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Don McLean's most famous song, 'American Pie' was recorded in 1971 and topped the charts in 1972, now the award-winning singer and songwriter is bringing his American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour to New Zealand. He talked with Sunday Morning about his love for the songs that make him happy.
Since 1971, McLean said he has now toured New Zealand about 20 times: "I've seen a lot of changes".
'I'll never forget looking at that church' - Listen to the full interview with Don McLean here
"The last time I was here was just before the Christchurch earthquake - in fact I was the last person to play in Christchurch [Town] Hall, before the earthquake hit."
After the concert he said he felt a strong desire to see Christchurch's church - and walked around the cathedral in the moonlight soaking up the atmosphere, before flying out of the city the next day.
"The next day ... while we were in the air, the earthquake happened, split the church in two. And those massive stone facades fell on people and families that were walking along ...
"By the time I got to the next place, I think it was Wellington, everyone was in tears because this had occurred ... I'll never forget looking at that church."
American Pie was voted number five in a poll of the 365 Songs of the Century compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
McLean famously did not talk publicly about the meaning of the song's lyrics, until a documentary released last year, The Day the Music Died.
Photo: Supplied
He said portrayals that he was being coy about talking about the song's meaning were unfair, he had been reluctant as he felt discussing it could not be done justice in a short interview format, and the wider historical context needed to be unpacked for it to make sense.
"To really understand vaguely about what it's about ... it has to do with my journey from the time I was ...13, all the way through the 60s until I was finally making records and songs.
"Watching all those fascinations in the country, watching the riots in the country, watching the deceptions and the hatred of politicians, watching the civil rights, burning of cities and all the other horrible things down South, everything. We're all working our way out of the Civil War, 100 years later.
"Those all went into this big thing that I wrote, and that's why the movie's so important from my point of view, and maybe it gives people some insight into why I just wasn't going to indulge in fiddling around [talking about] the song and making it some one dimensional nothing."
"Now I just say: 'Look at the movie, you'll learn all about it'."
At the time McLean wrote 'American Pie' he describes the US as slipping into the influence of madness, but now "America is certifiably crazy, and reality is coming through your television" and other forms of media and communication", he said.
And the place of music in the world has shifted during his lifetime.
"I think it's primarily a dance culture now ... I think music is really background for dancing. There's nobody on stage now who is a major act that doesn't have to do a lot of dancing.
"And this goes back to Elvis Presley, Elvis worked hard on stage, he moved around all over the place. Now, they don't fool around - it's a whole different world, different kind of entertainment.
"And I don't think the music means quite as much as it did when Bob Dylan just sat there or Simon and Garfunkle sat there or I sat there and sung a song. It's a whole different thing."
He still enjoys touring and performing.
McLean at the end of 2022 Photo: Supplied
"I don't get sick of anything, I'm too stupid - I'm happy to be there doing something and I'm glad to give the audience something they like, and I love singing."
And he still enjoys writing and releasing songs. He said he was recently [https://donmclean.com/don-mclean-promotes-american-pie-a-fable-on-good-morning-america-gma3/ presented with a plaque to mark 50 million] of his albums sold world-wide, from his long career and catalogue of 30 albums.
It has also been significant for him to see his work given a different life through other creators, such as Drake's song 'Doing it Wrong', which used many of McLean's lyrics, he said
"I don't make records necessarily to have hits. I write records to get my concepts and my ideas out in the world - either for me to have success with the songs, or for other artists to perhaps find a use for some of the things that I've said and done.
"If it's entertaining people, it's making them happy ... it's turning them on."
McLean said he is looking forward to seeing the changes in Christchurch when he visits during his tour in May.