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).
Vincent
Don McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life, as lovers often do
But I could have told you, Vincent
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you
Starry, starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
A silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will
"Vincent" by Don McLean is a tribute to the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The song describes the painter's intense emotions and deep struggles, which ultimately led to his suicide. The opening lines set the scene for the song, with the description of a "starry, starry night" and the instruction to "paint your palette blue and grey." The summer's day is viewed through eyes that know the darkness in the soul, and the shadows on the hills and the sketch of trees and daffodils set the haunting mood of the song. The song moves to describe the colors on the snowy linen land, and how the artist sees the world in his unique way.
The chorus speaks about the artist's inner struggles and the message he was trying to convey through his work. The song describes how the artist suffered for his sanity, and how he tried to set his thoughts and emotions free, but no one could understand his message. The third verse suggests that Vincent was creating something beautiful out of his pain, but ultimately lost hope in life and took his own life. The song concludes with the assertion that Vincent was too good for this world, and the world did not appreciate his beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Starry, starry night
The night sky is filled with stars.
Paint your palette blue and grey
Use blue and grey colors to paint the picture of the night sky.
Look out on a summer's day
Watch the world on a bright and sunny day.
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
With eyes that have seen deep sorrow and pain.
Shadows on the hills
The hills are cast in shadows.
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Draw the trees and the flowers in the picture.
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
Feel the sensation of the wind and the coldness in the picture.
In colors on the snowy linen land
Use colors to create the image of snowy land on canvas.
Now I understand
I finally comprehend the meaning behind your art.
What you tried to say to me
The message you were trying to convey through your art.
And how you suffered for your sanity
You experienced mental anguish while trying to convey your message.
And how you tried to set them free
You wanted to release people from their burdens and pain through your art.
They would not listen, they did not know how
People weren't able to understand or appreciate your art.
Perhaps they'll listen now
Maybe now people will understand and appreciate your art after your death.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
The flowers in the image are bright and colorful.
Swirling clouds in violet haze
The clouds in the picture are in a hazy, violet-colored state.
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
The colors in the picture are reflected in Vincent's bright blue eyes.
Colors changing hue
The colors of the landscape are constantly changing.
Morning fields of amber grain
Fields of wheat that shine like gold in the morning sun.
Weathered faces lined in pain
Faces showing the wear and tear of a hard life.
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
The pain and suffering of these faces is alleviated through the artist's compassionate touch.
For they could not love you
People were not capable of understanding and loving Vincent for who he was.
But still your love was true
Vincent continued to love and create art despite the difficulties he faced.
And when no hope was left in sight
When Vincent lost all hope and felt trapped in his pain.
On that starry, starry night
It was on a clear night that Vincent took his own life.
You took your life, as lovers often do
Like many artists and people in love, Vincent ended up taking his own life.
But I could have told you, Vincent
I wish I had been there to tell you that you were loved and appreciated.
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you
The world was too harsh and cruel for someone as kind-hearted and beautiful as Vincent.
Portraits hung in empty halls
Empty halls lined with pictures of people who are no longer there.
Frameless heads on nameless walls
Pictures of people without their frames or names.
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
The eyes of the people in the paintings are always watching and remembering.
Like the strangers that you've met
The faces in the painting are like strangers that Vincent has met throughout his life.
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The poor and downtrodden people that Vincent encountered.
A silver thorn, a bloody rose
The beauty and pain that exists in the world and in Vincent's art.
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
The pain and beauty of these things lie forgotten and broken in the cold, untouched snow.
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Even after Vincent's death, people still don't understand and appreciate his art.
Perhaps they never will
It's possible that people will never truly appreciate Vincent's art and the beauty he saw in the world.
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Don McLean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sarahdelarosa6269
I dedicated this song to my Mom. She committed suicide when I was 15, going on 16. She was only 36 years old. She loved to draw, and she was very good at it, but she never thought she was. She lost her Mom to a heart attack, when she was only 11 years old. She had a VERY hard life, and she never thought she was worth anything to anyone. I'm going on 60 now, and I still miss her. I didn't get to grow up with her because my father kidnapped me and my brothers, and the State found out, and they kidnapped us, and put us in different foster homes. This song brings it all back..., it still brings tears to my eyes. You never stop loving the people you truly care about, and nothing ever fills the empty space they leave in your heart. I write poetry, and I wrote a poem many years ago, called Phyllis.
Phyllis
A wife, a mother, an artist,
though never self-proclaimed.
She never truly believed that she,
should come through life un-mained.
The victim of men's lusts and rage,
a woman drunk and sorrowed.
What thoughts ran through her mind the day,
she used the gun she borrowed?
As in the song Starry- Starry Night,
you "took your life as lovers often do."
