American Pie

Don McLean

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: October 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UBU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,755 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. American Pie

2. Till Tomorrow

3. Vincent (Starry Starry Night)

4. Crossroads

5. Winterwood

6. Empty Chairs

7. Everybody Loves Me, Baby

8. Sister Fatima

9. Grave

10. Babylon

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's an old quote of St. Theresa's that goes something like, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than those that remain unanswered." In other words, be careful what you wish for--you just might get it. Don McLean, like any other singer-songwriter, no doubt wanted a hit, or some degree of success. "American Pie" gave him that and more. McLean's ode to Buddy Holly began with a folky intro that sounded like a protest song. Almost nine minutes later the song finally ends. Sure the song's poetic, sure it's a touching tribute, and sure, it's undeniably a classic. But it also became the bane of McLean's existence for many years as it was the only one of his songs that people wanted to hear. American Pie the album sold well on the strength of the title track, and even propelled the comparatively weak "Vincent" into the Top 20. A fine release rooted in folk, American Pie is a classic, whether anyone actually pays attention to the other songs or not. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don McLean's Wonderful Masterwork!, July 8, 2000

By	Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was fortunate enough to see a very young and nervous Don McLean perform alone at a high school "performing artist" assembly on a wintry March afternoon in 1970, right after his debut environmentally conscious "Tapestry" album had been released, but before "American Pie" was released the next year. Anyone who saw him knew he would be a superstar if that's what he wanted. Sure enough, with the release of "American Pie" he got fame with spades, and promptly retreated from that kind of public attention ever since. he has had a number of excellent albums; but has never recaptured the sort of outrageous success he achieved with this one; indeed, he seems to be singularly uninterested in anything to do with it. Instead, he has spent the last 30 years following the whimsy of his own heart and artistic sensibilities.

Yet all the brilliant talent and ability is here, folks, from the legendary title cut to "Vincent", an esoteric paean to Vincent Van Gogh, "Winterwood", a lovely love song, "Empty Chairs" and a number of others, all of which should still get FM air time but never have. By the way, I have had to chuckle over the years at all the questioning and active efforts at second-hand interpretation that has gone on regarding what the title cut is really all about. Such wondering and endless intellectual speculation really misses the point that McLean the incredibly gifted artist so singularly makes in the song itself; the music is the thing. It's the music that makes us smile. As did Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, so to with Don McLean. Listen to what he has to say, and how artfully and wonderfully he phrases it. This is a timeless work that will always be around. Enjoy!

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This CD is Great For Many Reasons Other Than The Title Track, March 12, 2000

By	Sam Bethune (Lincoln, Nebraska USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My brother bought this album when it was first released in 1972. After many repeated listenings over the years, it's still great. Some may say that it's "been goin' in and out of style" ala Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but the fact is that American Pie never left it's audience so much as its audience left it. The fact that only one customer reviewer rated it at less than four stars is a testament of its staying power (and I might add, that reviewer falsely asserted that the full length version of the title track did not appear on this CD, which probably accounted for the low rating).

Sure "American Pie" is a rock classic and a staple of both classic rock and oldies stations everywhere, but the fact is that this album has so much more to offer. "Vincent", hardly the weak song that the Amazon.com reviewer rather stupidly portrays it to be, is a beautiful and lyrically rich tale of despair, loneliness, and disappointment. It's beautiful in it's simplicity. And many other customer reviewers have spoken eloquently about the shamefully overlooked "Sister Fatima" (which disappeared from reissues of the original vinyl LP but was restored in the CD version).

The song that moves me the most is "Empty Chairs", a wistful song of lost love and loneliness that is in my opinion the beautiful and overlooked track on this CD. Listening to it brings me to the verge of tears. For those of you fortunate enough to see Don McLean's recent PBS special "Starry Starry Night", special guest Garth Brooks performed a first-rate cover of this song.

"American Pie" withstands the test of time as a quintessential recording in the vein of many of Bob Dylan's earlier works. It deserves a place in the collection of anyone who considers his or her self to be a rock afficianado.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As American as Apple Pie, March 11, 2000

By	Hank Robbins (Pretoria Falls, New York) - See all my reviews

Don McLean's American Pie is one of the best albums to come out of the folk-rock movement. His tunes are meditative and solemn, his guitar work loose and neighborly. The only downfall of this album is that there are few songs that really stand out. Among those that do, however, are the title track, American Pie, a rousing, spelndid, meloncholy tribute to the 1960s, itself worth the price of the album (it is over 8 minutes long as well). Another excellent song is Vincent, a sympathetic tribute to Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. While not as long as American Pie, Vincent delivers a sad, insightful, loving look into the painter's life. The two other standouts are The Grave, a deeply moving tune about the Vietnam experience, and Babylon, a round-sung shanty that is sad and soothing. All around, these songs alone could have comprised an excellent album. If you are looking for an album of significant cultural meaning, or just some good music to listen to, check this one out. Enjoy!