{
  "id": 11738987,
  "title": "Before American Pie, Don McLean made $300 a week. The hit song changed his family’s life",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/before-american-pie-don-mclean-made-300-a-week-the-hit-song-changed",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T18:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Age",
    "slug": "the-age",
    "url": "https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/before-american-pie-don-mclean-made-300-a-week-the-hit-song-changed-his-family-s-life-20261004-p60y9c.html?ref=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "“My world went crazy”: The 81-year-old singer looks back at that pivotal moment in his career.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Before American Pie, Don McLean made $300 a week. The hit song changed his family’s life",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/before-american-pie-don-mclean-made-300-a-week-the-hit-song-changed-11739007",
        "published": "2026-10-03T18:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}