Madonna released a cover version of the song “American Pie” by Don McLean in March 2000 to promote the soundtrack to the film The Next Best Thing (2000), in which she acts. The song was serviced to radio on February 2, 2000.

Her cover is much shorter than the original (it contains only the beginning of the first verse and all of the second and sixth verses) and was recorded as a dance-pop song. It was co-produced by Madonna and William Orbit, after Rupert Everett (Madonna’s co-star in The Next Best Thing) had convinced her to cover the song for the film’s soundtrack.

Madonna explained in a 2001 interview on BBC Radio 1 with Jo Whiley, the reason that the song was omitted from her 2001 greatest hits compilation GHV2:

It was something a certain record company executive twisted my arm into doing, but it didn’t belong on the (Music) album so now it’s being punished.