It holds the record for being the longest song to crack the Billboard Hot 100. With a running time of 8 minutes and 36 seconds, it was released as a 2-parter on a 45rpm with DJ's having to flip the record halfway through the song. However, it was a common occurrence for DJ's to play the album version in its entirety to facilitate more leisurely cigarette or bathroom breaks.
On the surface, this song is an autobiographical recounting of the 1959 plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. McLean has stated he, indeed, was the paperboy from the song. But then you go deeper and find it's chock full of historical and pop culture references that spawned countless web sites that attempt to dissect every verse.
The song has been covered by a hugely disparate group of artists from the Brady Bunch (LOL) to Madonna (*gag*), and, as proof of its entrenchment in the American psyche, was parodied by Weird Al Yankovic.
Chevy used the song for a 2002 campaign. It was an obvious no brainer with the line, "Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry." However, I don't remember the following line, "...this'll be the day that I die" making it into the ad. Back in the day, my buddy, Mike, a staunch Chevy fan, didn't want me to feel left out so he told me I could "Drive my Ford to the fjord..." Not the same, but thanks for thinking of me, bro.
A common question posed to Don McLean during interviews is "Do you get royalties from the American Pie movie franchise?" Amusingly. the answer is "yes", thanks to his ownership of "American Pie" as a registered trademark. He's also usually asked, "What does the song 'American Pie' mean to you?" On one occasion, his answer was pure genius, "It means never having to work another day in my life."
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