He is hopeful that positive change is still possible, describing how much the Irish city of Belfast, for example, has healed since the ‘70s, when he braved the violence to play for mixed Protestant-Catholic audiences there. Five decades later, he sees that many of the problems in society-like poverty and environmental degradation-that he sang about back in the ‘60s and ‘70s in songs like “ Orphans of Wealth,” and his album Tapestry, have worsened. Singing for Social ChangeĪt the same time, McLean has a political streak that was influenced by his folk music roots and his time with Pete Seeger on the Sloop Clearwater, singing for environmental and social justice. “I brought a lot of people almost to the verge of going to court.Now those songs are worth millions, and have made millions.” He also used that time to trademark the phrase “American Pie,” a lucrative move given the subsequent success of the “American Pie” movie franchise.
In the 1980s, “When things were down, and the songs weren’t earning that much money, I got all the rights back to everything I had,” he recalled. McLean, who studied nights for his degree in finance and economics, has used his financial savvy to his advantage throughout his career. While many would argue that the same experience has not been true for others in this country-particularly women and people of color-in his upcoming documentary, McLean wants to celebrate the America he has experienced-defined by capitalism, free enterprise and democracy: “Americans want the big score, they want their dream.” when I discovered music and songwriting, I was rabid about it.” He decried how, in contrast, he feels that a sense of victimhood has become celebrated in today’s America: “In the America I grew up in, no one would ever want to be a victim the idea that you are subjugated to some series of events or set of circumstances, that wasn’t American.” Rather, McLean was adamant that his failures built up his character and drove him to work harder: “We were brought up to be independent, and have a sense of fair play, if we lost we shook the guy’s hand and said ‘beat you next time.’ That’s an important thing. It turns out a different kind of person.”
McLean was dogged in his determination to make it as an artist: “I was so hungry for success and something to define myself that was a good thing. 21st Forbes Global CEO Conference To Convene In Singapore An Artist-Entrepreneur
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