This Week In Music History Jan 26-Feb 1

The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com.

Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history!

JAN 27: Today at #1 in 1972 on the Billboard Hot 100: “American Pie,” by Don McLean! Released in 1971, it is one of the most iconic and enigmatic songs in American popular music. Inspired in part by the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson—an event McLean famously called “the day the music died”—the song expands into a sweeping reflection on the loss of innocence in American culture. Spanning over eight minutes, “American Pie” blends folk and rock with poetic, symbolic lyrics that reference major shifts in music, politics, and social attitudes during the 1960s. Lines alluding to Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones have fueled decades of interpretation and debate. Despite its complexity, the song struck a powerful chord with listeners, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “American Pie” endures as both a nostalgic lament and a cultural time capsule of a changing America.

JAN 30: Happy birthday to Phil Collins! The English singer, songwriter, drummer, and producer whose career spans progressive rock, pop, and adult contemporary music was born on January 30, 1951, in London. Collins showed an early interest in performance, acting as a child before turning seriously to music. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the drummer for the progressive rock band Genesis, joining during the Nursery Cryme era. Known for his precise yet expressive drumming, Collins became a key part of the band’s evolving sound.