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).
Empty Chairs
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
In "Empty Chairs," Don McLean narrates the pain and heartbreak he feels in the aftermath of a failed relationship. The song captures the emptiness that lingers in the aftermath of a breakup. The first few lines depict the restlessness and unease the singer feels, unable to sleep as thoughts of his lost love occupy his mind. He describes the moon shining through the window, casting a blue light that resembles gypsy moths fluttering around a flame.
The second verse provides some context for the relationship. The singer reflects on the intimacy he shared with his lover, including a memory of her chestnut hair falling on the pillow beside him. He also notes the presence of a bouquet of flowers left behind, a final gift from his love that now represents the death of their relationship.
The final verse focuses on the aftermath of the breakup. The singer describes the emptiness of the rooms that were once filled with love, with only echoes remaining as he walks up the stairs. The sight of empty clothes draped over chairs serves as a reminder of the absence of his lover. The song ends with the singer reflecting on his disbelief that his lover is truly gone, despite her warning.
Overall, "Empty Chairs" captures the sense of loss and confusion that comes with a relationship's end. It is a poignant reminder of the depths of emotion associated with heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Insomnia plagues me, and I can't stop tossing and turning
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
The moon is shining bright, but I can barely hold onto it through my anxiety
Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
I see flashes of blue light filtering in through my window
Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
The beams of light dance around like moths around a flame
And I wonder if you know
I question if you truly understand
That I never understood
I couldn't comprehend
That although you said you'd go
Even though you promised to leave
Until you did I never thought you would
I never believed that you would actually go
Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
I remember how the moon shone on your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case
Your chestnut hair used to cascade around the pillow
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
The scent of your flowers still lingers where my head once lay
A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead
The bouquet you left was a symbol of our love that's now gone
Never thought the words you said were true
I never believed that your words were sincere
Never thought you said just what you meant
I always felt like there was a hidden meaning behind what you said
Never knew how much I needed you
I didn't realize how much I relied on you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
I didn't expect you to leave, until you did
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
I wake up every morning with no regrets about our past
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
But as the day goes on, memories flood my mind that I can't shake
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
The empty rooms around me seem to reverberate with every step I take
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
I see your empty clothes hanging off the chairs, a constant reminder of your absence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON MCLEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JHong270
"Empty Chairs"
I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
Moonlight use to bath the contours of your face
Chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with a love that's dead
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
@reactormusica
I feel a trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did
I never thought you would
Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with a love that's dead
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did
I never thought you would
Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
The evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did
I never thought you would
@Jennifersonata
I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would
@Andrea-xs4ny
I saw McLean perform twice in small venues in the 80s. He was my dream guy, an unattainable poetic god. I wore out several copies of his albums. Nowadays, my eyes are less starry, but I still adore his music. A few broken hearts and a few decades of experiences later, his poetry is even more amazing to me. :-)
@davidtownsend1792
Such beautiful heartfelt words Andrea, bless you, may your heart never be broken again,
@Andrea-xs4ny
@David Townsend Aw, thank you, kind stranger. I wish the same for you!
@itsyeboijosh4488
Andrea, you're a stranger but I feel your words.
@davidtownsend1792
Andrea, your words are pure poetry too, I hope your happy and loved,
@calorion
Apparently this is the song that inspired "Killing Me Softly With His Song".
@TheChaoslord66
Don McLean is seriously under rated and one of the best song writers that has ever lived.
@andreahardy375
Agree! He is ADDICTIVE!
Never tire of his compositions or his singing or his name his physical beauty!
@philcawser
Even without experience of this situation, this song tells you all, and rips your heart out whilst doing so. Stunning.
@jacquismith3277
You're right. It does rip your heart out.