How I Wrote... "Vincent"

Recorded in 30 takes with his Martin 00-21, Don McLean's 1972 hit has delivered mixed blessings.

- MARK MCSTEA

AS THE SECOND single from American Pie, Don McLean's 1972 album, "Vincent" rode to the U.S. charts on a wave of popularity, thanks to that long-player's megahit title track. Often recalled by its opening line, "Starry, starry night," itself a reference to Vincent Van Gogh's celebrated June 1889 painting The Starry Night, "Vincent" is an evocative reverie on the artist's life and work. Remarkably, neither it nor its companion hit existed when McLean began recording the album. "I had everything except Vincent' and 'American Pie," he tells Guitar Player.

TALKING PICTURES The starting point for "Vincent" was a book about Van Gogh written by his brother, Theo. "He wanted to set the record straight that Vincent hadn't killed himself over a woman but because of mental health reasons," McLean says. "That started my wheels turning, and I knew I wanted to write a song about him. I spent a whole lot of time wondering how to do it, but every single idea that I came up with sounded silly and lightweight. So I decided to look at the Starry Night painting and let that tell me how to write the song.