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).
Love Me
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love me, oh love me
Love me like nobody else can do
Need me
And just let me go one needing you
Well if you want to try to make me over
And there's something else that fits your plan
What it's going to take to be your man
[Chorus]
If you ever say you're going to leave me
Lord I don't know what on earth I'll do
I could never face a new tomorrow
If I had to face it without you
[Chorus]
And just let me go on needing you.
In Don McLean's song "Love Me," the lyrics reflect on the deep need for love and connection. The chorus repeats the plea to be loved like nobody else can, and to be needed while returning that need. The opening lines suggest that the singer acknowledges their partner's desire to change them, yet they are willing to work for that love if only they knew what it would take. This speaks to universal feelings everyone has had at one point in a relationship - change and compromise are necessary for growth, but not at the cost of losing oneself entirely.
The second verse of the song is more desperate in tone, with McLean singing, "if you ever say you're going to leave me, Lord I don't know what on earth I'll do." This line suggests a fear of abandonment and reveals the singer's vulnerability. The words "I could never face a new tomorrow, if I had to face it without you" reveal the singer's reliance on their partner and emphasize the importance of the relationship. The repetition of the chorus after the second verse highlights the emotional depth of the lyrics and McLean's ability to voice honesty through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Love me, oh love me
The singer is requesting their partner to love them.
Love me like nobody else can do
The singer wants their partner to love them in a way that no one else can.
Need me
The singer is asking their partner to need them.
And just let me go on needing you
The artist needs their partner to let them keep needing them.
Well if you want to try to make me over
The artist acknowledges that their partner may want to change some aspects of them.
And there's something else that fits your plan
The singer understands that there might be things their partner wants that do not involve them.
It's alright if you would only tell me
The singer is open to communication and wants their partner to be honest with them.
What it's going to take to be your man
The artist wants to know what they have to do to become the person their partner wants.
If you ever say you're going to leave me
The artist is afraid of their partner leaving them.
Lord I don't know what on earth I'll do
The artist acknowledges that they are lost without their partner.
I could never face a new tomorrow
The singer cannot imagine a future without their partner.
If I had to face it without you
The artist could not imagine facing the future alone.
And just let me go on needing you
The singer needs their partner to let them keep needing them.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEANNE PRUETT
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