Don McLean plays the Coach House Dec. 14
Capture the beautiful and timeless music of American music icon of Don McLean on Sat, Dec. 14 at The Coach House.
The first time I heard about Don McLean when I was about 10 years old. I was just testing some Long Playing Vinyl records from my uncle’s collections and when I played it, I instantly loved it. I would usually skip the tracks if I didn’t like a specific song but I played the whole album of “American Pie.” Of course, American Pie was a monster hit but my absolute favorite is “Vincent.” Being a 10-year old you still don’t understand the lyrics of the song but it was the catchy tune that made me fall in love with the song and also encouraged made to play the hit on the piano.
Don McLean who is defined by his perennial hit “American Pie” also became part of an American pop culture. The eight-and-a-half-minute folk-pop inspired by the tragic death of Buddy Holly reached number-one in 1972 for four weeks in the US. And the song “Vincent” is a tribute to Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, which describes Van Gogh’s famous painting “Starry Night.” “Other songs that I really enjoy in McLean’s magnum opus album,” American Pie” are “Till Tomorrow” and “Empty Chairs.”
Described as a skillful storyteller and an icon of his generation, McLean was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. The American Pie has even been recorded by Madonna in the year 2000.
My opinion is that Don McLean’s timeless songs should also be included in some music history classes. McLean’s lyrics are exquisite and you can feel his emotions through his words. Today’s youth should be exposed to his music because it is a true treasure. His enigmatic lyrics can be interpreted in many ways.