Don McLean is a Swiftie.
The iconic singer-songwriter behind “American Pie” and “Vincent” recently spoke about Taylor Swift’s extraordinary success in an interview with The Standard.
McLean, whose song “American Pie (Parts I & II)” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1972, is impressed by Swift’s evolution from a rising country artist to a global powerhouse.
“She is a person who is an example of what talent and really hard work can accomplish,” McLean said, describing Swift as a “monster star, the size of the galaxy.”
McLean continued, “She’s working all of the time, and she does everything that she does better than everybody else, whether it’s a video or a performance or songwriting or records or whatever… The only thing is that she stays happy.”
Reflecting on his own career, McLean shared, “I have a lot of interests, and they sustain me. I don’t go around thinking ‘Man, why don’t I have this?’ or ‘Why don’t I have that?’ – that is the quickest way to be unhappy I can think of.”
McLean, who has sold over 50 million records worldwide, has been honored with numerous awards, including a Grammy Hall of Fame induction for “American Pie.”
Back in 2021, Swift sent McLean a note and a bouquet of flowers after her 10-minute version of “All Too Well” surpassed his song “American Pie (Parts I & II)” as the longest song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“What a classy artist!” McLean tweeted at the time, sharing Swift’s handwritten inscription that reads, “Don, I will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Your music has been so important to me. Sending love one writer of LONG SONGS to another. Your fan, Taylor.”
In the most recent interview, McLean also addressed the challenges Swift has faced in the music industry, particularly regarding the ownership of her early albums.
“The record companies are the biggest thieves on the planet. That was their business, stealing. You have to be very careful,” he said, referencing Swift’s legal battles to regain control of her discography from Scooter Braun, which led to her re-recording her first six studio albums.
