"The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's 'American Pie'" explores meaning of hit song

NEW YORK -- Fifty years after his song "American Pie" became a hit, singer/songwriter Don McLean is talking about the meaning of the song.

McLean opens up in a new documentary called "The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's 'American Pie'" on Paramount+.

He wrote the classic song in 1971, and he reveals the song refers to the 1959 plane crash that killed his idol, singer/songwriter Buddy Holly.

"The song was a phenomenon immediately, and even though I didn't mention Buddy Holly, I dedicated the album to him in, like, two-point type, very small, and everybody figured it out, you know. They started connecting the whole thing," McLean said.

You can watch "The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's 'American Pie'" now streaming on Paramount+, which is owned by CBS2's parent company, Paramount.