Who was behind the hit song "American Pie"?
"American Pie" stands as one of music's most ambitious achievements, an 8-minute journey through rock and roll history that became a cultural phenomenon in 1971. From sock hops to Vietnam, this epic track captured an entire era while paying tribute to fallen music legends. Which songwriter crafted this unforgettable anthem?
▼
Correct Answer: Don McLean
Don McLean wrote and performed "American Pie," an 8-minute and 42-second tribute that held the record for longest #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 for nearly 50 years until Taylor Swift's "All Too Well." The song memorialized "the day the music died" February 3, 1959, when a plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Its cultural impact has rippled through generations, with a 2001 survey by the Recording Industry Association of America voting it the 5th song of the century.
Share This Trivia
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- The "Star Trek" salute is from which alien race?
- Who performed the hit song "Walk Like an Egyptian"?
- How many seasons was Lorne Michaels away from "SNL"?
- What was Elton John's first #1 album in the U.S.?
- What is the national bird of New Zealand?
- Who was the first host of "The Hollywood Squares"?
- What town is the TV show "Little House on the Prairie" set in?
- Name the movie: "No wire hangers!"