"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?
▼
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
- Which famous director served as executive producer of "Animaniacs"?
- What Calendar Was Used In Europe Before the Gregorian Calendar?
- Who directed Apple's famous "1984" commercial?
- What year did Studio 54 first open its doors?
- What movie earned the most money during a Presidents Day weekend release?
- Which band was behind the #1 hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine”?
- What do you call a baby whale?
- What's the family name of the heroes in "Castlevania"?