LOS ANGELES — Singer-songwriter Don McLean got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, marking the 50th anniversary of his classic single “American Pie.”
Mr. McLean, 75, recalled how the almost nine-minute-long song about the loss of innocence in the rock generation had come to define his career and be sung at key moments in US cultural life.
“At the turn of the century, I was invited to the Clinton White House. I sang in front of 600,000 people in front of the reflecting pool as you look at the Washington Monument, and they were all singing ‘American Pie’ the last day of that millennium,” Mr. McLean said. “I’ve had some wonderful experiences,” he added.
Mr. McLean’s star was the 2,700th on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was placed strategically outside The Piehole Shop on Hollywood Boulevard.
“American Pie” was released in Oct. 1971 and spent weeks on the charts in the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK. Madonna released a cover version in 2000, the song features in the movie Black Widow and “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded a parody version in 1999 inspired by the Star Wars films. — Reuters
