A new documentary tells the story of a singalong classic that began with a plane crash.
Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song American Pie at last call or at karaoke — and applauds the effort.
It's essential viewing for McLean fans or anyone who has marvelled at his sonic treasure. It also represents an elegant film blueprint for future deep dives into a song and its wider cultural relevance. "I was in absolute shock. I may have actually cried," he says in the film. "You can't intellectualise it. It hurt me."
The 90-minute documentary incorporates news footage of the 70s and uses actors in recreations. Cameras capture McLean visiting the hallowed Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, the last place Holly and his fellow musicians played before their fatal flight in 1959. But recording the song was just the beginning of trouble ahead. At over eight minutes, radio stations baulked at playing it, and McLean's record label, Media Arts, went bust just as it was to release the album American Pie."What I noticed was that I had to fight so many battles to get this thing done, to get everything. I've been fighting everybody my whole life," he says. "I'm not difficult. I just want things the way I want them.
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