Pie,'" McLean continued. "I think it is sensual and mystical. I also feel that she's chosen autobiographical verses that reflect her career and personal history. I have received many gifts from God but this is the first time I have ever received a gift from a goddess."

In the music video, Madonna seemingly becomes an avatar for America itself. Between shots of her dancing in front of the flag, she showcases a diverse cast of working-class, queer, ordinary Americans. “American Pie” was unusually patriotic and nostalgic, two words rarely associated with Madonna.