The Inspiration Behind These Famous Songs Show That A Great Idea Can Come From Anywhere

The Day The Music Died

Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Bettmann/Getty Images

“American Pie” was featured on Don McLean’s album of the same name as the song in 1971. The song refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed rock and roll icons Buddy Holly, Jiles Perry Richardson Jr., and Ritchie Valens. The verse “The day the music died” was powerful.

It’s featured throughout the song as a tribute to the impact those artists had on the music scene before their deaths. Nevertheless, McLean never revealed the meaning behind the lyrics and characters mentioned in the lyrics, which talks about the loss of innocence the early rock and roll generation endured.