Due to its exceptional length, it was initially released as a two-sided 7-inch single. The song also held the record for almost 50 years for being the longest song to reach number one before Taylor Swift's ' All Too Well (10 Minute Version)' broke the record in 2021. 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). 1 in at least 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. A truncated version of the song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century. 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 also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
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 after just eight weeks on the US Billboard charts (where it entered at number 69). ' American Pie' is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. 'American Pie live performance on BBC, July 29, 1972' on YouTube Artwork was also used as the front cover for the album of the same name and many other international releases of the single.
