A reminisce about a song I love. Back in the 90s when I was just a young college kid. Music wasn’t very accessible. CD’s had made their way into the market and although I had collected a few they were so much more expensive than cassettes.
But we still had the radio and there was a show that played late at night and I waited up for it because I had fallen in love with a song, ‘Vincent’ by Don Mclean. The melody so tugged at my heart, and the lyrics I would never know would mean something more to me one day.
I became attached to the history of Vincent Van Gogh through that song, as some of you who may read my blog know that I was stitching a canvas of The Starry Night over the Rhône. The life of Vincent has somehow held meaning in my life.
I especially liked these lines from the song which seems to speak about his relation with his art.
Like the strangers that you’ve met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Vincent,” also known as “Starry Starry Night,” is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Released in 1971 on McLean’s album American Pie, the song reflects on Van Gogh’s life and works, particularly his painting “The Starry Night.”
The lyrics capture the beauty and tragedy of Van Gogh’s life, referencing his famous paintings and his struggles with mental illness. The phrase “Starry Starry Night” refers directly to “The Starry Night” painting, and the song’s melancholy tone mirrors the artist’s troubled life. McLean uses the song to express admiration for Van Gogh’s artistic genius and empathy for his personal suffering.
“Vincent” has been widely acclaimed for its poignant lyrics and gentle melody, solidifying its place as one of McLean’s most beloved songs.
That feeling of catching Vincent on the midnight radio still remains with me. It’s as though I couldn’t sleep till I heard the lullaby of a beautiful song of a kindred soul. The song I love.
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