"American Pie," Don McLean: People usually think this is about: Having some sort of whiskey-fueled karaoke night with friends. (In other words, they have no idea.) But it's really about: The end of an era. Artist Don McLean has said the tragic 1959 plane crash that killed rock star Buddy Holly inspired him to write the enduring 1971 release "American Pie," but "the day the music died" is just one element of the song. "The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time," McLean said in an early interview, according to the Guardian. (Egghead06/Wikimedia Commons)
Don McLean, Lee Greenwood and two other country crooners said Thursday they would not perform at a National Rifle Association concert this weekend, citing the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week,” McLean, best known for the 1971 hit “American Pie,” said in a statement Thursday morning.
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“I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans,” he added. “I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.”
