Don McLean 的親生父親在他十五歲那年過世
他自小身體就不好,罹患氣喘病使他無法自由自在的跟其他年輕人一樣的玩耍、運動
因此他用音樂來打發時間,父親過世後他即開始走唱的生活
Don McLean 的歌聲純樸自然、毫不做作,加上詩一般的意境
很多人都慕名前去欣賞他的演唱,有人形容他的歌聲具有溫柔的殺傷力
首張專輯裡面的「And I Love You So」
曾被資深歌手派瑞柯莫(Perry Como)翻唱,也在排行榜上造成了轟動
今天出了推薦他這首And I Love You So,另再推薦Vincent
Vincent不但旋律抒情唯美,歌詞也充滿了詩意
有關Vincent更多的介紹,置放下段MV之前
And I love you so
我是如此愛你
The people ask me how
有人問我
How I live till now
我是怎麼活到現在的
I tell them I don’t know
我說我也不曉得
I guess they understand
我想他們應該知道
How lonely life has been
人生是多麼寂寞
But life began again
但人生又重新開始
The day you took my hand
從你牽著我的手開始
And yes I know how lonely life can be
我也知道人生是如此寂寞
The shadows follow me
陰影跟隨著我
And the night won’t set me free
黑夜也不放過我
But I don’t let the evening get me down
但我不會因為夜晚而消沉
Now that you’re around me
因為你在我身旁
She who always seems so happy in a crowd
她,似乎在人群中永遠快樂無比
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
她的雙眼如此自我又如此驕傲
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
沒有人能看見它們哭泣的樣子
She may be the love that cannot hope to last
她也許是無望繼續的愛情
May come to me from shadows of the past
也許成為我過往的陰影
That I'll remember till the day I die
直到我死去那天,我都會記得
And you love me too
你也愛著我
Your thoughts are just for me
你所想的都是為了我
You set my spirit free
你釋放了我的靈魂
I’m happy that you do
我很高興你所做的
The book of life is brief
生命之書是簡短的
And once a page is read
書一旦被讀完
All but love is dead
除了愛,一切都不復存在
That is my belief
那是我深信的
And I love you so
我是如此愛你
The people ask me how
有人問我
How I live till now
我是怎麼活到現在的
I tell them I don’t know
我說我也不曉得
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land
Now I understand what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps, they'll listen now
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
Now I understand what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps, they'll listen now
For they could not love you
And still your love was true
And when no hope was left inside on that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you, Vincent
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you
Starry, starry night
Portraits hung in empty hall
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged man in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity
Then how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps, they never will...
要說Don McLean.就沒辦法迴避這一首歌---American Pie
這首歌被美國的社會觀察家和樂評強加了許多的社會意義.許多是Don自己都沒想過的
但有一些卻是真有其事的.比方歌詞裡有一句"The day the music died"就被公認(他自己也承認)是為了紀念23歲就死於墜機意外的搖滾先驅Buddy Holly.以及與他同機而亡的The Big Bopper和Ritchie Valens.
這歌主要是在講述變動中的美國社會中各項的敗壞.但是很巧妙的用許多的譬喻和影射而絕不直接的點出來.所以反倒引得各界去揣測.臆度
不過Don McLean自己從不解釋.他只曾經聊過這首歌時說了一句話:"美國派這首歌寫的就是……寫的就是……如果真要我說.就是代表我寫完這首歌這輩子就不用煩惱吃穿了"