Customer Reviews

American Pie

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The first 2 versions of the "American Pie" single only had vocal mixes by Humpty and some dubs by Victor Calderone. As any real Madonna fan knows, Victor Calderone is a favorite of Madonna's, and the lack of a full vocal mix of "American Pie" by Calderone was very dissapointing until now. With this single Part 3, we are finally treated to a top notch, dark house mix of "American Pie" by Victor Calderone. Despite the vocal mix's similarity to the Calderone dubs, these mixes really shine and more than validate the price of this single. As with his mixes of "Frozen," "Ray of Light," "Sky Fits Heaven," "Beautiful Stranger," and "Music," this Calderone mix really shines. A MUST HAVE for any Madonna collection and sure to please even the pickiest dance mavens (like me!)

I would wait to get this single. The Victor Calderone Vocal/Extended Club remixes are like the Dub verison to the vocal mixes. and the song [Madonna's Vocals] is the middle of the song and it just cuts in with Madonna saying "Did You write the book of love..." the up side to these remixes is that they are only Madonna Vocals. So if I you, I would wait.

The only reason this single is worth getting is for the Victor Calderone vocal mix. This was the mix played in clubs, and is well done. The single was not released domestically, which was a disappointment. The track is incredible. It's amazing what she did with this song. Unfortunately, the CD-single is not too great. Maybe an unreleased track would have been a good idea for inclusion on the CD.

Why they had "Humpty" remix this song is way beyond me-his radio remix is..well bad. It removes the charm that makes the song so great. And the other Humpty mix is just a dub. Now the Calderone mix...so good! I love his work and he really did a great job. It sounds similiar to the dubs(wah wah) big deal. He always gets me going and doesn't make the mixes pop(a la Whitney Houston's latest batch of singles). So if you like the song buy "The Next Best Thing" soundtrack, the album cut is still the best, and if you love Madonna buy this-it is so red hot.

Madonna opened up the new millennium with style when she released the cover of Don McLean's classic 70's hit, American Pie. The song was a massive European bestseller, and topped the UK chart in March 2000. The song spent 12 weeks on the chart, and later re-entered the chart for two weeks in June 2000, when the song climbed to No.68. The song was a big flop in the US, however, and didn't even scrape the Top 20. Many critics hated this cover version from Madonna, while fans lapped it up and saw it as a triumph in her career.

American Pie opens straight away with Madonna singing, "A long long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile. And I knew that if I had my chance, I could make those people dance. And maybe they'd be happy for a while." An organ plays softly in the background, and then the beat kicks in and Madonna starts singing the first verse, "Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above? If the Bible tells you so. Now do you believe in rock and roll, and can music save your mortal soul? And can it teach me how to dance real slow? Well I know that you're in love with him, 'cos I saw you dancing in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes. Man I dig those rhythm and blues! I was a lonely teenage bronkin buck, with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck, but I knew that I was out of luck the day the music died." It's a very long first verse, and then Madonna goes on to sing the chorus, "I started singing, 'Bye, bye Miss American Pie.' Drove my shevy to the levvy, but the levvy was dry. And good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing 'this'll be the day that I die.' This'll be the day that I die." Madonna then sings the second verse, "I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news. She just smiled and turned away. Well I went down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before. But the man there said the music wouldn't play. Well now in the streets, the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed. But not a word was spoken. The church bells all were broken. And the three men I admire the most: the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died." Madonna then sings the chorus once more, before going on to sing the chorus a few more times. The song goes all strange and twisted towards the end and it just stops!

The video to American Pie shows Madonna sat on a wooden stool, in front of a big American flag. She's wearing a pair of jeans, and a slack blue top which shows plenty of cleavage! Her hair is a big ginger mess, and she just looks normal. The screen is split at various times to show clips of what Madonna is singing about - the woman who just smiles and turned away, for example. It's a good video, but definitely not one of Madonna's best. All in all, a great Madonna cover-version, with a decent video to match.

Before I begin, let me just say I hold no particular reverence for this song, as the majority seem to. Good song, I guess, I just don't salivate over it the way most people do. Still, its Bohemian Rhapsody compared to this version, which is Cha-Cha Slide in comparison.

I was always going to "induct" Madonna in these pages, but wasn't sure which way to do it. I do like Madonna (especially now she's moved on from her soul-free "trance" attempts, where basically she says a few words and gets Big Name DJ to remix them for her), but crikey, she's had a few stinkers in her time. So it was a toss up between this and American Life (for the rap, more than anything else.."I'm in my Mini-Cooper and I'm feeling super duper..." oh dear) but I reckon this just beats it in terms of sheer awfulness.

So Madonna sings American Pie. With the same wibbly wobbly dance effects William Orbit puts on ALL his songs. She dances like a loon in the video - and misses half of the actual song out.

Now, one of the main appeals to the song American Pie is just what the hell its all about. Who IS the Jester? WHO borrowed the coat from James Dean? Who cares? Certainly not Madonna, as this by the numbers hollow garbage shows. To her credit, Madonna hasn't done any covers (to my knowledge) before, so I suppose most people can forgive her this one.

Not The Curmudgeon, though. It's a classic song (so everyone keeps telling me) and this sounds just like every God-awful eurodance cover that you've ever hated. One can only imagine the sheer horror of the "Humpty" remix. Just what Don Mclean had intended, I'm sure. Unforgivable.

The_Curmudgeon_Hates_You@yahoo.co.uk

Clever. First these mixes were unavailable except as DJ promos...allegedly because Madonna did not like the vocals. She was right. These mixes are disappointing at best...with the vocals lifted pretty much intact off the album version and dropped in the middle of the otherwise ordinary dub mix. Lots of potential here, but it doesn't deliver. Only for Madonna fans who *must* have everything.

1. American Pie (Victor Calderone Vocal Club Mix) - this mix is horrible, it just goes on and on untill the real vocals finally come in, and it dosn't last long. Bleh.

2. American Pie (Victor Calderone Extended Vocal Club) - when I thought it couldn't get even worse, this longer version proved me wrong! This mix is practically the same and it's tacky and endless.

3. American Pie (Richard "Humpty" Vission Visits Madonna) - not a real mix, lots of repetition in this one. Its okay, not good, but half-decent

4. American Pie (Richard "Humpty" Vission Radio Mix) - VERY GOOD! There is no endless waiting for the vocals, it starts quick and sounds great. I love this one!

5. American Pie (Album Version) - The music dosn't go very well with the vocals, I'll have to pass on this one. Just not very good.

If you were to get this single, the only reason is for track #4. All of the others are horrible. Possibly her worst single to date.

i have to order at amazon the remixes of american pie. the cd single features two long versions not available in the original release! the 10.34 version is the best. it includes the vocals and the instruments. thisd is the real remix! the other tracks are okay. it also featured a shorter intro with the 9.33 version, the vission remix 5.45, the single remix 4.28 and single version 4.33.

not to be missed by hardcore madonna fans...

This is the single worst cover I've ever heard. There isn't an ounce of soul or inspiration or anything but money-grubbing off of the fame of McClain's classic. Not worth the cost of the CD it's printed on.