Quotes by Don Mclean - Page 2 | QuoteForever

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And when no hope was left inside 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.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Beautiful
Night
Suicidal
Copy Quote
I feel like a spinning top or a DreidelThe spinning don't stop when you leave the cradleYou just slow downRound and around this world you goSpinning through the lives of the people you knowWe all slow down.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
People
Spinning
World
Copy Quote
Basically, in 'American Pie,' things are heading in the wrong direction. It is becoming less ideal, less idyllic. I don't know whether you consider that wrong or right, but it is a morality song in a sense.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
American Pie
Becoming
Idyllic
Morality
Pie
Song
Wrong Direction
American
Basically
Less
Consider
Direction
Wrong
Heading
Ideal
Sense
Whether
Copy Quote
I've never done anything but what I wanted to do with my life. I don't think too many people can say that. I wrote the songs I wanted to write, for me. I had no idea that 'American Pie' would relate to anybody.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
American Pie
No Idea
Pie
Relate
Life Me My Life
Life Done Me
Too Many People
Copy Quote
Herman Melville was supposed to be an accountant. Van Gogh was meant to be an art dealer. I was meant to take the train into New York and work for a bank. To be an artist, you have to say goodbye to your family.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Dealer
Meant To Be
Accountant
Bank
Meant
Gogh
Supposed
Van
Van Gogh
Copy Quote
How did the land of Jefferson, how did the land of King, become the land of hamburgers and raisins that can sing? Roosevelt was cripple, Lincoln was a geek, they'd never get elected, their clothes were never chic.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Kings
Clothes
Land
Copy Quote
You're going to be buying your ticket with your heartache, you're gonna be payin' the man with your dues. You're gonna be living alone when you hear that whistle moan, you're gonna be learnin' to live with the blues.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Men
Heartache
Sadness
Copy Quote
If you listen to one of my albums, you can tell I do a lot of different things. In the case of 'Vincent', I thought of his picture 'Starry Night.' It was a beautiful road-map for a song. I used a lot of imagery from that painting.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Different Things
Imagery
Painting
Starry
Copy Quote
My expectations for myself were never high. I had a very unusual way of writing songs and of thinking about music. I wasn't at all like Bob Dylan or Simon and Garfunkel. I was completely different - I didn't have a David Geffen at my side.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Dylan
Unusual
Music Myself Thinking
David
Bob Dylan
Simon
Copy Quote
I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away. And the three men I admire most, The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, They caught the last train to the coast The day the music died.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Girl
Father
Song
Copy Quote
I developed this fantasy world. I found that that was much more fun and more interesting and exciting than real life was to me. Then, once I got the guitar going when I was a teenager, I set sail for the direction I've been in my whole life.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Fantasy
Fun
Real
Real Life
Sail
Teenager
Developed
Direction
Fantasy World
Copy Quote
No matter how happy or hopeful I am, I always tend to drift back to that. It's underneath all the music I've ever written... An artist is trying to tell you how he's feeling. And if that accidentally becomes entertaining, it becomes a career.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Entertaining
Hopeful
Accidentally
Music Always I Am
Drift
Music I Am Happy
Underneath
Copy Quote
I was always just into my music and maybe into trying to save the world a little bit. I never really thought I'd have a hit record or anything like that. I was prepared to travel around all over the country, kind of like a Johnny Appleseed, and sing.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Country
Prepared
Save The World
Trying
World
Music Travel World
Johnny
Hit Record
Save
Copy Quote
Starry Starry night Paint your palette blue and gray 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.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Eye
Song
Summer
Copy Quote
I don't relate to what's left of the music business. There doesn't seem to be any point to it anymore. The business that I grew up in and loved, we made records a different way - there were record companies, there were stores where you could buy albums.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Albums
Different
Music Business
Record Companies
Records
Relate
Business Music Where
Business Music Way
Copy Quote
Some believe in Jesus, they don't act like they do. Some believe in Mohammed, I don't believe that's true. Cause they do believe in money, and gold is what it's for, all the gold can't buy no peace of mind in a world that don't believe in nothing anymore.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Jesus
Believe
Religious
Copy Quote
But I knew - in the old days, if a song was a good song, I don't care if it was 'Yellow Submarine' or, you know, or 'The Times They Are a-Changin' or 'Don't Be Cruel', you knew it, you know? You heard that song, and you were talking about it, and you knew it.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Don't Care
Heard
Old Days
Song
Talking
Yellow
Cruel
Good Song
Submarine
Copy Quote
Being on United Artists was almost as bad as not being on any label at all. They were the crappiest in the business. All they did was movie soundtracks. Now, they were making an effort to become much hipper - signing people like Bobby Womack and what have you.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Signing
Soundtracks
Bobby
Label
Copy Quote