Phyllis, perhaps the song was right,
and "this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."
Van Gogh could not have truly seen,
such a starry starry night,
for just as Phyllis -
his eyes were screened, by his agony and fright.
What beauty they kept hidden,
this sad world will never know.
Secret treasures forever buried now,
with Phyllis and Van Gogh.
@rfbarrington
My fourth grade teacher used to sing this to our class. The man was incredibly gifted. I do not exaggerate when I say that he rivaled even Don McLean himself.
He lost his son about ten years ago. He was only 19. But none of us could tell anything was wrong. He still had the same infectious smile and jovial sense of humor.
I learned a couple of years ago that this completely broke him emotionally. The man was the living embodiment of the masks of comedy and tragedy. I still don't know if it's true, but I heard he's never celebrated the holidays without him. Every Christmas he'd come into his classroom and just work.
I just wanted to leave this comment here on the off chance he sees this (YouTube was a new, exciting thing when he taught us). He was truly the greatest teacher I've ever had. I know this song is about another tortured soul, but I'll always attribute this to him.
Happy holidays. You don't have to suffer for your sanity. We all love you.
@ronaldvincentsanpedro3286
My father told me he named me after this song since I asked curiously. And then I suddenly remembered all those times when I was still a kid and this song would play on the radio, I remember him telling me that this is my song and/or that he named me after this song, and back then I just nodded and listened peacefully.
Now that I'm 25, it really touches me whenever I hear this because I now always think that he named me after this song because I am born with inborn physical parts and that he really thought of this song when he first saw me as a baby.
And it breaks my heart when I get the chance to listen to this once in a while because I remember all the bullying people did to me and how hard it was for me to accept myself, even now... All of those wishes and what ifs instantly comes running back in my mind.
This song just straight up bring me sorrows of the past and fear of the future, it shouts my experience growing up in this world. However, it also kinda radiates a bittersweet hope for me.
I want this song to be played at my funeral.
@richardsiemion5903
This could very well be my favorite YouTube video. Compliments to the creator.
This song has cut different the older I get and when I stopped making it about me about finally listening to what Don McLean was attempting to convey it became an onion…. It has so many layers to it and the deeper I cut the more I tear up. I don’t want to take anything away from anyone who has used this song to navigate the obstacles and challenges on this crazy rock we live on because I thoroughly enjoyed the comments about how this song has touched them in their own lives… having said that, I encourage everyone to step outside of themselves and really think about what this song is about.
I will leave this here bc if you don’t agree it’s fine. This is art. There are no right answers. How you feel is how you feel and it is never wrong.
All I will say is surface level stuff…. Vincent Van Gogh was not insane. He was so sane he appeared insane to the lay person. When artists of his time painted noblemen or higher he painted the hands of the peasants and every day people. He made the common man the main character. That was daring at the time. He wanted to free people from proverbial algorithms already written for them but eventually threw his hands in the air and took his life. The song feels like it should end when Don McLean mentions that but it continues because his life didn’t end when he died…. It continued on and his impact has been prolific but people still don’t understand… his face is painted on the side of busses and the very people who wrote him off or disagree with his message promote him and make money off of him so the same peoples hes trying to free are paying to see his art work ….. “… they’re not listening still, perhaps they never will.”
He was ahead of his time he’s ahead of us and the song didn’t end yet…..
@wysty67
For those who may have missed my previous comments. I compiled and uploaded this so I could explain my love of Van-Gogh's art to a dear friend of mine and thought McLean's Stary Stary Night was perfect in helping to explain. The lyrics were strictly for the benefit of my Friend, who's first language is not English.I never imagined it would get so many views and comments. I'm so glad I was able to share.
@jimhenderson8571
One of the best ballads of the rock era, and very tough to hear.
@macyorks1123
Brill - superb upload
@sirensong2163
This song really does help explain why he's so beloved by so many. The first time I heard it, I cried so hard. Thank you for putting the images with the song. Seeing his work with this song makes the lyrics even more powerful.
@allanfada9830
I remember that scene, when matt smith and Jenna brought van gogh to the present day, and showed him how his art had touched the world...I felt his tears...his inner wonder that he had finally been recognized for the talent he was.... beautiful scene...
@bellala333
@ Dawn Hancock Just in tears <3 Thank you for sharing that!
@AmbitionMusic
my favorite song of all time. the lyrics touch my soul like no other song has. truly a beautiful masterpiece.
@varunij5824
True that
@Dj-ip2yt
Next to 'Smile' (by Chaplin) by Nat King Cole.
@davidlawuk1647
Don McLean's version is the standard. You might like my version too. It's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIKF7aCfyAc DL Staffordshire, UK.