唐纳德·理查·麦克林(Donald Richard McLean,1945年10月2日-)是美国籍的创作歌手,他的代表作包括长达八分钟的《American Pie》(美国派)以及脍炙人口的《Vincent》。
音乐之路
Don Mclean(唐.麦克林)于1945年10月2日出生在纽约,是充满理想主义色彩的天秤座人。在他十几岁的时候,他就在纽约当地的民谣俱乐部里自弹自唱了。之后很长一段时间,他在一艘往来于美国东海岸各港口之间的帆船上继续他的弹唱生涯。在轮船上的这段时间里,他为自己是否要跟随前辈皮特西格而自我斗争着,这也是他小有建树的一段时间。之后,大约在1970年,也就是Don McLean25岁的时候,他在MediaArts旗下发表了他的首张个人专辑“Tampestry”(挂毯),此时他已经写了那首著名的“Vincent”,但并为在此张专辑中发表。这张专辑卖得很不好,市场反响寥寥,所以Don McLean继续在小学校等地方卖唱。
在“Vincent”这首歌被许多唱片公司拒绝后,1971年Don McLean带着“American Pie”(美国派)这首歌卷土重来。主打同名曲“American Pie”是一首长达8分半钟的歌曲。歌曲浸透着浓重的民谣和流行味道,但却是一首哀歌,怀念的对象是英年早逝(23岁)的猫王同时代人物Buddy Holly。这首史诗一般的“American Pie”,为他带来了排行榜冠军和市场大卖。
在这之后,一切变得更加容易了。“Vincent”在商业上和艺术上都获得了极大成功。这首献给画家文森特凡高的歌曲无论是旋律还是歌词都十分动人,虽然在美学上是较为传统的一种,但若作者没有深厚的感情是写不出这样的歌曲来的。一时间,舆论都认为Don McLean和凡高有英雄惺惺相惜之感。作为无数人热血青春英雄的凡高,以他的性命去追求一生中最美和最极致的艺术。“Vincent”就是这样带着惋惜、缅怀和爱打动了人们。过后,Don McLean很快又成了公众焦点,因为另外一个歌手Roberta Flack写给他一首名字叫“Killing me softly with his song”(用他的歌声温柔地杀死我)的歌。伴随着这些歌曲的大卖,Don McLean的事业如日中天。
但Don McLean不愿自己成为一辈子只有两首歌的歌手。为了摆脱从前成功的阴影,他拒绝再创作任何类似于“美国派”的歌曲,而是努力尝试新类型的歌曲。其结果是可想而知的,伴随着销量的一落千丈,他的老东家United Artists一脚把他踢了开来。新东家看他的新作连榜也打不上去,很快又解约了。Don McLean过了好几年没有唱片公司可以发唱片的惨淡日子。在1980年,Don McLean终于咸鱼翻身,带着翻唱老前辈Roy Orbison的一曲“Crying”,终于上了Top 10。但终归他的时代已经过去了。在随后的不断演出和出现场唱片中,虽然他还在继续作新的音乐,但影响已日渐微薄。
American Pie
唐·麦克林最著名的创作American Pie常被用来诠释与形容巴迪·霍利(Buddy Holly)、Ritchie Valens与The Big Bopper在1959年2月3日飞机失事而死亡的事件。尤其是"那天就是音乐的祭日"(The Day the Music Died)这句歌词最常被广泛运用。麦克林也曾指出歌曲里的词句是他个人自传,也抽象呈现他在50年代中期到60年代撰写歌曲时的人生故事,[来源请求]。根据家乡传说 "the levy" 是他家乡的酒吧-靠近"Iona College" 的"Beechmont Tavern"。"American Pie" 这首歌的涵意象征了在那时期不断激化与激烈改变的流行音乐,导致之前在1950年代发展出以轻快愉悦为特色的摇滚乐,转变成1960年代晚期以黑暗、省思、愤世嫉俗与增加社会关注为主的类型,这样的转变是由社会剧烈的转变与浮动的政治气氛驱使而成,音乐在此其中当然也被卷入其中,且在60年代末期要为变化中的美国下个定义。
唐·麦克林的 "American Pie" 也存在对于音乐三十多年来历史的仔细观察与哲学诠释的议题,学者、现代美国文学的教授与他的歌迷仍继续找寻着歌曲中更为深邃的意义。在访问中麦克林逗趣的说到,有许多关于这首歌的诠释其实是假设的,很多关于这首歌的说法与涵意,其实他根本没有提过也从未证实过。
其他歌曲
麦克林其他为人所熟知的歌曲包括了:
"And I Love You So",艾维斯·普莱斯里演唱版本。
"Vincent",一首献给19世纪的荷兰画家文生·梵高的歌曲。
"Castles in the Air",,这首歌曲麦克林录制过两次,在1981年的重新录制版本还登上畅销排行榜的前四十名。
"Winterwood"
"Wonderful Baby",一首献给Fred Astaire由他本人录音的歌曲
"Superman's Ghost", 一首献给George Reeves这位在1950年代扮演电视版超人的男艺人之歌。
American Pie专辑收录了一首歌曲Babylon是由麦克林与(The Weavers)的"Lee Hays"一同制作。乐团Boney M则在1978年将这首歌曲重新录制为歌名Rivers of Babylon的版本,也在英国获得了畅销榜第一名的成绩,不过这两首歌的编曲与表现方式十分不同,以致于在听到时不会随即联想这是同样的一首歌。
在1980年,麦克林创作了一首由Roy Orbison演唱获得全球第一名的畅销经典歌曲 "Crying",这首歌曲是先在海外发行取得成功后才在美国出版,成为了1981年前十名的畅销作品。Orbison 本人曾说过麦克林是:" 本世纪的声音。" ,并在之后再度录制本歌曲且混合了麦克林的版本。
近期作品
在1991年,麦克林的"American Pie"因为重新成为话题而再度回到英国金榜前二十名的排行上,这首歌在2000年又因为玛丹娜重新编曲演唱而再度成为全球大热门歌曲。
在2006年,他继续著自己从美国延伸到欧洲的巡回演唱活动,新专辑Addicted to Black在这之后就会搭配他的自传Killing Us Softly: The Don McLean Story一起发行。一位同样也是歌手兼创作人的艺人"Lori Lieberman",曾在演唱会看了麦克林演唱自己的创作 "Empty Chairs" ,之后就有感而发的写下了一首名为 "Killing me softly with his blue"。借此诗为灵感,之后两位创作人Norman Gimbel/Charles Fox 也才写出经典歌曲"Killing Me Softly with His Song。"
录音室专辑
1970
Tapestry
1971
American Pie
1972
Don McLean
1973
Playin' Favorites
1974
Homeless Brother
1977
Prime Time
1978
Chain Lightning
1981
Believers
1987
Love Tracks
1989
For the Memories Vols I & II
