'American Pie' - the song about 'the day the music died' was bigger than anyone, including McLean, could ever have imagined. It has been listened by the RCA in the top five songs of the century and is McLean's magnum opis.
A 9-minute ode to
Buddy Holly, wrapped together in a protest song; there's no doubt it's greatness- both musically and lyrically.
Unfortunately for
Mclean, while 'American Pie' was a massive score for the singer, it also overshadowed the rest of his same-titled album.
Despite other stellar songs, such as ‘Vincent’ and ‘Everybody loves Me Baby’,
everyone wanted to only hear one song- ‘American Pie’.
It’s not hard to see
why people do love the title track ‘American Pie’, - with it’s beautifully
written lyrics, it is a metaphoric song about death and the rebirth of rock.
However, that doesn’t
mean fans of ‘American Pie’ should switch off after the first track. While
nothing else on this album can compete with that
song, it’s still an enjoyable album.
Another well known hit
for Mclean is the melancholic ‘Vincent’, yet one more ode but this time to Van Gogh.
The second single of American Pie made the top 20, but
didn’t set the world on fire. Compared perhaps too
much to his first hit single, many never managed to look past this. It's a shame because one of the biggest drawcards of this song is its simple elegance. Mclean lets his lyrics and vocals tell the enriched tale of despair,
loneliness and disappointment.
‘Everybody Loves Me
Baby’ is another favorite track of mine. It’s a fun track about inflated egos,
that music reminds me a little of some of the chords in ‘American Pie’
While the other tracks
aren’t going to set the world on fire either, it is still a staple of fine
folks. One of the draws of this album, is the beautiful expressionism. Like any
wonderful folk singer and songwriter, Mclean has the ability to spin a tale
with not just his words, but his music.
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