Grand Rapids To Get Screen Time In New Documentary

'The Day The Music Died' is all about Don McLean's 1971 song 'American Pie', so I guess you know where this is going.

Grand Rapids: Forever Attached To 'American Pie'

From Adam Herz, the screenwriter for the movie 'American Pie' which was about his high school days in East Grand Rapids, to Rob Bliss' famed 'lip dub' video done to a live version of the Don McLean classic, GR seems to be forever attached to the song about levees and Chevys.

So it's only right we will be featured in a new documentary coming next month to the Paramount Plus network.

'The Day The Music Died' will detail for the first time the cryptic meanings behind McLean's monster hit that took the country by storm in 1971. It will also talk about the longevity of the song, and how it continues to renew itself through cultural phenomenon like the lip dub.

The Trailer Features A Clip Of Who Else? Bill Steffen Leading The Lip Dub

The trailer for the film was released Wednesday, and near the end, you can see Bill Steffen and the lip dub. The clip pops up at the 1:20 mark.

I'm not sure how deep they will delve into what the lip dub of the song meant to Grand Rapids, which was an attempt to restore GR pride after being dissed in a national article, but it's clear it will be mentioned, and McLean acknowledges the new life the dub gave his song every time he returns to perform in Grand Rapids (which was just last week).

McLean Learned Of The Connection Between His Song And Grand Rapids

“Well, somebody said, you know, ‘there’s 5,000 people in Grand Rapids who’ve sung your song and it’s being seen by millions and millions of viewers,’” McLean recently told FOX 17. “So I checked it out and I said, ‘I couldn’t believe it.’ It was like a Spielberg video for somebody. You know, it’s a tremendous video, just on its own, for the song. And they used a solo version. There’s no background musicians in that. It’s just me and guitar.”

“Everything’s going to be part of that documentary. That’s the story. That’s what the movie is about, really, is this journey and then what’s happened after. And that’s where the lip dub gets included because here, it’s over here,” McLean added.

As far as whether the pop culture connection between McLean's song and the bawdy sex comedy written by Herz is brought up in the documentary remains to be seen, but I sure hope he mentions it. He has to, right? East Grand Forks, forever.

“The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie” will stream on Paramount Plus starting July 19th.  

The film will delve not only into the secrets behind the song, it also features interviews by Don himself, as well as such stars as Garth Brooks, Brian Wilson, Peter Gallagher, Jade Bird and more.