‘American Pie’ earns $1.2m crust for Don McLean

Singer-songwriter Don McLean’s original manuscript and notes to ‘American Pie’ have sold at auction for $1.2m (€1.10m).

McLean put the wistful anthem that asks “Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died?” on sale at Christie’s in New York.

The 16 pages include the original working manuscript and typed drafts of the song.

The eight-minute ‘American Pie’ was released in 1971. It was a No 1 US hit for four weeks in 1972.

“The day the music died” refers to the February 3, 1959, deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash.

McLean, who lives in Maine, says writing the song was “a mystical trip into his past”.

The auction house said two people vied for the 16-page manuscript, one in the room and one on the phone. The winning bid went to the collector in the room who wished to remain anonymous.

Bidding started at $500,000 and rose to $1.2m in just four minutes.

According to local lore in upstate Saratoga Springs, McLean first wrote the lyrics on paper napkins in a bar where he used to drink in between gigs.

McLean has denied the popular legend, telling a newspaper in a 2011 interview that he wrote the song in Philadelphia.