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).
If We Try
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just the thought that we might meet creates anticipation.
Won't you look my way once before you go and my eyes will say what you ought to know.
Well I've been thinkin' about you day and night
And I don't know if it'll work out right
But somehow I think that it just might, if we try.
But something yearns within to grow beyond infatuation.
Won't you look my way once before you go
And my eyes will say what you ought to know.
Well you've got me standin' deaf and blind
Cause I see love as just a state of mind
And who knows what it is that we might find, if we try.
You're walking a different direction from most people I've met.
You're givin' me signs of affection I don't usually get.
I don't want you to pledge your future the future's not yours to give.
Just stand there a little longer and let me watch while you live.
'Cause when I see you on the street, I lose my concentration.
And just the thought that we might meet creates anticipation.
Won't you look my way once before you go
And my eyes will say what you ought to know.
Well I've been thinking about you day and night
And I don't know if it will work out right
But somehow I think that it just might, if we try.
Somehow I think that it just might if we try.
Yes somehow I think that it just might if we try.
In Don McLean's song "If We Try," the singer expresses his attraction and feelings for someone he sees on the street. The sight of this person causes him to lose concentration and creates anticipation for a potential encounter. The singer is hoping this person will notice him and understand the words his eyes are silently communicating.
The song explores the concept of fleeting connections and the desire for something more than just infatuation. The singer reflects on how people come and go in our lives, but something yearns for a deeper connection beyond the surface level. He urges this person to look his way once before leaving and to acknowledge the potential for something more than just a chance meeting on the street.
Throughout the song, the singer maintains a sense of uncertainty about the potential for a relationship, but there is a hopeful tone in his voice. The lines "somehow I think that it just might, if we try" suggest that he is willing to take a chance on this potential connection.
Line by Line Meaning
When I see you on the street, I lose my concentration.
As soon as I lay my eyes on you, everything else fades into the background, and I become completely focused on you.
Just the thought that we might meet creates anticipation.
Even thinking about the possibility of our meeting fills me with excitement and anticipation.
Won't you look my way once before you go and my eyes will say what you ought to know.
Please glance in my direction before departing and read the message that my eyes are trying to convey.
Well I've been thinkin' about you day and night And I don't know if it'll work out right But somehow I think that it just might, if we try.
You have been occupying my mind constantly, and even though there's no guarantee that things will work out between us, I still believe that we should try.
Faces come and faces go in circular rotation. But something yearns within to grow beyond infatuation.
People keep appearing and disappearing, but there's a deeper desire within me to transcend mere infatuation and grow in a meaningful way.
You're walking a different direction from most people I've met. You're givin' me signs of affection I don't usually get. I don't want you to pledge your future the future's not yours to give. Just stand there a little longer and let me watch while you live.
You seem distinct from the rest of the people I've encountered, as you’re showing me a kind of affection that I'm not accustomed to receiving. I don't want you to promise me anything for the future since the future is uncertain. Just allow me to observe your life for a little while longer.
'Cause when I see you on the street, I lose my concentration. And just the thought that we might meet creates anticipation.
Seeing you, even for a moment, leads to my mind losing focus, and the thought of meeting you in the future generates much excitement.
Somehow I think that it just might if we try.
I have a hunch that our relationship can work out if we both put in the effort to try.
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