"American Pie" | ||||
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![]() U.S. vinyl single. Artwork was also used as the front cover for the album of the same name and many other international releases of the single. | ||||
Single by Don McLean | ||||
from the album American Pie | ||||
B-side |
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Released |
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Recorded | May 26, 1971 | |||
Genre | Folk rock [1] | |||
Length |
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Label | United Artists | |||
Songwriter(s) | Don McLean | |||
Producer(s) | Ed Freeman | |||
Don McLean singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"American Pie" on YouTube | ||||
Audio | ||||
"American Pie" on YouTube | ||||
Live video | ||||
"American Pie live performance on BBC,July 29,1972" on YouTube |
"American Pie" is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released in 1971 on the album of the same name,the single was the number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972 starting January 15 [2] after just eight weeks on the US Billboard charts (where it entered at number 69). [3] The song also topped the charts in Australia,Canada,and New Zealand. In the UK,the single reached number 2,where it stayed for three weeks on its original 1971 release,and a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century. A truncated version of the song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. 1 in at least 15 countries,including the United Kingdom,Canada,and Australia. At 8 minutes and 42 seconds,McLean's combined version is the sixth longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (at the time of release it was the longest). The song also held the record for almost 50 years for being the longest song to reach number one [4] before Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" broke the record in 2021. [5] Due to its exceptional length,it was initially released as a two-sided 7-inch single. [6] "American Pie" has been described as "one of the most successful and debated songs of the 20th century". [7]
The repeated phrase "the day the music died" refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly,The Big Bopper,and Ritchie Valens,ending the era of early rock and roll;this became the popular nickname for that crash. The theme of the song goes beyond mourning McLean's childhood music heroes,reflecting the deep cultural changes and profound disillusion and loss of innocence of his generation [7] –the early rock and roll generation –that took place between the 1959 plane crash and either late 1969 [8] or late 1970. [9] [10] The meaning of the other lyrics,which cryptically allude to many of the jarring events and social changes experienced during that period,has been debated for decades. McLean repeatedly declined to explain the symbolism behind the many characters and events mentioned;he eventually released his songwriting notes to accompany the original manuscript when it was sold in 2015,explaining many of these,and further elaborated on the lyrical meaning in a 2022 interview/documentary celebrating the song's 50th anniversary,in which he stated the song was driven by impressionism and debunked some of the more widely speculated symbols.
In 2017,McLean's original recording was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally,historically,or aesthetically significant". [11] To mark the 50th anniversary of the song,McLean performed a 35-date tour through Europe,starting in Wales and ending in Austria,in 2022. [12]
Don McLean drew inspiration for the song from his childhood experience delivering newspapers during the time of the plane crash that killed early rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper:
I first found out about the plane crash because I was a 13-year-old newspaper delivery boy in New Rochelle, New York, and I was carrying the bundle of the local Standard-Star papers that were bound in twine, and when I cut it open with a knife, there it was on the front page.
— Don McLean [13]
McLean reportedly wrote "American Pie" in Saratoga Springs, New York, at Caffè Lena, but a 2011 New York Times article quotes McLean as disputing this claim. [14] Some employees at Caffè Lena claim that he started writing the song there, and then continued to write the song in both Cold Spring, New York, [15] and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [16] McLean claims that the song was only written in Cold Spring and Philadelphia. [14] Tin & Lint, a bar on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs, claims the song was written there, and a plaque marks the table. While some have claimed other places, such as Saint Joseph's University, as where the song was first performed, [17] McLean insists that the song made its debut in Philadelphia at Temple University [14] when he opened for Laura Nyro on March 14, 1971. [16] However a 2022 documentary on the history of the song notes that particular concert actually occurred at the nearby Saint Joseph's University. [18]
The song was produced by Ed Freeman and recorded with a few session musicians. Freeman did not want McLean to play rhythm guitar on the song but eventually relented. McLean and the session musicians rehearsed for two weeks but failed to get the song right. At the last minute, the pianist Paul Griffin was added, which is when the tune came together. [19] McLean used a 1969 or 1970 Martin D-28 guitar to provide the basic chords throughout "American Pie". [20]
The song debuted in the album American Pie in October 1971 and was released as a single in December. The song's eight-and-a-half-minute length meant that it could not fit entirely on one side of the 45 RPM record, so United Artists had the first 4:11 taking up the A-side of the record and the final 4:31 the B-side. Radio stations initially played the A-side of the song only, but soon switched to the full album version to satisfy their audiences. [21]
Upon the single release, Cash Box called it "folk-rock's most ambitious and successful epic endeavor since 'Alice's Restaurant.'" [22] Record World called it a "monumental accomplishment of lyric writing". [23]
The sense of disillusion and loss that the song transmits isn't just about deaths in the world of music, but also about a generation that could no longer believe in the utopian dreams of the 1950s... According to McLean, the song represents a shift from the naïve and innocent '50s to the darker decade of the '60s
Alva Yaffe, Musicholics, [7]
Don called his song a complicated parable, open to different interpretations. "People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity. Of course I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time."
