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).
The Birthday Song
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some things are not spoken of, some things have no name
Though the words come hard to me, I'll say them just for you
For this is something rare for me this feeling is so new
You see I love the way you love me
I love the way you smile at me
I love the way we live this life we're in
Long ago I heard the song that lovers sing to me
And through the days with each new phrase I hummed that melody
And all along I loved the song but I never learned it through
But since the day you came along, I've saved it just for you
I don't believe in magic but I do believe in you
And when you say you believe in me
There's so much magic I can do
Now you see me now you don't watch me dive below
Deep down in your love lake where the sweet fish come and go
And I might sink and I might drown but death don't mean a thing
'Cause life continues right or wrong when I play this birthday song
I learned from you, and you can't even sing
The Birthday Song is a beautiful love song by Don McLean, which is a testament of love for a loved one. The song is about a person who finds it hard to express his feelings but wants to tell his partner how much he loves and cares for them. The lyrics are a perfect reflection of the emotions that one feels when they are in love. The song talks about the little things that the couple does in their life, and how that makes their love so special. The person says that if he could express his feelings perfectly, it still wouldn't match up to the depth of his love. The lyrics also mention the magic and hope that the person has because of the love he shares with his partner.
The opening lines of the song emphasize the need to express one's feelings, especially the ones that are hard to put into words. The line 'Some things are not spoken of, some things have no name' gives the impression that some emotions go beyond words, and it takes a special connection to convey those feelings. The lyrics also show how the person has been waiting for this special someone to come into his life and how important it is to him. The line 'But since the day you came along, I've saved it just for you' is a powerful statement that reinforces the love the person has for his partner. Overall, the song is a beautiful tribute to a special somebody.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could say the things I feel, it wouldn't be the same
Some emotions are best left unspoken as expressing them changes their nature
Some things are not spoken of, some things have no name
Some feelings are so complex that they can't be articulated using words
Though the words come hard to me, I'll say them just for you
Although it's difficult to express my feelings, I will do it for you
For this is something rare for me this feeling is so new
This feeling of love is new to me, and expressing it is rare
You see I love the way you love me
I am in love with the way you love me
I love the way you smile at me
I deeply admire the way you smile at me
I love the way we live this life we're in
I love the life we are living together
Long ago I heard the song that lovers sing to me
I have been exposed to many love songs in my past
And through the days with each new phrase I hummed that melody
I have memorized the tune and hummed it often
And all along I loved the song but I never learned it through
Even though I loved the tune, I never learned to sing it
But since the day you came along, I've saved it just for you
Since you came into my life, I've saved this tune specifically for you
I don't believe in magic but I do believe in you
I don't believe in supernatural powers, but I do believe in your love
And when you say you believe in me
When you express your trust in me
There's so much magic I can do
Your belief in me gives me the strength to do amazing things
Now you see me now you don't watch me dive below
You observe me as I go up and down like a magician
Deep down in your love lake where the sweet fish come and go
Your love is like a deep lake where happiness flows continuously
And I might sink and I might drown but death don't mean a thing
Even if I struggle or fail, losing your love would be the worst thing that could happen
'Cause life continues right or wrong when I play this birthday song
Life goes on regardless of events - this is a celebration of life
I learned from you, and you can't even sing
You have taught me so much about love and how to feel it, even if you can't sing a love song
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