Don McLean, the legendary singer-songwriter behind “American Pie,” isn’t impressed with today’s songwriters. On the red carpet at the MovieGuide Awards, McLean shared his thoughts on the biggest change in music during his career.
“The biggest change I’ve seen is very bad lyric writing and no melodies. Two important things in a song, lyrics and melody,” McLean told Fox News Digital.
At 79, McLean is still an active performer, having recently re-released his albums “Believers,” “Chain Lightning,” and “Prime Time” on vinyl and CD. He has also written two children’s books and still tours.
“I got tons of stuff going on. I took some time off, and I’ll start rolling sometime around this summer and then go, really go all through next year,” he said.
Legacy of ‘The Day the Music Died’
McLean recently celebrated the 66th anniversary of “The Day the Music Died,” the name given to the fatal 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The incident spurred his famous hit, “American Pie,” a cultural phenomenon.
But McLean never anticipated that the song would launch the way it did.
“People chose the song ‘American Pie.’ It wasn’t something that was planned. The minute it came out, they started to play Buddy Holly, and there wasn’t any reference to him in the song,” he clarified.
He further added, “And a few years after that, all these radio stations started going to oldies, playing songs from the ‘50s and ’60s because they realized how much people missed this music. They miss it more now, I’m sure..”
Honoring Music Legends
McLean continues to honor the late music icons and acknowledges the growing recognition of ‘The Day the Music Died.’
“Then the whole ‘The Day the Music Died’ started about 10 years ago, I guess. It’s sort of an unofficial holiday commemorating this solemn occasion, and the song, of course, deified that moment in a certain way,” he stated.
He looked back on the song’s success, commenting, “I was trying to write a big song about America, and so that’s how that all happened, but again, it all happened from the people.”
McLean will be attending the MovieGuide Awards, where he will be presenting the Best Documentary award. The show broadcasts on March 6 on Great American Family.