McLean's grandfather and father, both also named Donald McLean, had roots originating in Scotland. The Buccis, the family of McLean's mother, Elizabeth, came from Abruzzo in central Italy. They left Italy and settled in Port Chester, New York at the end of the 19th century. He has other extended family in Los Angeles and Boston. Though some of his early musical influences included Frank Sinatra and Buddy Holly, as a teenager, McLean became interested in folk music, particularly the Weavers' 1955 recording At Carnegie Hall. He often missed long periods of school because of childhood asthma, particularly music lessons, and although McLean slipped back in his studies, his love of music was allowed to flourish. By age 16, he had bought his first guitar and began making contacts in the music business, becoming friends with the folk singers Erik Darling and Fred Hellerman of the Weavers.
McLean recorded Tapestry in 1969 in Berkeley, California during the student riots. After being rejected 72 times by labels, the album was released by Mediarts, a label that had not existed when he first started to look for a label. He worked on the album for a couple of years before putting it out. It attracted good reviews but little notice outside the folk community, though on the Easy Listening chart "Castles in the Air" was a success, and in 1973 "And I Love You So" became a number 1 Adult Contemporary hit for Perry Como.
McLean's major break came when Mediarts was taken over by United Artists Records, thus securing the promotion of a major label for his second album, American Pie. The album launched two number one hits in the title song and "Vincent". American Pie's success made McLean an international star and piqued interest in his first album, which charted more than two years after its initial release.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In January 2018, BMI certified that "American Pie" and "Vincent" had reached five million and three million airplays respectively.
His composition "And I Love You So" has been sung by Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, and others, and in 2000, Madonna had a hit with a rendition of "American Pie". His other hit singles include "Vincent" (US #12, UK #1 in 1972), "Dreidel" (US #21 in 1972), a rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" (US #5, UK #1 in 1980), a rendition of the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You" (US #23 in 1980), and "Wonderful Baby" (US AC #1 in 1975).
1967
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and my pal Joe went off to war.
We might find hero's heaven, but we'd keep the country free.
We would surely win just like before.
Roy Rogers he was on his horse, and Buck Jones drew his gun.
We would surely win of course when the battle was all done.
Nineteen Sixty Seven I came back alone,They brought Joe back in plastic on the plane.
Nineteen Sixty Seven seems so long ago,
But I can't forget my friend or ease my pain.
His family may forget him, his children may regret him,
His wife may find another and go on.
His picture may grow faded and the world he knew gone jaded
But as long as I shall live I surely know,
I never will forget my buddy Joe.
In Nineteen Sixty Seven, the war was raging on,
Our country was divided and reborn.
Though I was back at home, I had never left Saigon,
'cause all I got was ridicule and scorn.
This was no place for hero's now, they all seemed to resent me,
They said
I went and fought for nothing, that my friend Joe had died in vain.
The lyrics of Don McLean's "1967" are a poignant recounting of the experiences of a soldier during the Vietnam War. The song begins with the singer telling us about how he and his friend Joe were both caught up in the draft and sent off to fight in the war. They had the idealistic notion that they would be heroes and keep their country free, just like the heroes they saw in movies and TV shows like Roy Rogers and Buck Jones. However, the reality of war quickly set in, and when the singer came back, he did so alone. Joe, his friend, had been killed in action and was brought back home in a coffin.
The second verse of the song talks about the aftermath of Joe's death. The singer struggles to come to terms with the loss of his friend, knowing that Joe's family might forget him, his wife might move on, and the world would continue without him. The sense of loss and the pain of the singer's grief is clear in the line: "His picture may grow faded and the world he knew gone jaded, but as long as I shall live, I surely know, I never will forget my buddy Joe."
Line by Line Meaning
In Nineteen Sixty Seven the draft caught up with me,
In the year 1967, I was summoned for military service through the draft, a system that compels individuals to serve in the armed forces.
Me and my pal Joe went off to war.
My friend Joe and I were deployed together to fight in the conflict.
We might find hero's heaven, but we'd keep the country free.
While we hoped to achieve glory and honor, our primary purpose was to protect and preserve our nation.
We would surely win just like before.
We were confident that we would achieve victory in battle, as had been the case in past conflicts.
Roy Rogers he was on his horse, and Buck Jones drew his gun.
Figures like Roy Rogers, a symbol of heroism in the American West, and Buck Jones, a legendary cowboy actor, represented the idealized notions of bravery during wartime.
We would surely win of course when the battle was all done.
We believed wholeheartedly that triumph would be ours once the fighting concluded.
Nineteen Sixty Seven I came back alone,
Upon returning from the war in 1967, I found myself without my friend, having lost him in combat.
They brought Joe back in plastic on the plane.
Joe's body was transported home in a plastic body bag, a stark and tragic reminder of the cost of war.
Nineteen Sixty Seven seems so long ago,
Though it happened years ago, the events of 1967 feel distant yet painfully vivid.
But I can't forget my friend or ease my pain.
Despite the passage of time, I remain unable to forget Joe or alleviate the sorrow of his loss.
His family may forget him, his children may regret him,
There’s a possibility that his family may move on from their grief, and his children might feel remorseful for not knowing him.
His wife may find another and go on.
Joe's wife might eventually seek companionship with another man and continue her life without him.
His picture may grow faded and the world he knew gone jaded
As time passes, Joe's memory may fade, and the environments and experiences he knew may become bitter or less significant.
But as long as I shall live I surely know,
However long I exist, one truth remains clear to me;
I never will forget my buddy Joe.
I am resolute in my commitment to remembering my friend Joe, honoring his memory throughout my life.
In Nineteen Sixty Seven, the war was raging on,
In the year 1967, the conflict we were involved in was intense and ongoing.
Our country was divided and reborn.
The nation was experiencing a profound split in opinions and ideals, undergoing a transformation in its identity.
Though I was back at home, I had never left Saigon,
Even though I returned to my hometown, I felt mentally trapped in the traumatic experiences I endured in Vietnam.
’cause all I got was ridicule and scorn.
All I received upon my return were negative responses and disdain from those who disapproved of the war.
This was no place for hero's now, they all seemed to resent me,
The environment I returned to felt hostile toward returning soldiers, betraying the notion that it was a space for heroes.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON MCLEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Goddess
on The More You Pay
No. As The Auctioneer explains "what we don't sell we shoot or give away - cuz the more you pay, the more it's worth" so the horse is given to the persona/narrator rather than shooting it to death. The Gallery goes wild in celebration that the horse will go to someone instead of being killed.
Joe Boxer
on Vincent
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dcWFYtG8RFM