So it just struck me as a work of art … and it really gave me goosebumps when I heard. I knew that there was a lot of divisiveness in America and I thought maybe there's some element to that in the form of a great campfire song with a fantastic melody. There was marching, and I remembered marching for civil rights and I didn't know if that's what he meant.
Who was the king? Elvis had just resurfaced after his fantastic comeback special. The curiosity abounded when I wondered, who was the jester? Because Bob Dylan was a big deal at the time, he was called the jester. Personally, there were different images, visual images in words. What was it about the song that struck you so strongly? Proffer spoke to Coelho about American Pie, McLean and Holly's connection, and the divisiveness in the United States at the time.
The documentary premiered July 19 on streaming service Paramount+.
In it, Proffer explores the meaning behind McLean's song - and McLean himself opens up about the 1959 plane crash that killed musician Buddy Holly, to which the song refers. The new documentary, The Day the Music Died: Don McLean’s American Pie is out TODAY exclusively on Paramount+! /etTYZtfBIw- Pie is the subject of Proffer's latest documentary, The Day The Music Died.
