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).
Infinity
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Underneath the door there's a hole and it goes to infinity.
Standin' on a dark street, there's a light in the sky.
Followin' the light through the night as it goes to infinity.
How can I avoid infinity? How have I annoyed infinity?
I'm movin' slow in infinity. I even glow in infinity.
[Chorus:]It's hard being' small, (hard bein' small)
Shrinkin' into space, (shrinkin' into space)
The world is just a ball, (world is just a ball)
It was my favorite place (it was my favorites place)
Lookin' for the blue skies, watchin' for the sunrise.
One thing you can bet, you won't see it set in infinity.
Gonna take a light beam, on the wings of the Jet Stream.
Gonna take my place in the infinite space of infinity.
How can I be friends with infinity? Can I make ammends with infinity?
How can I complain to infinity? What'll I explain to infinity?
(Chorus)
Give me just a time shield before the world has it's fate sealed.
Protect me for a while before they turn my dial to infinity.
I hope I can contribute, oh, but I don't want a tribute.
Hypocrites will come and say somethin' really dumb in infinity.
I can't hear you sing in infinity. I can't change a thing in infinity.
The absence of light in infinity gives me a fright in infinity.
(Chorus)
The song Infinity by Don McLean is a contemplative piece that reflects on the vastness of space and the singer's place in the universe. The opening lines describe the singer standing on a trap door with a hole beneath that leads to infinity, suggesting a sense of vulnerability and smallness. This theme is echoed in later lines in the song, such as "It's hard being' small, shrinkin' into space", which reinforces the idea that we are insignificant compared to the vastness of the cosmos.
The song also explores the singer's relationship with infinity, wondering if it is possible to be friends with or even annoy something so boundless. The chorus discusses the challenges of existing in such a vast universe and longing for the familiar comforts of home, such as blue skies and sunrises. The final verse expresses fear at the thought of the singer's own mortality and the inevitability of death, wishing for a "time shield" to protect him from the fate of infinity.
Overall, the song Infinity reflects on the existential themes of life, death, and the universe. Through its lyrics, Don McLean encourages listeners to reflect on the vastness of space and our place within it.
Line by Line Meaning
Standin' on a trap door, there's a hole in the ground.
Beneath the place where I stand is a trapdoor leading to an endless hole called infinity.
Underneath the door there's a hole and it goes to infinity.
The hole underneath the door leads to a place called infinity that has no end.
Standin' on a dark street, there's a light in the sky.
Despite being surrounded by darkness, there is a light in the sky that leads to infinity.
Followin' the light through the night as it goes to infinity.
I am following the light in the sky that leads to infinity throughout the night.
How can I avoid infinity? How have I annoyed infinity?
I wonder how I can escape the endlessness of infinity or if I have done something to upset its flow.
I'm movin' slow in infinity. I even glow in infinity.
In infinity, I move slowly and emit a faint light.
[Chorus:] It's hard being' small, (hard bein' small) Shrinkin' into space, (shrinkin' into space) The world is just a ball, (world is just a ball) It was my favorite place (it was my favorites place)
The smallness of our existence and the shrinking feeling of space can make it difficult to accept that the world is just a small sphere, despite how much we love it.
Lookin' for the blue skies, watchin' for the sunrise.
I search for blue skies and eagerly await the sunrise, but in infinity these things cannot be found.
One thing you can bet, you won't see it set in infinity.
In infinity, the sun won't ever set because there is no concept of time.
Gonna take a light beam, on the wings of the Jet Stream.
I will travel through infinity on the back of a light beam carried by the jet stream.
Gonna take my place in the infinite space of infinity.
I am going to find my place in the infinite expanse that is infinity.
How can I be friends with infinity? Can I make ammends with infinity?
I wonder how I can create a positive relationship with infinity, or whether it is possible to make up for any wrongs done to it.
How can I complain to infinity? What'll I explain to infinity?
I question how I can express dissatisfaction to infinity or what I would say to it in explanation.
(Chorus)
The same as previous iteration of the chorus.
Give me just a time shield before the world has it's fate sealed.
I desire protection from the end of the world, or from being swallowed by the infinity that awaits it.
Protect me for a while before they turn my dial to infinity.
I hope for temporary protection before being doomed to the eternal infinity.
I hope I can contribute, oh, but I don't want a tribute.
I wish to make a difference in the world, but not for the sake of recognition that is important only in the finite world.
Hypocrites will come and say somethin' really dumb in infinity.
In infinity, hypocritical people will continue to say foolish and pointless things.
I can't hear you sing in infinity. I can't change a thing in infinity.
In infinity, I cannot hear any songs, nor can I make any changes to the endless space that exists beyond our finite world.
The absence of light in infinity gives me a fright in infinity.
The darkness of infinity is terrifying because there is no light to be seen or found.
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