1989 And I Love You So (UK Release)
1990
Headroom
1991
Christmas
1995
The River of Love
1997
Christmas Dreams
2001
Sings Marty Robbins
2003
You've Got to Share: Songs for Children
2003 The Western Album
2005
Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey
2009
Addicted to Black
英文简介 (转自 Allmusic)
Famed for -- and ultimately defined by -- his perennial "American Pie," singer/songwriter Don McLean was born October 2, 1945, in New Rochelle, New York. After getting his start in the folk clubs of New York City during the mid-'60s, McLean struggled for a number of years, building a small following through his work with Pete Seeger on the Clearwater, a sloop that sailed up and down the eastern seaboard to promote environmental causes.
Still, McLean was primarily singing in elementary schools and the like when, in 1970, he wrote a musical tribute to painter Vincent Van Gogh; the project was roundly rejected by a number of labels, although MediaArts did offer him a contract to record a number of his other songs under the title Tapestry. The album fared poorly, but Perry Como earned a hit with a cover of the track "And I Love You So," prompting United Artists to pick up McLean's contract. He returned in 1971 with American Pie; the title track, an elegiac eight-and-a-half-minute folk-pop epic inspired by the tragic death of Buddy Holly, became a number one hit, and the LP soon reached the top of the charts as well.
The follow-up, "Vincent," was also a smash, and McLean even became the subject of the Roberta Flack hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song"; however, to his credit -- and to his label's horror -- the singer refused to let the success of "American Pie" straitjacket his career. Subsequent records like 1972's self-titled effort and 1974's Playin' Favorites deliberately avoided any attempts to re-create the "American Pie" flavor; not surprisingly, his sales plummeted, and the latter release even failed to chart. After 1974's Homeless Brother and 1976's Solo, United Artists dropped McLean from his contract; he resurfaced on Arista the next year with Prime Time, but when it, too, fared poorly, he spent the next several years without a label.
McLean enjoyed a renaissance of sorts with 1980's Chain Lightning; his first Top 30 LP in close to a decade, it spawned a Top Ten smash with its cover of Roy Orbison's classic "Crying," and his originals "Castles in the Air" and "Since I Don't Have You" both also reached the Top 40. However, 1981's Believers failed to sustain the comeback, and after 1983's Dominion, he was again left without benefit of label support. McLean spent the remainder of his career primarily on the road, grudgingly restoring "American Pie" to his set list and drawing inspiration from the country market; in addition to a number of live sets and re-recordings of old favorites, he also returned to the studio for projects like 1990's For the Memories (a collection of classic pop, country, and jazz covers) and 1995's River of Love (an LP of original material).