Vincent (Don McLean song)

"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.

"Vincent"
Cover art of UK vinyl release, also used for the US, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and New Zealand releases
Single by Don McLean
from the album American Pie
B-side"Castles in the Air"
ReleasedFebruary 1972[1]
GenreFolk
Length3:55
LabelUnited Artists Records, BGO Records
Songwriter(s)Don McLean
Producer(s)Ed Freeman
Don McLean singles chronology
"American Pie"
(1971)		 "Vincent"
(1972)		 "Dreidel"
(1973)
Music videos
Vincent on YouTube, by Don McLean. (3:58 minutes, with lyrics)
Vincent on YouTube, by Don McLean. Live performance (1972). (3:57 minutes)
Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night (1889), described in the song

McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of Van Gogh.[2] It was released on McLean's 1971 American Pie album; the following year, the song topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks,[3] and peaked at No. 12 in the United States,[4] where it also hit No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart.[5] 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 strings.

In July 2020, the original handwritten lyrics went up for sale for $1.5 million.[6]

Background

McLean said the following about the genesis of the song:

"In the autumn of 1970 I had a job singing in the school system, playing my guitar in classrooms. I was sitting on the veranda one morning, reading a biography of Van Gogh, and suddenly I knew I had to write a song arguing that he wasn't crazy. He had an illness and so did his brother Theo. This makes it different, in my mind, to the garden variety of 'crazy' – because he was rejected by a woman [as was commonly thought]. So I sat down with a print of Starry Night and wrote the lyrics out on a paper bag."[2]

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".[2] Record World called the song "artful", saying that "the Vincent Van Gogh story is told with melody and poetry."[7] Cash Box called it "another of those tunes for people who like to pick apart lyrics and messages.[8] 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."[9] The site also said McLean performs "a particularly poignant rendition" of "Vincent" on the 2001 live album Starry, Starry Night.[10]

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.[2]

English musician Jake Bugg credited hearing the song in an episode of The Simpsons as his formative musical moment.[11]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[29] Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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.[31]

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.[32]

Ellie Goulding released a cover of the song on Valentine's Day 2018, apologizing to her fans about delays in her recording projects.[33] McLean tweeted Goulding, saying "'Vincent' is not an easy song to sing and you sing it very beautifully."[34] She included her cover in her 2020 Songbook for Christmas EP.

In December 2018, Jasmine Thompson and Ryan Keen performed a duet cover for their YouTube channel.[35]

References
  1. "Vincent / Castles In The Air - Don McLean". 45cat. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  2. Helen Brown (24 February 2010). "Don McLean interview: Why I had to write "Vincent" - Telegraph". Daily Telegraph.(subscription required)
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 274. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. Jason Ankeny (1945-10-02). "Don McLean | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 166.
  6. "Handwritten lyrics of Don McLean's song 'Vincent' up for sale, expected to fetch $1.5 mn". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  7. Record World staff (March 11, 1972). "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  8. "Cash Box Singles Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. March 11, 1972. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  9. William Ruhlmann. "American Pie". AllMusic.
  10. Bruce Eder. "Starry Starry Night". AllMusic.
  11. della Cava, Marco (10 September 2013). "On the Verge: Jake Bugg is straight outta Nottingham". USA Today. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. "Don McLean – Vincent" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 20, 1972" (PDF).
  15. "Don McLean – Vincent". Top Digital Download.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – DON MCLEAN - VINCENT". Singles Top 100.
  17. "Don McLean – Vincent" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  19. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  20. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  21. "Don McLean: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  22. "Don McLean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  23. "Don McLean Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  24. "Cash Box Top 100 5/20/72". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  25. "Best of 1972 songs and music, on MusicAndYears.com!". Archived from the original on 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  26. "Top 100 1972 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  27. "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  28. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1972". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  29. "Canadian single certifications – Don McLean – Vincent". Music Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  30. "British single certifications – Don McLean – Vincent". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  31. "Cover versions of Vincent by NOFX | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  32. James Blake - Vincent (Official Video), archived from the original on 2021-12-19, retrieved 2021-10-09
  33. "Ellie Goulding covers Don McLean classic "Vincent": Stream". 14 February 2018.
  34. "Ellie Goulding covers Don McLean's 'Vincent'". 15 February 2018.
  35. Don McLean - Vincent (Starry Starry Night) - Cover by Jasmine Thompson and Ryan Keen, archived from the original on 2021-12-19, retrieved 2021-10-09
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