Don McLean, (born October 2, 1945 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American singer-songwriter, most famous for his 1971 ballad "American Pie", about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. The song spawned the phrase "The Day the Music Died", referring to the day of the crash. Other well-known songs include * "And I Love You So" - covered by Elvis Presley, a 1973 hit for Perry Como * "Vincent" (a tribute to the 19th century Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh) * "Castles in the Air" * "Winterwood" * "Wonderful Baby" (a tribute to Fred Astaire that Astaire himself recorded.) * "Superman's Ghost" (a tribute to George Reeves, who portrayed Superman on TV in the 1950's) Early in his career, McLean was mentored by the folk legend Pete Seeger, and accompanied Seeger on his Clearwater boat up the Hudson River in 1969 to protest at environmental pollution in the river. The Clearwater campaign was widely credited for improving water quality in the Hudson River. The album American Pie features a version of Psalm 137, 'Babylon' arranged by Don McLean and Lee Hays (The Weavers).
last.fm page

Similar Artists

Oh My What A Shame Lyrics

Don McLean

They were married in the old church yard
and they promised to be true to each other
no matter how hard their lives might be
but like meteors that fell through moments parallel
they were soon to cross and on different plots of earth
they both did fall
Though their lives had really not been hard at all
Oh my, what a shame no one's to blame
it just happened that way and there is nothing you can say
when two people say good-bye
Oh my

Two brothers promised they'd return
when the war that they were fighting was over
but only one lived to keep his vow
and the story I was told said he lived to be quite old
before time won out, someone asked if he knew what they both
fought for, but he could not recall he'd ever been to war
Oh my, what a shame no one's to blame
it just happened that way and there is nothing you can say
when two people say good-bye
Oh my
For there's nothing you can say when it's over
And there's nothing you can do when it's done
there's no battle you can win
and there's nothing to begin that's not begun
In this moment, I recall your face and I wonder if you still
think about me, occasionally I still think of you
and I watch the river flow and I know I must let go
but it's oh so hard for the waves are all around my small canoe
I had always hoped this boat could carry two
Oh my, what a shame no one's to blame
it just happened that way and there is nothing you can say
when two people say good-bye
Oh my