Every thread of creation is held in position by still other strands of things living. In an earthly tapestry hung from the skyline of smoldering cities so gray and so vulgar, as not to be satisfied with their own negativity, but needing to touch all the living as well.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Cities
Negativity
Philosophy
Copy Quote
I actually feel I'm in a much better place than I've ever been because I'm thankful people still love the songs that I've written, and they seem to like me. And they come to the shows in droves, and they get all excited, and I can still hit all the notes, and I don't look terrible.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Thankful
Better Place
Excited
Notes
Shows
Terrible
Written
Love Me Better
Actually
Songs
Hit
Still
Place
Seem
Copy Quote
Before the Beatles, America was musically a very conservative country. You can see film footage of people at a baseball game, they all had hats and ties on, and the women were dressed up like they were going to church. That was the America that I started getting interested in musically.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Baseball
Church
Conservative
Film
Hats
Ties
Baseball Game
Interested
Dressed
Footage
Musically
Copy Quote
That's the hard thing - getting started. You get started for a long time until you finally get to this point where people call you an icon or whatever they call you. It's nice. Suddenly the audience is with you more and they help you along and it's not so much that you have to do everything.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Long
Nice
People
Copy Quote
My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used to drive them up the wall. My father died, and that was a tragedy for everybody, but suddenly I didn't have anybody to stop me from doing what I wanted to do.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Died
Loud
Musical
Quiet
Tragedy
Wall
Music Me Father
Music Father Me
Suddenly
Copy Quote
There's always a fundamental misery that's with me that I always relate to some bit of loss or something. I don't know what it is about me, but even though I'm happy on the surface, there's something there, I guess. So, it all comes from wherever it comes from. I really don't know where that is.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Loss
Misery
Relate
Surface
Fundamental
Me Happy Always
Wherever
Copy Quote
All roads lead to 'American Pie.' 'As American as apple pie' was the saying. It was some kind of a big American song that I wanted to write, which would be a conclusion for my show and bring all the songs home, which it still does. I can go anywhere I want with American music and come home to that. And it all makes sense.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
American Music
Apple Pie
Conclusion
Pie
Apple
Roads
Copy Quote
I like to bring my audience on a journey during my 90 minute concert. I will tell stories every few songs about the creation of a tune etc. and it gives the listener a glimpse inside my songs and then as you get to the last half hour you pick up the pace and work harder and get more into the show. It's all about stagecraft.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Journey
Giving
Hard Work
Song
Copy Quote
I'm gonna say this and I really mean it - I'm very thankful that I'm not a huge star. I've all the stardom and celebrity that I can handle. But I also have peace and quiet. I am left alone. And I am not recognized everywhere I go and it's perfect. I can come and fill the theatres and I get on stage ... people say: "Well, oh yeah, that must be him," you know?
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Mean
People
Perfect
Copy Quote
And if she asks you why you can tell her that I told you That I'm tired of Castles in the Air I've got a dream I want the world to share in castle walls Just leave me to despair Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky A dream come true, I'll live there 'til I die I'm asking you, to say my last good-bye The love we knew, ain't worth another try
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Dream
Song
Wall
Copy Quote
It's really hard to teach me anything. I can't read music. I never learned how to read music. I read books about things and try to learn - I don't like to learn from anybody. Later on I would, once I'd get the hang of things. Like I ride horses, I'm good at that, Western riding. I learned all about it reading and studying. I'm always learning about horses, I like that.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Book
Horse
Reading
Copy Quote
I've always been on the outside of all that political stuff so I just sort of watch it and I'm appalled and I think people should be screaming about a lot of things right now and they're not. They're just letting everything happen. I don't know. At some point the wheels are going to come off and we're going to have a real problem. The people are going to get angry and it's going to be too late.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
People
Real
Thinking
Copy Quote
When writing I just go with the song. I go with the song and try to tell the story. So the story may be "Wonderful Baby", which is a little song. Or it might be a gentle song, "Empty Chairs". Or it might be a rock and roll song like "Prime Time" or "Run, Diana, Run", or "American Pie". I don't know where it's gonna go. I don't have any idea what I'm doing. I just do it. I just keep doing it. I keep taking adva
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Running
Baby
Song
Copy Quote
I'm living in a world that was created a hundred years ago with vaudeville and people traveling around and medicine shows and things and making live music on stage and I'm still doing that. I like it that way. I like to present something to people that's had 40 years of being honed and perfected. It's something that you're not going to find with an artist who's been around for two or three years, or even ten years.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Artist
People
World
Copy Quote
