Folk singer Don McLean is the writer of the evergreen 'American Pie', later covered by, among others, Madonna. Don McLean was born on 2 October 1945 in the United States. As a young boy, he already sang at primary school. During his studies, he was a much sought-after folk singer on campus.
First chance
In 1970, he wrote the song ‘Vincent’, a tribute to painter Vincent van Gogh. The song was rejected by most record companies but eventually earned him a contract with MediaArts.
Tapestry
He recorded his first album Tapestry. The album sold poorly, but when Perry Como had a hit with a cover of one of the songs on the album, McLean got another chance.
Breakthrough
A year later, he broke through with ‘American Pie’. The song is about the plane crash in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper lost their lives. In McLean's eyes, this was “the day the music died.”
Not as 'American Pie'
In no time, ‘American Pie’ became a number 1 hit. The album Vincent that followed also became a hit, but after that, McLean's sales declined. McLean desperately tried not to let his new music sound like ‘American Pie’. After a few poorly selling albums, McLean was without a record contract in 1976.
Comeback
Only in the 1980s did he write music that made the Top 40 again. His comeback began with a cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying’. Then came ‘Castles In The Air’ and ‘Since I Don’t Have You’. After that, he was soon without a record contract again.
'American Pie' returns
Since then, he has mainly been touring. He put 'American Pie' back on his setlist. McLean now also draws inspiration from country music. In 2000, Madonna covered McLean’s ‘American Pie’ and the song became a hit again. In 2009, his latest album Addicted to Black was released.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Don McLean is listed with the following songs:
Sunday Morning Classic : American Pie
On 24 April 2022, the album American Pie was featured as Sunday Morning Classic.
On 24 October 1971, Don released the album American Pie. Believing that an artist's work should stand on its own, McLean generally gave no explanation for the themes or meanings of his work. At the time of writing, McLean's first marriage was breaking up. The title track is about the plane crash in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper lost their lives. In McLean's eyes, this was “the day the music died.” The song was rehearsed for two weeks before recording. Because McLean's singing rarely sounded the same twice, some vocal parts required as many as 24 takes. In no time, ‘American Pie’ became a number 1 hit. The song Vincent that followed also became a worldwide hit. According to McLean himself, he was reading a biography about Van Gogh when he came up with the idea to write a song about him. It became a tribute to the artist and his work.
In 2000, Madonna covered McLean’s ‘American Pie’ and the song became a hit again. In February 2003, George Michael recorded a cover of "The Grave" as a protest against the impending war in Iraq.
When the music is dead, what else is there to say?
source: NPO
photo: album cover For the Memories
