Starry, Starry Night

Everyone knows American Pie by Don McLean. In the car, on the radio, sitting around a campfire; we all think we can sing it. Well, at least we know the words. I'm not kidding I think even at the age of 6 I knew every word of that song. My favorite line to sing when I was younger was "drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry" even thought I had no idea what the heck that meant.

So my mom used to pop in her Don McLean cassette tape (yes, cassette). And after us all belting our American Pie, along came a more calming, beautiful tune: Starry starry Night.

As some may know, this is also the title of a vincent vanGogh painting; of which inspired the song. See an excerpt below from Don McLean's website about the song:

McLean wrote “Vincent,” also known as “Starry, Starry Night,” in the fall of 1970, while he was working for the Berkshire School District. He was living in the Sedgwick House, a beautiful Federal style house in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The Sedgwick family included Edie Sedgwick, a colorful figure whom Andy Warhol had filmed in the 1960s. McLean wrote “Vincent” in his apartment full of antiques. The inspiration came to him one morning while he was sitting on the veranda looking at a book about Vincent Van Gogh. As he studied a print of Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night,” he realized that a song could be written about the artist through the painting.

“The more I thought about it, the more interesting and challenging the idea became. I put down the book and picked up my guitar, which was never far away, and started fiddling around, trying to get a handle on this idea, while the print of “Starry Night” stared up at me. Looking at the picture, I realized that the essence of the artist’s life is his art. And so, I let the painting write the song for me. Everyone is familiar with that painting.”

Van Gogh painted “Starry Night” during one of the most difficult periods of his life, while he was locked up in an asylum at Saint Remy. He had to paint the scene from memory, not outdoors as he preferred. Van Gogh mentioned “Starry Night” only twice in his letters to his brother, Theo. It is therefore one of the more mysterious and intriguing Van Gogh compositions.

The tremendous increase in value of Van Gogh’s works during the Seventies and Eighties may not have been caused by McLean’s song, but “Vincent” has become a permanent part of the Van Gogh legend. When the Van Gogh Museum opened in Amsterdam in 1973, a time capsule, containing a collection of Van Gogh’s paint brushes and a copy of the sheet music for “Vincent,” was buried beneath the museum. In addition, the museum staff plays “Vincent” for visitors each day, despite the fact that the original painting of “Starry Night” is owned by the Museum of Modern Art, in New York.

Long read, but so interesting. Tragic biographical tale of Vincent VanGogh but an amazing tune if you're look for something old but new to you.
YouTube link to song for previewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dipFMJckZOM

Enjoy!