After the president of South Korea entertained US President Joe Biden, with a karaoke performance of the song on Thursday, American singer-songwriter Don McLean joked that he was going to sing his iconic “American Pie” with the South Korean leader.
The two leaders got together on Wednesday at the White House state dinner, a glitzy event that attracted celebrities including Angelina Jolie and snowboarder Chloe Kim, an Olympic gold medalist.
Following the audience’s enjoyment of a number of musical performances, Biden related a tale about how his sons would sing McLean’s 1971 hit song “American Pie” while en route to school.
He remarked, “We know this is one of your favorite songs,” prompting a standing ovation from the audience as Yoon began to sing the well-known lyrics.
Yoon received a standing ovation for his efforts before Biden presented him with a guitar signed by McLean.
McLean jokingly said on Thursday, “I intend to go over to South Korea next year and sing it with the president, so that’s probably going to be another news story.” He requested that I perform the song at the White House, but I’m currently on tour in Australia.
Before Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” hit was re-released in 2021, the song, which clocks in at 8 minutes and 37 seconds, held the record for the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. McLean also discussed the song’s enduring legacy.
McLean said of “American Pie,” “It has a melody which is something that is pretty hard to find these days, and that’s just the opening part of the song — I mean, the song is eight and a half minutes, and it’s a rock and roll song.”
I enjoy the fact that the music is still in existence, he continued. “Musicians deal with something called alchemy; we work with magic, and some of what we do falls flat on its face, while other things, if we’re lucky, are magical and last forever.”
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