Lyrics of Don McLean's
'American Pie' to be sold at auction
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[February 13, 2015]
By Patricia Reaney
NEW YORK (Reuters) -
Songwriter Don McLean's original manuscript of "American
Pie," one of the most iconic songs of its time, could
fetch up to $1.5 million when it is sold on April 7,
auctioneers Christie's said on Thursday.
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The 16 pages of hand-written and typed drafts include notes
and deletions for the recording that became a hit after it was
released in 1971. It was named a Song of the Century by the
Recording Industry Association of America and the National
Endowment for the Arts.
McLean, 69, is among the most renowned singer-songwriters of his
generation. He said he decided to sell the manuscript on a whim
and has admitted the beginning of the more than eight-minute
song is about the death of singer Buddy Holly, who died in a
plane crash with Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson in 1959.
But he has been elusive about the meaning of most of the lyrics,
which has heightened interest and led to countless
interpretations.
"I wanted to capture, probably before it was ever formulated, a
rock-and-roll American dream," McLean told Reuters. "The writing
and the lyrics will divulge everything there is to divulge."
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Francis Wahlgren, the international director of printed books
and manuscripts at Christie's, said "American Pie" holds an
important place in the history of music.
"The fact that the drafts, the working process of it, are all
being offered as this lot makes it a remarkable insight into the
mind of Don McLean and into this incredible song that has
touched so many people."
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Written in Cold Spring, N.Y., and in Philadelphia, the six verses of
"American Pie" reflects the social upheavals of the 1960s and early
70s.
"There is something about this song that captures the era of that
period and there is a kind of innocence to it, a loss of innocence
in America," Wahlgren said.
Bob Dylan lyrics for "Like A Rolling Stone", which sold for just
over $2 million at auction last year, set the record for a
hand-written manuscript. It shattered the previous record of $1.2
million for John Lennon's lyrics for "A Day in the Life."
"We've seen records double or triple for manuscripts in a matter of
years because there has been a heightened interest in those very
rare and truly significant manuscripts that come on the market,"
said Wahlgren.
(Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Ken Wills)
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