Vincent (Don McLean song) explained

Vincent
Cover:Don McLean - Vincent Single Cover.jpg
Caption:Cover art of UK vinyl release, also used for the US, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and New Zealand releases
Type:single
Artist:Don McLean
Album:American Pie
B-Side:Castles in the Air
Released:February 1972[1]
Genre:Folk
Label:United Artists Records, BGO Records
Producer:Ed Freeman
Prev Title:American Pie
Prev Year:1971
Next Title:Dreidel
Next Year:1973

"Vincent" is a song by Don McLean, written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is often erroneously titled after its opening refrain, "Starry, Starry Night", a reference to Van Gogh's 1889 painting The Starry Night.

McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of Van Gogh. It was released on McLean's 1971 American Pie album; the following year, the song topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks,[2] and peaked at No. 12 in the United States,[3] where it also hit No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart.[4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 94 song for 1972.

The song makes use mainly of the guitar, but also includes the accordion, marimba, and violin.

In July 2020, the original handwritten lyrics went up for sale for $1.5 million.[5]

Background

McLean said the following about the genesis of the song:

Critical reception

The Telegraph wrote, "With its bittersweet palette of major and minor chords, "Vincent"'s soothing melody is one of high emotion recollected in tranquillity". Record World called the song "artful", saying that "the Vincent Van Gogh story is told with melody and poetry."[6] Cash Box called it "another of those tunes for people who like to pick apart lyrics and messages.[7] AllMusic retrospectively described the song as "McLean's paean to Van Gogh ... sympathiz[ing] with Van Gogh's suicide as a sane comment on an insane world."[8] The site also said McLean performs "a particularly poignant rendition" of "Vincent" on the 2001 live album Starry, Starry Night.[9]

The song was a particular favorite of the rapper and actor Tupac Shakur, and was played to him at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, the hospital that he was admitted to just before he died of gunshot wounds from a drive-by shooting.

English musician Jake Bugg credited hearing the song in an episode of The Simpsons as his formative musical moment.[10]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)Peak
position
Australia[11] 3
Canada Top Singles[12] 3
Canada Adult Contemporary 13
Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 21
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 1
New Zealand (Listener)[15] 7
South Africa (Springbok)[16] 6
US Cash Box Top 100[17] 11

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)Rank
Australia31
Canada[18] 67
UK[19] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 94
US Cash Box[21] 93

Notable cover versions

Jane Olivor recorded the song for her 1976 album release First Night.

Julio Iglesias covered the song in his 1990 album Starry Night.

In 1996, a punk rock cover by NOFX was published on the compilation album Survival of the Fattest by the record label Fat Wreck Cords.[22]

Josh Groban recorded a version on his 2001 self-titled album.

Rick Astley released a cover version on his 2005 album Portrait.

Marina Prior recorded the song for her 2012 album Both Sides Now.

Lianne La Havas recorded a cover for the soundtrack album and credits of the 2017 film Loving Vincent.

In December 2017, James Blake performed a live piano-backed cover at Conway Studios, Los Angeles.

Ellie Goulding released a cover of the song on Valentine's Day 2018, apologizing to her fans about delays in her recording projects.[23] McLean tweeted Goulding, saying "'Vincent' is not an easy song to sing and you sing it very beautifully."[24] She included her cover in her 2020 Songbook for Christmas EP.

Sophia Kruithof covered the song in her blind audition for The Voice of Holland season 10, which she would go on to win.[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vincent / Castles In The Air - Don McLean. 45cat. 2021-04-22.
  2. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited. London. 1-904994-10-5. 274.
  3. Web site: Jason Ankeny . Don McLean | Biography . AllMusic . 1945-10-02 . 2014-03-27.
  4. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Joel Whitburn . 2002 . Record Research . 166.
  5. News: Handwritten lyrics of Don McLean's song 'Vincent' up for sale, expected to fetch $1.5 mn. The Economic Times. 2020-07-31.
  6. Record World staff. Hits of the Week. Record World. March 11, 1972. 1. 2023-04-02.
  7. Cash Box. Cash Box Singles Picks. March 11, 1972. 2023-04-02. 30.
  8. Web site: American Pie. William Ruhlmann. AllMusic.
  9. Web site: Starry Starry Night. Bruce Eder. AllMusic.
  10. News: della Cava. Marco. On the Verge: Jake Bugg is straight outta Nottingham. 25 July 2023. USA Today. 10 September 2013.
  11. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. doc. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W . 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
  12. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - May 20, 1972.
  13. Web site: Swedishcharts.com – DON MCLEAN - VINCENT. Singles Top 100.
  14. Web site: The Irish Charts - All there is to know . irishcharts.ie . 4 October 2019.
  15. Web site: flavour of new zealand - search listener . Flavourofnz.co.nz . 2016-10-07 . 2016-10-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009115930/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=816#n_view_location . dead .
  16. Web site: South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M) . Rock.co.za . 8 September 2018.
  17. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 5/20/72. Tropicalglen.com. 20 January 2019.
  18. Web site: Best of 1972 songs and music, on MusicAndYears.com! . 2015-01-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110916052852/http://www.musicandyears.com/year/1972 . 2011-09-16 .
  19. Web site: Top 100 1972 - UK Music Charts . Uk-charts.top-source.info . 2016-10-07.
  20. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972 . Musicoutfitters.com . 2016-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170427223218/http://musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1972.htm . 2017-04-27 . dead .
  21. Web site: Top 100 Year End Charts: 1972 . . 2015-01-03 . 2012-08-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120814104924/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1972YESP.html . dead .
  22. Web site: Cover versions of Vincent by NOFX SecondHandSongs. 2021-10-09. secondhandsongs.com.
  23. Web site: Ellie Goulding covers Don McLean classic "Vincent": Stream. 14 February 2018.
  24. Web site: Ellie Goulding covers Don McLean's 'Vincent'. 15 February 2018.
  25. Web site: 17-year-old WINNER got the Coaches in AWE in The Voice. 23 April 2020. Best of The Voice. 15 May 2024.