I have no idea how I do anything. I never have. You know I just started playing guitar and started singing and started working on this act that I would call "Don McLean" when I was probably in high school. And I have been doing this for 40 years, adding songs and writing things, cobbling together albums, doing live things, you know, albums and tours. And then I have records on the charts. I have no idea how this happened.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
School
Song
Writing
Copy Quote
The horrible thing about Death of princess Diana - the sacrificial lamb, which she was. And I believe, in a sense, John Kennedy, Jr. was the same thing. These are people that we loved so much that we drove them berserk with all the attention and they basically didn't have any particular stellar talents. They were just in some kind of a position somewhere where we fixed on them and they became, literally, sacrificial lambs
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Believe
People
Princess
Copy Quote
There's enough ugliness - you know, we got wars going on and people dying and sickness and everything. We don't need to have our art be ugly. But it is, in a lot of it. And these people justify this crap by saying, "Oh we're just representing what's out there, man". Basically, you're making it worse and number one, the artist's job is to elevate people and to lift people up and to give them a place to go, something to hold on to.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Art
Men
War
Copy Quote
All you gotta do is think of the song in your head. And it doesn't matter whether you can play it or not, you can get somebody to play it. With songs I've written, there's a song called "The Statue", which I can't play. There are songs that I've written that I've actually just hummed on - there's a song on one of the albums they have there on the Internet called "My Love Was True" and it's almost operatic. I can't play it. But I can sing it.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Internet
Song
Thinking
Copy Quote
The society that produced The Who, The Stones, Dylan, Paul McCartney and later on people, like myself, is over. The materialistic society that produces these kinds of bombastic performances that don't have any value or musical meaning, is very conspicuous, look at me, I'm rich, dig my brand. That's what missing, Bob Dylan made us feel worthy, I try to do the same thing. Respect for the audience with music that is meaningful and soulful. Go for what moves you and not necessarily what you think will be commercial.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Meaningful
Moving
Thinking
Copy Quote
Everything has become very corporate and very careful. Before we had a real democracy going and there were a lot of freedoms and now there's this terrorism thing that everybody's focused on, which is really a boondoggle in my opinion. It's just an excuse to clamp down on people's free speech. And corporations intimidate people and everybody's gotten intimidated and that's really what it is, and they just keep going along. It's almost like - a little bit like that Charlie Chaplin movie, Modern Times, or 1984, Orwell
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Democracy
People
Real
Copy Quote
We're going to have another rude awakening, a war or depression where people are going to have to value one another again and not value money and winning alone. On the political environment we now have a President who likes winning and money and he represents aspects of the spectacle we were alluding to, and yet he's my President and I am for anyone who is my President. I'm an American and yet it's the style thing. We’ll see what happens. He’d like to see things work well and trying to get us to that place as a country.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
War
Country
Winning
Copy Quote
As you can imagine, over the years I have been asked many times to discuss and explain my song "American Pie." I have never discussed the lyrics, but have admitted to the Holly reference in the opening stanzas. You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me. You will find many “interpretations” of my lyrics but none of them by me. Isn’t this fun? Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Moving
Song
Sorry
Copy Quote
It's a video world now, you know? It's not a musical world. It's a video world. I can watch videos. I see videos, you know, Britney Spears, she's sexy. I like to watch her videos. It's not like the music is what I'm hearing. It's different now. But it's not my world. It's the world of young people and they have what they want and they have what the technology and the society produces as a result of all these advancements that have occurred. And the in the future we'll have something else. Maybe we'll have holograms and, you know, all kinds of stuff.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Technology
People
Sexy
Copy Quote
Because of an off-hand funny comment I made backstage at a concert years ago, a story circulated that the song has been a burden and even that I didnt sing it for a while. Thats completely false. I am very proud of American Pie and the many satellites that grow from it and revolve around it. For many years I carried my songs around and now they carry me around. I have always sung American Pie for my audience and would never think of disappointing them since it is they who have given me a wonderful life and untold affection for almost 30 years.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Hands
Song
Thinking
Copy Quote
We live in a world of empty spectacle, the world of spectacle rock, songs you can't remember, it's all about the expression of money, power and kind of empty and fascistic. Where technology has changed society, where people are not using their brains as much, not seeing the bigger picture but constantly looking down at the cellphone and not seeing the bigger picture. Today's songwriter need to be on outside, find their own trip if you will and find a way to connect from a place that no one has heard before. It might be taken as weird but that is what makes it unique.
Don Mclean / Singer-Songwriter
Song
Taken
Unique
Copy Quote

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