American Pie is the title of a 1971 music album by Don McLean

Don McLean

Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...

, best known for its title track about The Day the Music Died

The Day the Music Died

On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...

. The third track, "Vincent

Vincent (song)

"Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. The song also describes different paintings done by the artist.McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading...

," is a tribute to the famed artist Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...

.

The original 1971 LP is dedicated to Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

, and was reissued in 1980 minus the track "Sister Fatima". The original United Artists Records

United Artists Records

United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...

 inner sleeve featured a free verse

Free verse

Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...

 poem written by McLean about the late William Boyd

William Boyd (actor)

William Lawrence Boyd was an American film actor best known for portraying Hopalong Cassidy.-Biography:...

, also known as Hopalong Cassidy

Hopalong Cassidy

Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....

, along with a picture of Boyd in full Hopalong regalia. This sleeve was removed within a year of the album's release. The words to this poem appear on a plaque at the hospital where Boyd died. The Boyd poem and picture tribute do appear on a special remastered 2003 CD.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Don McLean; except where indicated

The original release (UAS-5535, 1971 United Artists Records)

1. "American Pie"
2. "Till Tomorrow"
3. "Vincent
   Vincent (song)
   "Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. The song also describes different paintings done by the artist.McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading...
   
   "
4. "Crossroads"
5. "Winterwood"
6. "Empty Chairs"
7. "Everybody Loves Me, Baby"
8. "Sister Fatima"
9. "The Grave"
10. "Babylon" (Traditional)

The 1980 reissue (LN-10037, 1980 Liberty Records, Inc.) did not include "Sister Fatima" in
early releases, but it was eventually added under the same serial number.

1. "American Pie" - 8:27
2. "Till Tomorrow" - 2:11
3. "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
   Vincent (song)
   "Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. The song also describes different paintings done by the artist.McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading...
   
   " - 3:55
4. "Crossroads" - 3:34
5. "Winterwood" - 3:09
6. "Empty Chairs" - 3:24
7. "Everybody Loves Me, Baby" - 3:37
8. "The Grave" - 3:08
9. "Babylon" - 1:40

The 2003 remaster contains 12 tracks in total http://www.don-mclean.com/albums/alist.asp?albumID=1063&year=2003:

1. "American Pie"
2. "Till Tomorrow"
3. "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
   Vincent (song)
   "Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. The song also describes different paintings done by the artist.McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading...
   
   "
4. "Crossroads"
5. "Winterwood"
6. "Empty Chairs"
7. "Everybody Loves Me, Baby"
8. "Sister Fatima"
9. "The Grave"
10. "Babylon"
11. "Mother Nature"
12. "Aftermath"

Personnel

• Don McLean - vocals, guitar, banjo
• Warren Bernhardt
  Warren Bernhardt
  Warren Bernhardt is a noted pianist in jazz, pop and classical music.His father was a pianist, leading him to have early childhood exposure to piano, and he learned some rudiments of keyboarding from his friends. At five his parents moved to New York City where he began studying seriously under...
  
   - piano ("Crossroads")
• Ray Colcord
  Ray Colcord
  Ray Colcord is an American film and TV composer living in Los Angeles, most famous for TV series such as 227, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, My Two Dads, Dinosaurs, Big Brother, and Boy Meets World...
  
   - electric piano
• Tom Flye - drums ("The Grave"), engineering
• Ed Freeman - string arrangements
• Paul Griffin
  Paul Griffin (musician)
  Paul Griffin was an American session musician and pianist, who recorded with hundreds of artists from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
  
   - piano ("American Pie")
• Lee Hays - arranger
• Mike Mainieri
  Mike Mainieri
  Michael T. Mainieri, Jr. is a vibraphonist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead....
  
   - marimba, vibraphone
• Roy Markowitz - drums, percussion
• Gene Orloff - concert master
• Bob Rothstein
  Rob Stoner
  Robert David Rothstein , better known as Rob Stoner, is an American multi-instrumental musician....
  
   - bass, vocals
• David Spinozza
  David Spinozza
  David Spinozza is an American musician , who worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album Walking Man....
  
   - electric guitar ("American Pie")
• West Forty Fourth Street Rhythm and Noise Choir - chorus

Chart positions

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	1
Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... Albums Chart	1