Starry Night

Subject: Starry Night
From: Gail
Date: 14 Aug 98 - 05:19 PM

I am looking for the words to a song called "Starry Night". I do not know the author, but I believe that it was written about Vincent Van Gogh. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 14 Aug 98 - 05:28 PM

The song, "Vincent", was written and performed by Don McLean (the notorious American Pie-man). Here it is, fresh from the dwindling archives of OLGA:

Vincent

by Don McLean

Starry starry [G]night, paint your palette [Am]blue and grey

Look out on a [C]summer's day with [D7]eyes that know the darkness in my [G]soul

Shadows on the [G]hills, sketch the trees and the [Am]daffodills

Catch the breeeze and the [C]winter chills, in [D7]colors on the snowy linen [G]land [C] [G]

CHORUS:

Now I under[Am]stand [D7]what you tried to [G]say to me

[Em]How you suffered for you [Am7]sanity[D7]

How you tried to set them [Em]free

They would not listen they did [A7]not know [Am7]how

[D7] Perhaps they'll listen [G]now

Starry starry [G]night, flaming flowers that [Am]brightly blaze

Swirling clouds in [C]violet haze [D7]reflect in Vincent's eyes of china [G]blue

Colors changing [G]hue, morning fields of amber [Am]grain

Weathered faces [C]lined in pain are [D7]soothed 'neath the artists's loving [G]hand [C] [G]

CHORUS

[G]For they could not [Am7]love you, [D7]but still your love was [G]true [F#] [E]

And when no [Am7]hope was left in sight, on that [Cm]starry starry night

You [G]took your life as [F7]lovers often [E7]do,

But I [Am7]could have told you, Vincent,

This [C]world was never meant for one as [D7]beautiful as you

Stary, starry [G]night, portraits hung in [Am]empty halls

Frameless heads on [C]nameless walls with [D7]eyes that watch the world and can't for[G]get.

Like the stranger that you've [G]met, the ragged man in [Am]ragged clothes

The silver thorn of [C]bloody rose, lie [D7]crushed and broken on the virgin [G]snow [C] [G]

Now I th[Am]ink I know [D7]what you tried to [G]say to me

[Em]How you suffered for you [Am7]sanity[D7] How you tried to set them [Em]free

They would not listen they're [A7]not listening [Am7]still [D7]

Perhaps they never [G]will

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Sir
Date: 15 Aug 98 - 12:46 AM

Does anyone know if - aside from "Dreidel" and the two tunes mentioned above - did Don McLean have anymore 'hits'?

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Pauline L.
Date: 15 Aug 98 - 01:46 AM

I have a tape called "The Best of John McLean." It contains American Tune, Vincent, And I Love You So, Crying, Castles in the Air, Dreidel, Winterwood, Every Day, Mountains O'Mourne, and Prime Time. I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that they were hits, just that they were his best.

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 98 - 05:03 AM

Hmmmmm.....doesn't this one ring a bell? In fact I believe that the Digital Tradition is the official repository for the infamous Program Notes for this lengthy song (izzat true, dick?). Actually, I think this song clocks out at 8-1/2 minutes, and "Alice's Restaurant" is about 18, so this one isn't THAT long.
Click on the links if you haven't figured it out by now.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Sir
Date: 15 Aug 98 - 10:20 PM

Yeah, Pauline, "And I Love You So" was a pretty song that Perry Como covered and I believe I do remember the title "Castles in the Air" if not the song. It seems I remember seeing an LP jacket of Don McLean's with liner notes written by Pete Seeger.

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From:
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 12:43 PM

Does anyone know a Don McLean song 'Andrew McCrew' about 'a mummy at the fair'? I've been told it is by Don McLean and that he actually found the mummy and paid for the burial, but I can't find it anywhere. Should be an exciting story! - Susanne

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Tinwhistler
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 12:53 PM

You can't be forgetting "American Pie", can you??? The quintessential Don McLean!

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 07:11 PM

G'day all,

Sir's Don McLean LP sleeve with liner notes by Pete Seeger does not surprise me. I seem to remember (circa 1972?) listening to my portable radio while stopping in a bush hut a friend and I built in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia.

I heard a track of Don Mclean singing a quite non-reggae "By The Waters of Babylon", with audience participation led by spoken cues. The general effect sounded remarkably like a very young Pete Seeger.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Starry Night
From: gargoyle
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 08:46 PM

Thank you for the [bracket] cord postings.

It is a very clear style.