But then, I don’t have Paramount+ anyway.
The story of America – our past and our future. More than just a song or a man, this film is about a cultural moment in America’s history that has followed us from the 1970s. Featuring a new generation of artists, inspired by the same values & ideas that inspired Don McLean in writing American Pie — one of the great musical touchstones of pop music and culture.
The new documentary, The Day the Music Died: American Pie is streaming July 19th exclusively on Paramount+.
That song has always inspired me. To want to do this.
I have Paramount Plus. I will try to avoid this.
I think I would watch a five-minute exchange between McLean and someone completely different on the songwriting spectrum (Nick Cave, Jonathan Richman, Iggy Pop, whoever) to see if something interesting popped up.
But a full documentary / hagiography / limited series about this song?
Nope.
I didn’t watch it, but read an article, so I’ll give you some spoilers. The jester singing in Dean’s coat isn’t Dylan. The girl who sang the blues wasn’t Joplin, and it was literally Lenin reading the book on Marx, not Lennon. It’s still about Buddy Holly, though.
I also cop to having loved that song at one time. A girl at a party talked me into playing it on acoustic guitar once while she and a a bunch of her friends sang it. I got some dirty looks from a couple of dudes, but what was I going to do, say no?