Super seventies, [24]
The song has nostalgic themes, [25] stretching from the late 1950s until late 1969 or 1970. Except to acknowledge that he first learned about Buddy Holly's death on February 3, 1959 – McLean was age 13 – when he was folding newspapers for his paper route on the morning of February 4, 1959 (hence the line "February made me shiver/with every paper I'd deliver"), McLean has generally avoided responding to direct questions about the song's lyrics; he has said: "They're beyond analysis. They're poetry." [26] He also stated in an editorial published in 2009, on the 50th anniversary of the crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (all of whom are alluded to in the final verse in a comparison with the Christian Holy Trinity), that writing the first verse of the song exorcised his long-running grief over Holly's death and that he considers the song to be "a big song... that summed up the world known as America". [27] McLean dedicated the American Pie album to Holly.
Some commentators have identified the song as outlining the darkening of cultural mood, as over time the cultural vanguard passed from Pete Seeger and Joan Baez (the "King and Queen" of folk music), then from Elvis Presley (known as "the King" of Rock and Roll), to Bob Dylan ("the Jester") – who wore a jacket similar to that worn by cultural icon James Dean, was known as "the voice of his generation" ("a voice that came from you and me"), [28] and whose motorcycle accident ("in a cast") left him in reclusion for many years, recording in studios rather than touring ("on the sidelines"), to The Beatles (John Lennon, punned with Lenin, and "the Quartet" – although McLean has stated the Quartet is a reference to other people [6] ), to The Byrds (who wrote one of the first psychedelic rock songs, "Eight Miles High", and then "fell fast" – the song was banned and one of the group entered rehabilitation, known colloquially as a "fallout shelter"), and shortly after, the group declined as it lost members, changed genres, and alienated fans), to The Rolling Stones (who released Jumpin' Jack Flash , Their Satanic Majesties Request and the single "Sympathy for the Devil" ("Jack Flash", "Satan", "The Devil"), and used Hells Angels – "Angels born in Hell" – as event security, with fatal consequences, bringing the 1960s to a violent end [29] ), and to Janis Joplin (the "girl who sang the blues" but just "turned away" – she died of a heroin overdose the following year).
It has also been speculated that the song contains numerous references to post-World War II American political events, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy (known casually as "Jack"), First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy ("his widowed bride"), [30] and subsequent killing of his assassin (whose courtroom trial obviously ended as a result ["adjourned"]), [31] the Cuban Missile Crisis ("Jack be nimble, Jack be quick"), [32] the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, [33] and elements of culture such as sock hops ("kicking off shoes" to dance, preventing damage to the varnished floor), cruising with a pickup truck, [31] [34] the rise of the political protest song ("a voice that came from you and me"), drugs and the counterculture, the Manson Family and the Tate–LaBianca murders in the "summer swelter" of 1969 (the Beatles' song "Helter Skelter") and much more. [6]
Apparent allusions to notable 50s songs include Don Cornell's The Bible Tells Me So ("If the Bible tells you so?"), Marty Robbins' A White Sport Coat , the lonely teenager ("With a pink carnation") mirroring Robbins' narrator who is rejected in favor of another man for the prom, and The Monotones' The Book of Love ("Did you write the book of love"). [35]
Many additional and alternative interpretations have also been proposed.
