I don't know anything about the song, but the American Pie movies were awesome, especially the unrated version
I remember listening to this school daily to and from school on the bus in Indiana. On WLS in Chicago, they played it regularly at the same time slot till it went out of vogue.
Top 100 songs of 1972:
1 Roberta Flack The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
2 Gilbert O'Sullivan Alone Again (Naturally)
3 Don McLean American Pie
4 Nilsson Without You
5 Sammy Davis Jr. Candy Man
6 Joe Tex I Gotcha
7 Bill Withers Lean On Me
8 Mac Davis Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me
9 Melanie Brand New Key
10 Wayne Newton Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast
11 Al Green Let's Stay Together
12 Looking Glass Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)
13 Chi-Lites Oh Girl
14 Gallery Nice To Be With You
15 Chuck Berry My Ding-A-Ling
16 Luther Ingram If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right
17 Neil Young Heart Of Gold
18 Stylistics Betcha By Golly, Wow
19 Staple Singers I'll Take You There
20 Michael Jackson Ben
21 Robert John The Lion Sleeps Tonight
22 Billy Preston Outa-Space
23 War Slippin' Into Darkness
24 Hollies Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)
25 Mouth and MacNeal How Do You Do
26 Neil Diamond Song Sung Blue
27 America A Horse With No Name
28 Hot Butter Popcorn
29 Main Ingredient Everybody Plays The Fool
30 Climax Precious And Few
31 5th Dimension Last Night I Didn't Get To Sleep At All
32 Moody Blues Nights In White Satin
33 Raspberries Go All The Way
34 Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose Too Late To Turn Back Now
35 O'Jays Back Stabbers
36 Osmonds Down By The Lazy River
37 Jonathan Edwards Sunshine
38 Mel and Tim Starting All Over Again
39 Badfinger Day Atter Day
40 Elton John Rocket Man
41 Michael Jackson Rockin' Robin
42 Daniel Boone Beautiful Sunday
43 Dennis Coffey and The Detroit Guitar Band Scorpio
44 Cat Stevens Morning Has Broken
45 Arlo Guthrie The City Of New Orleans
46 Rick Nelson Garden Party
47 Johnny Nash I Can See Clearly Now
48 Elvis Presley Burning Love
49 Betty Wright Clean Up Woman
50 Argent Hold Your Head Up
51 Chakachas Jungle Fever
52 Bread Everything I Own
53 Dramatics In The Rain
54 Al Green Look What You Done For Me
55 Donna Fargo The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A.
56 T. Rex Bang A Gong (Get It On)
57 Paul Simon Mother And Child Reunion
58 Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway Where Is The Love
59 Al Green I'm Still In Love With You
60 Derek and The Dominos Layla
61 Aretha Franklin Day Dreaming
62 Cher The Way Of Love
63 Three Dog Night Black And White
64 Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show Sylvia's Mother
65 Carpenters Hurting Each Other
66 Nilsson Coconut
67 Donny Osmond Puppy Love
68 Jim Croce You Don't Mess Around With Jim
69 Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen Hot Rod Lincoln
70 Sonny and Cher A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done
71 Apollo 100 Joy
72 Carly Simon Anticipation
73 Three Dog Night Never Been To Spain
74 Charlie Pride Kiss An Angel Good Morning
75 Alice Cooper School's Out
76 Chicago Saturday In The Park
77 Joe Simon Drowning In The Sea Of Love
78 Bill Withers Use Me
79 Sly and The Family Stone Family Affair
80 Jimmy Castor Bunch Troglodyte
81 Redbone The Witch Queen Of New Orleans
82 Curtis Mayfield Freddie's Dead
83 Joe Simon Power Of Love
84 Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager Ain't Understanding Mellow
85 Harry Chapin Taxi
86 Beverly Bremers Don't Say You Don't Rememeer
87 Bobby Vinton Sealed With A Kiss
88 Todd Rundgren I Saw The Light
89 Sailcat Motorcycle Mama
90 Godspell Day By Day
91 Yes Roundabout
92 Jackson Browne Doctor My Eyes
93 New Seekers I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing
94 Don Mclean Vincent / Castles In The Air
95 Detroit Emeralds Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)
96 Rick Springfield Speak To The Sky
97 Hillside Singers I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing
98 Love Unlimited Walking In The Rain With The One I Love
99 James Brown Good Foot, Pt. 1
100 Isley Bros. Pop That Thang
