For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the same problem. I’m terrible at listening to new music. I’m content to sit and listen to the same song over and over again until I can sing along to every word, hear the chord progressions in my head before they happen, and rank its YouTube covers from best to worst. When I finally do listen to something fresh, it’s only a matter of time until I find that one song, and I’m back to square one. Today, I’ve decided to embrace that part of myself, and try to use it to create something good. On Repeat will be a series in which I write about these songs, and attempt to convey why I resonate with them on such a deep level.
This week, my song on repeat has been Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) by Don McLean. I discovered the song a few weeks ago on my Apple Music feed, and saved it to my library. It was pretty, and I’ve always loved Don McLean’s voice, but I didn’t really listen to the lyrics closely. About a week later, I gave it a second listen, and holy cow. Vincent belongs to a select category of songs that, if stripped of all instruments and vocals, and left only with words, would remain just as gorgeous. McLean was inspired to write the song after reading a book about Vincent Van Gogh, and in the song, perfectly captures the artist’s brilliance, and sorrow.
The simple, fingerpicked guitar accompaniment perfectly supports and accentuates the vocals, without overpowering them. Though the song itself is somewhat repetitive, McLean makes up for it by singing each verse and chorus with a slightly different inflection. In this live performance, he adds short, subtle guitar licks, and alters the vocal melody in spots, to really create a unique performance of the song.
Melody
I’m going to nerd out about music theory here for just a second. If this doesn’t make any sense to you, or if you just don’t care at all, feel free to skip to the next section, I promise I won’t be mad.
What makes the melody of this song so beautiful to me is its use of tension and resolution. McLean plays this song in the key of G major. The 4th and 8th line of each verse are centered around the dominant chord, in this case, D major. In western music, the dominant chord almost always resolves back to the tonic chord, which acts as a musical home base. Since we are in the key of G major, tonic is G major. As far as melody goes, most of the time, the first note of any given phrase is going to be somewhat important. In this case, McLean shifts to a dominant chord in the guitar at the beginning of the phrase, but the first note of the vocal line lingers on the main note of the tonic chord for just a second. This creates a suspension, where he is singing a note that is not contained in the chord he’s playing on the guitar. The vocal line then quickly hops down to a note that is in the chord, creating a resolution. However, he doesn’t stop there. The line keeps moving gently up and down, leaving the listener’s ear confused as to when the phrase is going to rest. Finally, his voice and guitar sync back up, and land gracefully on the tonic chord, where our ears expected it to end up all along.
Rhyme Scheme
Part of what makes this song so unique is its rhyme scheme. Instead of using a more traditional rhyme scheme, in which rhymes are contained within each verse and chorus, McLean rhymes the last line of each verse with the first line of the chorus.
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land
[Chorus]
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they’ll listen now
Additionally, the chorus uses an uneven rhyme pattern, where three lines are grouped together, then two. This gives the song a poetic and story-driven feel, and is a pleasant change of pace from the highly structured rhyme schemes heard in the majority of pop music.
Favorite Lines
It’s difficult to pick my favorite lines in this song. They’re all beautiful, and they all serve their own part in telling Vincent’s story. That being said, there are a few that stick out to me, and give me chills each time I hear them.
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue.
I love this line for its use of alliteration, between “flaming flowers,” and “brightly blaze.” On top of that, it’s so visually descriptive, with all its colors, shapes, and strong, specific details.
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand.
The very next section is perhaps one of the most gentle and serene in the whole song, but when dissected, is deeply ironic. Vincent, who famously suffered from severe depression and paranoia, creates his ideal world in his art. He soothes the weathered faces that he paints, but is unable to ease his own pain.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.
When I first heard this line, all I could say was “Jesus.” Don McLean is able to tastefully and eloquently write about Van Gogh’s suicide, and immediately after, provide him with words of comfort. To me, “this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you” is McLean’s way of saying “It’s OK. Your mind and your talent were too much for this world, and now you can finally be at peace.” Hauntingly beautiful.
The Covers
I really enjoy Passenger’s cover of this song. It is very true to the original, using fingerstyle guitar to accompany the simple vocal line. This version of the song feels even more akin to a lullaby than the original, due to several reasons. Passenger performs the classic in the key of E major, rather than McLean’s G major. This allows the singer to use a quieter and more gentle tone, since he doesn’t have to reach for any particularly high notes. Due to the change of key, the guitar part is now played in the key of D, with a capo on the 2nd fret. This means that even though the vocal line is lower, the guitar line is higher in pitch, creating a sound reminiscent of the bells on an infant’s mobile.
After much personal debate, I’ve decided that James Blake’s cover of this song is just a little better than Passenger’s. Though he takes more liberties in his performance of the song, Blake’s vocals are heart-wrenching at times, and soothingly sweet at others. His vibrato during the phrase “you took your life as lovers often do” rips my soul to pieces. The piano accompaniment adds a lot of depth to the sound. It reminds me of his cover of Joni Mitchell’s Case of You, which I also recommend listening to immediately.
That’s about all I have to say about this masterpiece of a song. Stay tuned for when Spotify creates my “Top Songs of 2019” playlist, when I’ll have about 100 more songs to write about. Thanks for reading!
The Mensch Press 