Vincent (Don McLean Song) on:
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"Vincent" is a song by
"Vincent" is a song by Don McLean
Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...
written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
. It is often erroneously titled after its opening refrain, "Starry, Starry Night", a reference to Van Gogh's 1889 painting ''The Starry Night
''The Starry Night'' ( nl, De sterrennacht) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Proven ...
''.
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
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
for two weeks, and peaked at No. 12 in the United States, where it also hit No. 2 on the Easy Listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 94 song for 1972.
The song makes use mainly of the guitar, but also includes the accordion, marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
, and strings.
In July 2020, the original handwritten lyrics went up for sale for $1.5 million.
Production
McLean said the following about the genesis of the song:Critical reception
''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' wrote: "With its bittersweet palette of major and minor chords, "Vincent"'s soothing melody is one of high emotion recollected in tranquillity". AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
retrospectively described the song as "McLean's paean
A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice (monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also παΠ...
to Van Gogh ... sympathiz ngwith Van Gogh's suicide as a sane comment on an insane world." The site also said McLean performs "a particularly poignant rendition" of "Vincent" on the 2001 live album '' Starry, Starry Night''.
The song was a particular favorite of the rapper and actor Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...
, and was played to him in the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMCSN) is a non-profit (teaching) government hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the only government run hospital owned and operated by the Clark County Commission.
Overview
The hospital was founded i ...
, the hospital where Tupac was admitted just before he died of gunshot wounds from a drive-by shooting.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Notable cover versions
In 1996, a punk rock cover byNOFX
NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
was published on the compilation album ''Survival of the Fattest
''Survival of the Fattest'' is a compilation album released by the Fat Wreck Chords record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a re ...
'' by the record label Fat Wreck Cords
Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990.
The label has released ma ...
.
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song "Ne ...
released a cover version on his 2005 album ''Portrait
A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
''.
Lianne La Havas
Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 1989), known professionally as Lianne La Havas ( ), is a British singer-songwriter and record producer. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for who ...
recorded a cover for the soundtrack album and credits of the 2017 film ''Loving Vincent
''Loving Vincent'' ( pl, Twój Vincent) is a 2017 experimental adult animated biographical drama film about the life of the painter Vincent van Gogh, and, in particular, about the circumstances of his death. It is the first fully painted animat ...
''.
In December 2017, James Blake performed a live piano-backed cover at Conway Studios
Conway may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conway, Arkansas
* Conway County, Arkansas
* Lake Conway, Arkansas
* Conway, Florida
* Conway, Iowa
* Conway, Kansas
* Conway, Louisiana
* Conway, Massachusetts
* Conway, Michigan
* Conway T ...
, Los Angeles.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
released a cover of the song on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
2018, apologizing to her fans about delays in her recording projects. McLean tweeted to Goulding saying "'Vincent' is not an easy song to sing and you sing it very beautifully." She included her cover in her 2020 ''Songbook for Christmas EP.''
In December 2018, Jasmine Thompson
Jasmine Ying Thompson (born 8 November 2000) is an English singer. She began her career at the age of ten by filming herself singing and uploading the videos to YouTube. In 2014, she was featured on German deep house producer Robin Schulz's son ...
and Ryan Keen performed a duet cover for their YouTube channel.
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent (Starry, starry Night) (Song) Don McLean songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Italy 1972 songs 1972 singles United Artists Records singles Works about Vincent van Gogh Rock ballads Folk ballads 1970s ballads NOFX songs Songs written by Don McLean Songs about painters