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American Pie by  ReleasedOctober 24, 1971RecordedMay 1971 – June 1971Studio, , Length36:24 UAS-5535 (original)
 (1980 reissue)
 (2003 reissue)Ed Freeman chronology
(1970)American Pie
(1971)
(1972) from American Pie ""
Released: November 1971 (original release) ""
Released: February 1972

American Pie is the second  by the American singer-songwriter , released by  on 24 October 1971. The folk/rock album reached number one on the Billboard 200, containing the chart-topping singles "" and "." Recorded in May and June 1971 at The Record Plant in New York City, the LP is dedicated to , and was reissued in 1980 minus the track "Sister Fatima". The album was released to much acclaim, later being included in the book .

At the Australian  the album won Most Popular Overseas L.P.

Background

American Pie is McLean’s second album; his first, , having been released to only moderate commercial success and acclaim in 1970. McLean was a protégé of , having played with him in the 1960s. The album American Pie was intended as a unified work, as McLean has said that he was influenced by   album and envisioned American Pie to be a similar album. Believing that an artist's work should stand by itself, McLean generally did not offer explanations for his work's themes or meaning, though he did describe the  as involving "a sense of loss". McLean dedicated the album to Buddy Holly, one of his childhood icons, and it was released in 1971. It has a melancholy feel and rather sparse arrangements. At the time of the writing McLean’s first marriage was failing and the optimism and hopefulness of the 1960s was giving way to the nihilism and hedonism of the 1970s.

Production

The album was recorded in Studio A at The Record Plant on West 44th street in New York City. The producer, Ed Freeman, decided to use accomplished musicians who were not "studio musicians who could act like a metronome" because he wanted to capture the feel of a "band that was really cooking," so he rented a rehearsal studio and they rehearsed the title song for two weeks before they recorded it. Because McLean rarely phrased his singing the same way twice there were as many as 24 takes for some of the voice parts, but the rhythm tracks are mostly one take.

The original  inner sleeve featured a  poem written by McLean about , also known as , 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  where Boyd died.

The  contains references to the death of  (McLean being a 13-year-old paper-boy at the time). The phrase "" was used by McLean on this song, and has now become an unofficial name for the tragedy.

On the original release, the title of the song "Sister Fatima" is misspelled "Sister Faima" 

The final track, "Babylon", is a . It is based on the canon "By the Waters of Babylon" by , originally published in 1786.

Back-up singers

The final chorus of "American Pie" features multi-tracked overdubs, credited in the sleeve notes to the "West Forty Fourth Street Rhythm and Noise Choir". Although the individual choristers have never been publicly named, the album's producer, Ed Freeman, has claimed that the choir included , ,  and .

Release and reception Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingC–

The album reached number 1 within two weeks of release and was certified gold within six months, spending almost a year on the . Its appeal cut across genres in what was becoming a fragmented music scene.

Reissue

The album was reissued in 1980 without the song "Sister Fatima", and again on June 27, 2003 with the track restored, along with the addition of two bonus tracks. Also the first Spanish issue delivered by Hispavox was released without "Sister Fatima".

Legacy

In February 2003  recorded a cover of "The Grave" as a protest against the imminent . A cover of the song "Babylon" was included in a scene in the television series . It is based on the canon "By the Waters of Babylon" by .

Track listing

All songs written by  except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length1."" 8:332."Till Tomorrow" 2:113."" 3:554."Crossroads" 3:345."Winterwood" 3:096."Empty Chairs" 3:247."Everybody Loves Me, Baby" 3:378."Sister Fatima" 2:319."The Grave" 3:0810."Babylon"; arranged by  and Don McLean1:40