Don McLean's 'American Pie' brings $1.2M at auction

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Don McLean's original manuscript and notes to "American Pie" sold at auction today for $1.2 million.

McLean offered his wistful anthem that asks "Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died?" at Christie's.

The auction house said two people vied for the 16-page manuscript, one in the room and one on the phone. The winning bid went to the collector in the room who wished to remain anonymous.

Bidding started at $500,000 and rose to $1.2 million in just four minutes.

The 16 pages include the original working manuscript and typed drafts of the song. The eight-minute-long "American Pie" was released in 1971 and was a No. 1 U.S. hit for four weeks in 1972.

"The day the music died" refers to the Feb. 3, 1959, deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash.

McLean, a longtime Maine resident, said through Christie's that writing the song was "a mystical trip into his past."