For example, Bob Dylan's first performance in Great Britain was also at a pub called "The King and Queen", and he also appeared more literally "on the sidelines in a (the) cast" – as one of many stars at the back far right of the cover art of the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ("the Sergeants played a marching tune"). [32]
The song title itself is a reference to apple pie, an unofficial symbol of the United States and one of its signature comfort foods, [36] as seen in the popular expression "As American as apple pie". [37] By the twentieth century, this had become a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. [37]
The original United Artists Records inner sleeve featured a free verse poem written by McLean about William Boyd, also known as Hopalong Cassidy, along with a picture of Boyd in full Hopalong regalia. Its inclusion in the album was interpreted to represent a sense of loss of a simplistic type of American culture as symbolized by Hopalong Cassidy and by extension black and white television as a whole. [38]
Mike Mills of R.E.M. reflected: "'American Pie' just made perfect sense to me as a song and that's what impressed me the most. I could say to people this is how to write songs. When you've written at least three songs that can be considered classic that is a very high batting average and if one of those songs happens to be something that a great many people think is one of the greatest songs ever written you've not only hit the top of the mountain but you've stayed high on the mountain for a long time." [39]
For McLean, the song is a blueprint of his mind at the time and a homage to his musical influences, but also a roadmap for future students of history:
"If it starts young people thinking about Buddy Holly, about rock 'n' roll and that music, and then it teaches them maybe about what else happened in the country, maybe look at a little history, maybe ask why John Kennedy was shot and who did it, maybe ask why all our leaders were shot in the 1960s and who did it, maybe start to look at war and the stupidity of it — if that can happen, then the song really is serving a wonderful purpose and a positive purpose."
Mark Kennedy, "Don McLean looks back at his masterpiece, 'American Pie'" (2022) [19]
When asked what "American Pie" meant, McLean jokingly replied, "It means I don't ever have to work again if I don't want to." [40] Later, he stated, "You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me... Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence." [41] He also commented on the popularity of his music, "I didn't write songs that were just catchy, but with a point of view, or songs about the environment."
In February 2015, however, McLean announced he would reveal the meaning of the lyrics to the song when the original manuscript went for auction in New York City, in April 2015. [42] The lyrics and notes were auctioned on April 7, 2015, and sold for $1.2 million. [43] In the sale catalogue notes, McLean revealed the meaning in the song's lyrics: "Basically in 'American Pie' things are heading in the wrong direction. It [life] is becoming less idyllic. I don't know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense." [44] The catalogue confirmed that the song climaxes with a description of the killing of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Free Concert, ten years after the plane crash that killed Holly, Valens, and Richardson, and did acknowledge that some of the more well-known symbols in the song were inspired by figures such as Elvis Presley ("the king") and Bob Dylan ("the jester"). [44] In 2017, Bob Dylan was asked about how he was referenced in the song. "A jester? Sure, the jester writes songs like 'Masters of War', 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall', 'It's Alright, Ma' – some jester. I have to think he's talking about somebody else. Ask him." [45] Dylan's predictions were later confirmed to be true, when McLean denied that Dylan was the jester and Presley the king in the song. [46]
In 2022, the documentary The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie, produced by Spencer Proffer, was released on the Paramount+ video on-demand service. Proffer said that he told McLean: "It's time for you to reveal what 50 years of journalists have wanted to know." McLean stated that he "needed a big song about America", and the first verse and melody seemed to just come to mind: "A long, long, time ago...". [19]
McLean then answers some of the long-standing questions on the song's lyrics, although not all. He reveals that Elvis was not the king referenced in the song, the "girl who sang the blues" was not Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan was not the jester, although he is open to other interpretations. He says that "marching band" means the military–industrial complex, "sweet perfume" refers to tear gas, and Los Angeles is the "coast" that the Trinity head to ("caught the last train for the coast") – "even God has been corrupted", he comments. He says that "This'll be the day that I die" originated from the John Wayne film The Searchers (which inspired Buddy Holly's song "That'll Be the Day"), and "Bye Bye Miss American Pie" is a reference to a song by Pete Seeger, "Bye Bye, My Roseanna". McLean had originally intended to use "Miss American apple pie" but "apple" was dropped. [19]
On the whole, McLean stated that the lyrics were meant to be impressionist, and that many of the lyrics, only a portion of which were included in the finished recording, were completely fictional with no basis in real-life events. [46]
Credits from Richard Buskin, except where noted. [47]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [67] | 5× Platinum | 400,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [68] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [69] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [70] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
In 1999, "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote and recorded a parody of "American Pie". Titled "The Saga Begins", the song recounts the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace from Obi-Wan Kenobi's point of view. While McLean gave permission for the parody, he did not make a cameo appearance in its video, despite popular rumor. McLean himself praised the parody, even admitting to almost singing Yankovic's lyrics during his own live performances because his children played the song so often. [71] [72] An unrelated comedy film franchise by Universal Pictures, who secured the rights to McLean's title, also debuted in 1999. [73]
"American Pie" was the last song to be played on Virgin Radio before it was rebranded as Absolute Radio in 2008. [74] It was also the last song played on BFBS Malta in 1979.
