New Doc Spotlights ‘American Pie’
• Paramount+ announced the forthcoming release of the documentary, The Day The Music Died: The Story Of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” which will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ Tuesday, July 19, both in the U.S. and internationally where the service is available.
The documentary, which features appearances by Garth Brooks, Brian Wilson and others, including, of course, singer-songwriter Don McLean, who will, for the first time, share the secrets behind his iconic song. The documentary also highlights cultural moments in America’s history that are as relevant now as they were in 1971 when the song was released. The film tells stories of the people who were a part of this moment from the beginning and shows the point of view of a new generation of artists who are motivated by the same values and ideas that inspired the song’s creation.
As Deadline notes, “McLean is a Grammy Award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member and a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient whose smash hit ‘American Pie’ resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named a top 5 song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry of America. Released as part of an album of the same name, ‘American Pie’ spent eight weeks on the US Billboard Charts and came in at No. 1 for four weeks in 1972, also topping charts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. McLean’s handwritten manuscript of the lyrics to the song was auctioned by Christies in 2015, selling for just over $1.2 million.”
To help bring the documentary to life, McLean enlisted music producer and songwriter Spencer Proffer(left), CEO of media production company Meteor 17. In a collaborative vision, Proffer and McLean tell the story of this special and unique song by using contemporary audio/visual storytelling techniques to artistically reimagine the music for a modern audience. The project was initiated by former Walt Disney Company VP of Programming, Ray De La Garza (right), who serves as a Co-Executive Producer.
The Day The Music Died: The Story Of Don McLean’s “American Pie” will have a special Academy-qualifying run in New York City and Los Angeles starting July 8 and will screen in Showcase Cinemas and associated theaters globally on July 14 & 17 before it premieres on Paramount+ on July 19. The trailer is posted on YouTube.
