Turn Up the Sound - Where Don McLean Really Wrote and First Sang American Pie

American Pie Album Cover Art

Last weekend Don McLean debunked a couple of decades old myths about where the song American Pie was actually written and where it was first performed.

Popular folklore has it that American Pie was written at a bar called the Tin & Lint in Saratoga Springs, NY, but according to McLean, he penned the lyrics to the epic ballad in 1970 in Cold Springs, NY and Philadelphia. McLean also said that, despite rumors to the contrary, he first performed the song at Temple University.

Reading about American Pie made me want to hear the song again, so in case you're now yearning for it too, I'm linking a YouTube clip below that has the song and a photo montage that does a nice job of speculating about the meaning of the lyrics. I didn't think I'd stick around for the whole 9 minutes of the video, but the images are like a cultural history lesson. Besides, once I hit the chorus a couple of times, I was in it until the end.

Try not to tap your feet and sing along - I dare you.

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top of the clip to view in a larger window.