Jeremy Renner sings an a cappella version in the 2006 movie Love Comes to the Executioner , as his character walks to the execution chamber. [75]
In 2012, the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, created a lip dub video to "American Pie" in response to a Newsweek article that stated the city was "dying". [76] (Due to licensing issues, the version used in the video was not the original, but rather a later-recorded live version.) The video was hailed as a fantastic performance by many, including film critic Roger Ebert, who said it was "the greatest music video ever made". [77]
On March 21, 2013, Harmonix announced that "American Pie" would be the final downloadable track made available for the Rock Band series of music video games. [78] This was the case until Rock Band 4 was released on October 6, 2015, reviving the series' weekly releases of DLC.
On March 14, 2015, the National Museum of Mathematics announced that one of two winners of its songwriting contest was "American Pi" by mathematics education professor Dr. Lawrence M. Lesser. [79] The contest was in honor of "Pi Day of the Century" because "3/14/15" would be the only day in the 21st-century showing the first five digits of π (pi).
On April 20, 2015, John Mayer covered "American Pie" live on the Late Show with David Letterman , at the request of the show's eponymous host. [80]
On January 29, 2021, McLean released a re-recording of "American Pie" featuring lead vocals by country a cappella group Home Free. [81]
The song was featured in Marvel's Black Widow movie in 2021. [82] It is the favorite song of the character Yelena Belova, and sung by Red Guardian later in the film to comfort her. [83]
"American Pie" is also featured in the 2021 Tom Hanks movie Finch . [84]
During his visit to the United States in 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol sang this song at a state dinner. [85] This has attracted worldwide attention, as well as the attention of Don McLean. [86]
"American Pie" | ||||
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Single by Madonna | ||||
from the album The Next Best Thing | ||||
Released | February 8, 2000 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | Dance-pop | |||
Length | 4:33 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Don McLean | |||
Producer(s) |
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Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"American Pie" on YouTube |
American singer Madonna released a cover version of the song in February 2000 to promote the soundtrack of her film The Next Best Thing (2000), with the song being serviced to radio between February 2-8, 2000 and being sold in stores on February 22, 2000. [88] [89] Her cover is much shorter than the original (it contains only the beginning of the first verse and all of the second and sixth verses) and was recorded as a dance-pop song. It was co-produced by Madonna and William Orbit and released on the singer's Maverick label, after Rupert Everett (Madonna's co-star in The Next Best Thing) had convinced her to cover the song for the film's soundtrack. [90] Madonna said of her choice to cover the song: "To me, it's a real millennium song. We're going through a big change in terms of the way we view pop culture, because of the Internet. In a way, it's like saying goodbye to music as we knew it—and to pop culture as we knew it." [91] It is included as an international bonus track on her eighth studio album, Music .
"American Pie" was not included in the 2001 greatest hits compilation GHV2 (2001) because Madonna had regretted putting it on Music. "It was something a certain record company executive twisted my arm into doing, but it didn't belong on the album so now it's being punished... My gut told me not to [put the song on Music], but I did it and then I regretted it so just for that reason it didn't deserve a place on GHV2," she said. [92] [93] However, the song's remix was featured on her remix compilation album Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
Released on February 28, 2000, [94] the song was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland. The song was the 19th-best-selling single of 2000 in the UK and the ninth best-selling single of 2000 in Sweden. The single was not released commercially in the United States, but it reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to strong radio airplay.
Chuck Taylor of Billboard was impressed by the recording and commented, "Applause to Madonna for not pandering to today's temporary trends and for challenging programmers to broaden their playlists. ... In all, a fine preview of the forthcoming soundtrack to The Next Best Thing." [95] Peter Robinson of The Guardian called the cover as "brilliant". [96] Don McLean himself praised the cover, saying it was "a gift from a goddess", and that her version is "mystical and sensual". [97] NME , on the other hand, gave it a negative review, saying that "Killdozer did it first and did it better", that it was "sub-karaoke fluff" and that "it's a blessing she didn't bother recording the whole thing." [98]
In 2017, the Official Charts Company stated the song had sold 400,000 copies in the United Kingdom and was her 16th best selling single to date in the nation. [99]
The music video, filmed in the southern United States and in London [100] and directed by Philipp Stölzl, depicts a diverse array of ordinary Americans, including scenes showing same-sex couples kissing. Throughout the music video Madonna, who is wearing a tiara on her head, dances and sings in front of a large American flag. [101]
Two official versions of the video were produced, the first of which now appears on Madonna's greatest-hits DVD compilation, Celebration , and was released as the official video worldwide. The second version was issued along with the "Humpty Remix", a more upbeat and dance-friendly version of the song. This video was aired on MTV's dance channel in the United States to promote the film The Next Best Thing , starring Madonna and Rupert Everett; it contains totally different footage and new outtakes of the original and omits the lesbian kiss. Everett, who provides backing vocals in the song, is also featured in the video.
