Richardson (and, of course, inspired the track) had on him, the documentary features the very first line-by-line deconstruction of the song’s lyrics. In addition to a look at McLean’s early life and the profound impact that the 1959 airplane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J.P. It’s been a little over 50 years since Don McLean released his nearly-nine-minute epic “American Pie,” and the song and the musician are both subjects of a new documentary called, fittingly, The Day the Music Died.
