Don McLean Says Songwriting Is Difficult

02/24/2004 12:33 PM, AP


Don McLean may be a prolific songwriter, but that doesn't mean he likes to do it.

"It's nerve-wracking for me. I'm not a formula songwriter," he told AP Radio in an interview.

McLean, 58, who wrote "American Pie," "Castles in the Air" and "Vincent," said songwriting takes an emotional toll on him.

"You write the song and as it's coming out of, and you get emotional about it and you get very rushed to try and grab it," he said. "It's like catching something — an emotion — and putting it in a bottle."

McLean is proud of what he's accomplished and the awards he has received, though he admits he's given several gold records away to female fans in the past years.

But not everyone knows how famous he is.

"It was about five years ago, I think, my daughter was about 8," he said. "She said, 'Daddy you're famous.' I said, 'Why do you think that?' She said 'Because I heard 'Castles in the Air' in the grocery store."

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