Culture | That music used to make me smile

Though released a long, long time ago, “American Pie” endures

A documentary and concert tour celebrate Don McLean’s folk-rock song of 1971

American singer-songwriter Don McLean sitting on a rock overlooking the Hudson River near his home in the Hudson Valley, New York, 1972. His most famous song, "American Pie," was released in 1971. (Photo by John Olson/Getty Images)

You probably know the lyrics without knowing when or how you learned them. “American Pie”, a folk anthem by Don McLean released in 1971, has ingratiated itself into the brains of millions of Americans, and, according to a new documentary that marks the tune’s 50th anniversary, many more people around the world.

When those memorable first lines (“A long, long time ago/I can still remember/How that music used to make me smile”) start to play, listeners know they are in for nearly nine minutes of cryptic references to rock‘n’roll history, the Vietnam war and America itself. “The Day the Music Died”, which has its premiere on Paramount+ on July 19th, analyses those mysterious lyrics—only to reveal that the song is less complicated than long thought.