Credits and personnel are adapted from the American Pie single liner notes. [103]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [160] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [161] | Gold | 25,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [162] | Gold | 25,000* |
Denmark | — | 12,701 [163] |
France (SNEP) [164] | Gold | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [165] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy | — | 70,000 [166] |
Spain | — | 35,000 [167] |
Sweden (GLF) [168] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [169] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [170] | Gold | 400,000 [99] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Donald McLean III is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Known to fans as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail", he is best known for his 1971 hit song "American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation. His other hit singles include "Vincent", "Dreidel", and "Wonderful Baby"; as well as his renditions of Roy Orbison's "Crying" and the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You".
Who's That Girl is the first soundtrack album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Sire Records to promote the film of the same name. It also contains songs by her label mates Scritti Politti, Duncan Faure, Club Nouveau, Coati Mundi and Michael Davidson. The soundtrack is credited as a Madonna album, despite her only performing four of the nine tracks on the album. After the commercial success of the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), in which she co-starred, Madonna wanted to act in another comedy film titled Slammer, about a woman named Nikki Finn who was falsely accused of homicide. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of her adventure film Shanghai Surprise (1986), Warner Bros. was initially reluctant to greenlight the project but later agreed.
"Don't Tell Me" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eighth studio album, Music (2000). It was released as the second single from the album on November 14, 2000, by Maverick Records. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the track with Mirwais Ahmadzaï, with additional writing from her brother-in-law, Joe Henry. Henry originally conceived it as a tango-styled torch song called "Stop"; the demo was later sent to Madonna, who then proceeded to change its musical composition, turning it into a country-dance song. Lyrically, Madonna asks her lover not to control her.
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna found herself in a music scene increasingly influenced by a younger generation of singers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. This led her to seek a distinctive sound that would set her apart in the evolving musical landscape. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. With the album embracing a western motif, Madonna reimagined her image in the role of a cowgirl.
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a song composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. Denied writing credit by Fox and Gimbel, Lieberman released her version of the song in 1972, but it did not chart. The song has been covered by many other artists.
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released as the album's final single on July 24, 1985, by Sire Records. Composed by Andrea LaRusso with lyrics by Peggy Stanziale, and produced by Nile Rodgers, who also played guitar on the track, it was the final song to be added to the album. Rodgers had asked the writers to compose something similar to the work of his band Chic but, due to LaRusso and Stanziale being busy with other projects, the composition took time. When the lyrics were submitted, the producer initially rejected them, as he felt there was no time to compose a melody; Madonna, however, liked the lyrics and convinced him to include the song on Like a Virgin. Musically, "Dress You Up" is a dance-pop song whose lyrics are an extended metaphor for fashion and lust, comparing dressing up with passion.
"Music" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna as the title track for her eighth studio album of the same name (2000). It was released as the lead single from the album to radio on August 1, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records and commercially released on August 21. "Music" was inspired by a Sting concert Madonna attended and was written and produced by her with Mirwais Ahmadzaï. It is a electropop, disco, electro-funk and dance-pop song in a static key of G minor. Madonna's vocals are electronically manipulated in the track, with the lyrics having political and social undertones and reiterating the uniting power of music.
"What It Feels Like for a Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eighth studio album Music (2000). It was released as the third and final single from the album on April 16, 2001, by Maverick Records. Madonna and Guy Sigsworth wrote and produced the song with David Torn as co-writer, and Mark "Spike" Stent as a co-producer. "What It Feels Like For a Girl" is a mid-tempo electronic and synth-pop song. Lyrically, it conveys society's double standard toward women, addressing hurtful myths about female inferiority. To emphasize the message, the song opens with a spoken word sample by actress Charlotte Gainsbourg from the 1993 British film The Cement Garden. A Spanish version of the track, "Lo Que Siente la Mujer", was translated by Alberto Ferreras and included in the Latin American edition of Music.
"Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with William Orbit. The soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a much expected release and Madonna's song was chosen by the album's executive producers to promote it. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on three separate Madonna greatest hits collections: GHV2 (2001), Celebration (2009) and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops. Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation.
