When Don McClain turned 13, the news of the plane crash that took Buddy Holly's life reached him like every other teenager in New Rochelle. Years later, that memory would become “American Pie“ - a song that begins with “a long time ago”, lasts more than eight minutes and ends with the feeling that an era has ended.
McLain was born on October 2, 1945 in New Rochelle, New York. Today he turns 81. He showed an interest in music at the age of five, and his asthma, which often kept him away from school, left him more time for the radio and records at home. As a teenager, he bought his first guitar and gradually turned to folk music - music in which the voice and lyrics are as important as the melody.
From Pete Seeger to the first album
Before becoming world famous, McLain sang in small clubs and worked with Pete Seeger on the campaign to clean up the Hudson River. His first album “Tapestry“ was released in 1970, but his real breakthrough came with the second - “American Pie“ in 1971.
The title track was recorded in May 1971 and was released as a long single, split between the two sides of the record. In the United States, it spent four weeks at number one, and the album remained at number one for seven weeks. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number two, and the album remained at number one for seven weeks.
McLain has repeatedly rejected the idea that the song is simply a riddle with a single key. In an interview with the Library of Congress, he said: "I wanted to write a song about America, but also about my life". According to him, the first part appears suddenly, and then the lyrics gradually unfold as a story about music, politics and personal maturation.
„Vincent“ and the songs that follow
The same album also includes „Vincent“, known by the beginning „Starry, Starry Night“. The song was inspired by the painting „Starry Night“ of Vincent van Gogh and shows another side of MacLaine - a quieter, more contemplative side focused on the artist's solitude. It reached number 12 in the United States and number 1 in the UK.
MacLaine also left behind "And I Love Her So", "Castles in the Air", "The Grave" and "Empty Chairs". The latter song has a special life outside his discography - it inspired "Killing Me Softly with His Song", later turned into a worldwide hit by Roberta Flack and the "Fugees".
"American Pie" was inducted into the "Grammy" Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2017 it was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. McLain was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2021 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2000, Madonna recorded her own version of “American Pie“, which topped the UK chart. McLain, however, remains her most recognizable voice - the man who turned the death of an idol, the memory of America and the anxiety of change into a song recognizable from the first chords.
Sources: songhall.org, lcweb2.loc.gov, walkoffame.com