POP/ROCK - June 15, 1990

Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie: Not much has been heard from Don McLean since his big hit, “American Pie,” in 1971, but he’s working on a comeback. An album titled “Headroom” will be released in the fall and it deals with topics ranging from kids watching too much television to the public’s embrace of style over substance. After the short-lived success of “American Pie,” McLean says he no longer wants to be a star. “When you’re really hot, it’s dangerous,” he said. “Back then, I recall it being quite unpleasant. I didn’t commit suicide and I didn’t go into bankruptcy but it was quite a swim upstream until I got my bearings.” Nonetheless, he’s pleased that he made his mark: “(‘American Pie’ is) not just another song I wrote. . . . It belongs to the people. If children keep singing it, it will be around forever, long after I’m dead.”