With its evocative but obscure lyrics rooted in 1950s nostalgia, politics and romance, American Pie was one of the dominant sounds of the 70s, and brought previously little-known songwriter Don McLean worldwide fame at the age of 26. The song – covered over the years by artists as diverse as the Brady Bunch, Killdozer, “Weird Al” Yankovic and, most famously, Madonna – and the self-titled album it comes from turned 50 last October, and McLean is preparing for a celebratory 2022 tour, having just finished recording a new album, launched a YouTube channel and received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. “There’s all sorts of crazy things happening for old Don,” he tells us. And tanned, in shades and sporting the signature McLean mane of hair, he’s ready to reminisce.
“I was a singer from the time I was born,” he says, taking us back to 1945 and his childhood home in New Rochelle, a leafy, middle-class city 25 miles from the centrechanged,” McLean says. “It went from the postwar kind of world to rock’n’roll. With Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and great black bands such as The Penguins and The Flamingos, the music was brand new and it was ours.”
