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).
South of the border
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where I fell in love, when the stars above came out to play
And now as I wander, my thoughts ever stray
South of the border, down Mexico way
She was a picture in old Spanish lace
Just for a tender while I kissed a smile upon her face
'Cause it was fiesta and we were so gay
Then she sighed as she whispered, manana
Never dreaming that we were parting
And I lied as a whispered, manana
'Cause our tomorrow never came
South of the border, I jumped back one day
There in a veil of white, by the candlelight, she knelt to pray
The mission bells told me that I mustn't stay
South of the border, Mexico way
The mission bells told me, ding, dong, that I must not stay
Stay South of the border, down Mexico way
Don McLean's song "South of the Border" is a tale of love found and lost in Mexico. The singer in the song reminisces about falling in love "south of the border," where the stars above provided a romantic backdrop. He describes his love interest as a "picture in old Spanish lace" and remembers kissing her tenderly during a festive celebration. However, the relationship was short-lived, and she whispered "manana" in reference to tomorrow, not realizing they were parting ways. The singer himself lied by whispering "manana" because he knew their tomorrow would never come.
The song takes a melancholy turn as the singer reflects on his regret at leaving Mexico and the woman he loved. He describes seeing her again in a white veil, kneeling to pray by candlelight, a scene that suggests she may have become a nun. The mission bells ringing in the background serve as a reminder that he must not stay "south of the border" and that his love story is over.
Overall, "South of the Border" is a bittersweet ode to a lost romance and the nostalgia that accompanies memories of love found in a faraway place. The song captures the sense of longing and regret that often comes with looking back on past relationships, particularly those that were never fully realized.
Line by Line Meaning
South of the border, down Mexico way
I fell in love in Mexico and now my thoughts always drift back there
That's where I fell in love, when the stars above came out to play
I fell in love in Mexico under the stars
And now as I wander, my thoughts ever stray
My mind always wanders back to my time in Mexico
She was a picture in old Spanish lace
She was beautiful and feminine, wearing traditional Spanish clothing
Just for a tender while I kissed a smile upon her face
For a brief moment, I made her smile by kissing her
'Cause it was fiesta and we were so gay
We were happy because we were celebrating a fiesta
Then she sighed as she whispered, manana
She sighed and whispered 'tomorrow' because she didn't want to think of us parting
Never dreaming that we were parting
She didn't realize we were saying goodbye forever
And I lied as a whispered, manana
I lied when I whispered 'tomorrow' because I knew we would never see each other again
'Cause our tomorrow never came
We never saw each other again
South of the border, I jumped back one day
I remember a time in Mexico when I realized I had to leave
There in a veil of white, by the candlelight, she knelt to pray
I saw her praying in a white veil by candlelight
The mission bells told me that I mustn't stay
I knew it was time to leave because the mission bells were ringing
South of the border, Mexico way
I left Mexico and can never go back
The mission bells told me, ding, dong, that I must not stay
The ringing bells indicated that I needed to leave Mexico
Stay South of the border, down Mexico way
I shouldn't return to Mexico
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, MICHAEL CARR
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