Don McLean Says Songwriting Takes Toll

03/05/2004 8:58 AM, AP


Don McLean says songwriting takes an emotional toll on him.

"It's nerve-racking for me. I'm not a formula songwriter," McLean told AP Radio in an interview. His songs include "American Pie," "Castles in the Air" and "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)."

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

McLean, 58, is proud of what he's accomplished and the awards he's received. But fame can be in the eyes (or ears) of the beholder.

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

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