As I watched him on the stage, my hands were clinched in fists of rage. No angel born in hell, could break that Satan's spell.

When people ask me what 'American Pie' means, I tell them it means I don't ever have to work again if I don't want to.

The kids today all seem to think they should be stars, but I wasn't brought up that way.

You're going to be buying your ticket with your heartache, you're gonna be payin' the man with your dues. You're gonna be living alone when you hear that whistle moan, you're gonna be learnin' to live with the blues.

I have no idea how I do anything. I never have. You know I just started playing guitar and started singing and started working on this act that I would call "Don McLean" when I was probably in high school. And I have been doing this for 40 years, adding songs and writing things, cobbling together albums, doing live things, you know, albums and tours. And then I have records on the charts. I have no idea how this happened.

We all got up to dance. Oh, but we never got the chance!

Something touched me deep inside The day the music died.