"You Must Love Me" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, for the 1996 film adaptation of the musical, Evita, based on the life of Argentinian leader Eva Perón. The song was released on October 21, 1996, by Warner Bros. as the lead single from the film's soundtrack. After years of not working together due to their individual projects, Lloyd Webber and Rice collaborated on creating a new track for the film, with the hopes of obtaining an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. According to Lloyd Webber, the song's purpose was to showcase Perón's emotional state at the time as well as her relationship with her husband Juan Perón.
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986). Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch created it as an instrumental demo and offered it to singer Michael Jackson, who turned it down. When Leonard met Madonna to start working on True Blue, he played the demo for her. Madonna came up with the title, wrote the lyrics and produced the song with Leonard. It is her first song with Latin influences. Its instrumentation features flamenco guitar, Latin percussion, maracas, and includes four lines sung in Spanish. The lyrics talk about an island named San Pedro, whose location has been debated. Madonna said the song was her tribute to Latin Americans.
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer Madonna from her 1989 fourth studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's lead single on March 3, 1989, by Sire Records. Written and produced by both Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song heralded an artistic and personal approach to songwriting for Madonna, who believed that she needed to cater more to her adult audience. Thematically, the song speaks about a passionate young girl in love with God, who becomes the only male figure in her life.
"Take a Bow" is a song by American singer Madonna from her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994). It was released as the album's second single on December 6, 1994, by Maverick Records. It is a midtempo pop ballad written and produced by Madonna and Babyface. Following the sexually explicit persona portrayed by Madonna on her previous album, Erotica, she wanted to tone down her image for Bedtime Stories. Experimenting with a new musical direction and a more radio-friendly sound, Madonna decided to collaborate with Babyface, whose work with other musicians had impressed her. "Take a Bow" was developed after she listened to the basic beat and chords of a piece of music composed by him.
American singer Madonna has released 94 singles and 23 promotional singles and charted with 23 other songs. Among those releases, a total of 44 singles have topped the official chart in at least one of the world's top 10 music markets, from "Like a Virgin" (1984) to "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012). She has sold more than 100 million singles, predominantly in physical formats, with single certifications spanning 40 years from "Holiday" (1983) to "Popular" (2023). According to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo artist in the United States singles chart history, second overall behind the Beatles. In the United Kingdom, Madonna is the most successful female artist, with a total of 64 top-ten hits and 13 chart-toppers. At the 40th anniversary of the GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history. Editors of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) wrote that Madonna is a "deserving candidate for the title of greatest singles artist since the 1960s heyday of the single"; the staff of Slant stated in 2020 that "by every objective measure, she's the most successful singles artist of all time".
"Hanky Panky" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless. It was released on June 12, 1990, by Sire Records as the album's second and final single. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was developed from a line in the parent film, Dick Tracy, talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner. Performed in a playful, “tongue-in-cheek” style, "Hanky Panky" is a jazz and swing song, keeping with the film's general theme of the 1920s and 1930s, with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus. It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics, with women's groups deeming them harmful; Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke.
The Next Best Thing is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by John Schlesinger about two best friends who have a child together and a custody battle years after. Starring Madonna, Rupert Everett, and Benjamin Bratt, it opened to the number-two position in the North American box office and poor critical reviews. The accompanying soundtrack album was appreciated by music critics. Its lead single, "American Pie" topped the charts in various countries, including Everett's native United Kingdom, and helped to introduce Don McLean's song to newer audiences.
"Vincent" is a song by Don McLean, written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is often erroneously titled after its opening refrain, "Starry, Starry Night", a reference to Van Gogh's 1889 painting The Starry Night.
The discography of American singer Don McLean consists of 20 studio albums, four live albums, 11 compilation albums, and 16 singles.
"Castles in the Air" is a song by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, which he originally released as a single in 1971 and subsequently re-recorded and re-released a decade later. The song describes a man who is unsatisfied with and weary of an urban lifestyle. Although native to the city, he decides to forsake not only his urban 'castle in the air' but also his love interest there. Because of his desire for and love of a country life, he decides to seek romance with a like-minded woman.
"But the quartet practicing in the park, that's not the Beatles?" Axelrod asked. "No," McLean replied.
«American Pie» che come singolo presente nella colonna sonora del film «The next big thing» solo nel nostro paese ha venduto ben 70 mila copie
En España ha vendido 35.000 copias en dos semanas a pesar de que la cinta aún no se ha estrenado