BEEN AWHILE!| FIRST TIME HEARING Don McClean - Castles In The Air REACTION

[@lorimckinney5715]

And I Love You So is another beautiful song by Don McLean

[@beckydrogowski7479]

Wow! I was so excited to see you reacting to this song! Great reaction! This song means so much to me! I used to dance around holding my baby son in my arms to this song! Now he's grown to a man of 33. He just got married 2 months ago to his lovely bride! Precious memories & song for me! Thank you!

[@bjm9071]

"And I Love You So" is another beautiful song by Don. It was covered by many other artists as well.

[@dmgiliam]

Perry Como’s version of this song was the big hit.

[@allmusicservices]

My all-time favorite Don McLean song (and I also love Shirley Bassey's larger-than-life version). One of the greatest and most gorgeous contemporary ballads.

[@bryangriffin2093]

Don is one of great storytellers of all time

[@ChuckHackney]

And one of our generation's great voices!

[@1719456]

A beautiful, but sad song is ''Empty Chairs''. I indulged my sorrow with this song, when my wife of 16 years left me. Now I can listen to it, without the tears, and appreciate Don's voice & tender, heartfelt lyrics.

[@chrislufc]

Empty Chairs is a must, as is Crossroads and And I Love You So.

[@ianoo23]

Lyrically that song is up there with the best most poetic masterpieces ever

[@1719456]

Funny you should mention ''and I love you so''. I was in the US Navy, when Perry Como had a hit covering that song. I was engaged to my future wife & it was on a Jukebox in a bar in Marseilles, France. I played it continually to the objections of my shipmates. But I was in love, so shoot me. Ultimately, we were married, but after 16 years, she found another. Hence, my decades long indulgence in ''Empty Chairs'' But, we are friends now & she is married to a fine Man.. @@chrislufc

[@ghosts231]

Haven’t heard this lovely song in ages…Glad you enjoyed it and shared it with us - your RSR peeps! ❤

[@gordonpatterson8615]

his cover of Roy Orbison's Crying is another gem you should look at

[@joshhencik1849]

Always been one of my favorites from Don. Couldn't agree more Amber, there is nothing like the peace of a sunset/sunrise out in the country with nothing but the sounds of birds and crickets.

[@carsonl.8788]

Jay....follow Amber's lead. After you move to the country, you will not believe how many 'thank yous' you will say to Amber. You will be forever grateful.

[@elizabethfranco1284]

Always thought he had one of the most beautiful male voices.

[@ChuckHackney]

"For I will not be part of her cocktail generation" is such a powerful lyric.

[@laurencebrooks7699]

I grew up listening to this---very easy on the ears......beautiful arrangement, orchestration, and vocals.

[@emmy6956]

"And I Love You So" is a beautiful one! Elvis also did an incredible cover of it.

[@jaccilowe3842]

This and 'Wonderful Baby' are my favourite songs from Don. Saw him back in '82 and he was fab!

[@toolatehello3345]

And I love you so , is a great one too from Don

[@maureencollins5177]

Don McLean wrote a song called "And I Love You So", which became a big hit for easy-listening star Perry Como but Don himself does a great version. Also a wonderfully sad song called "Empty Chairs". HIs second biggest hit in the U.S. was a cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying".

[@richardkint6531]

Love this song❤! Don is a master poet. For his singing range, you need to checkout "Crying".

[@sunnystormy4973]

-#cheers-- !-

[@thomastimlin1724]

Yes his cover of Roy Orbison's song.

[@jamessinacore6991]

While Don McLean does it well, they need to hear Roy Orbison’s original first, his voice was so unique, especially in that song.

[@paulmargett9360]

I love both versions of this song. Much love from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@justme-br9sj]

All his songs are so moving

[@stevehamilton8824]

Love his story telling and how he presents it. I feel like laying in the grass, staring up at a blue sky with billowy clouds and seeing this song float around in my mind. You know its a good song when one or both of these things happen - 1. you get chills and the hair on your body stands up. 2. You can visualize the song and feel it emotionally. This song does both.

[@SusanJohnston]

Crying! Is one of his vocal range!!!!!❤❤

[@davidphillips4476]

He is such a word smith!!!!

[@petewarner2973]

I'm with you, the country life everytime

[@cindyOkieGirl]

Another superbly beautiful Don McLean song is "And I Love You So". His voice and the music and lyrics are so perfect together it almost makes you cry.

[@normabreazile5500]

You both are the sweetest! Don’t worry, Amber, I didn’t realize you still had your headphones on either! YOU GUYS MADE ME SMILE! Absolutely, love Don Mc Clean! And, I, too, love the country life! Blessings all❤️🙏

[@fordp69]

Come on guys, it's Don Mclean, pronounced more like "McLane"

[@kevinbarrett9068]

What an amazing song to be tucked away as a flip side , to "Vincent". One of my absolute favourites.

[@carolmartin4413]

Pretty song..haven't heard it in years.

[@gbh0031]

His version of Crying is fantastic.

[@laurettagarrett5444]

So pleased to see you react to this song. And one of the reasons I love your reactions is the attention you give to the lyrics and meaning of the songs. Don McLean was a master of lyrics.

[@stanleydrew6704]

J. Give that woman what she wants!

[@RobertBox-n3h]

It's beautiful and seen some places that can reflect this song. As for John Denver my first song I remember is on the Muppet show it was grandma feather bed

[@sunaggro]

good to see don mclean on this channel again

[@t.lee.p9182]

I think this is the 3rd reaction, ❤

[@sunaggro]

@@t.lee.p9182 i realized that but forgot to fix if

[@blackblake3658]

​@@t.lee.p9182Been over a year for Earth Wind and Fire. Only four songs. Unreal considering we've had seven Osmonds.

[@cyclops60]

Hard to believe the album American Pie is 50 years old! His voice is so smooth and rich, he reminds me of a male version of Karen Carpenter. He was the inspiration for Lori Lieberman to write the song 'Killing me softly' made famous by Roberta Flack. 'Crossroads' is well worth a listen, just Don and piano, magical!

[@phila3884]

The older I get, the more I'm convinced American Pie, a song I could care less about when I was 10, is possibly the greatest American song ever written.

[@stevemarshall5266]

'Goosebumps' that's all have to say. This was always my favourite Don McClean song.

[@bobpat56]

Another Don McClean tune that many other singers have recorded is "And I Love You So."

[@kimzwolinski9919]

Great choice ❤ I have never heard this song before and it is so beautiful.

[@anthonwest9541]

Such a greater song writer. Another great song from Don McClean is "Empty Chairs".

[@yetidodger6650]

my dad used play this on a Don Mclean greatest hits cassette in his old Vauxhall viva in the 80's.

[@kazz3956]

Hi from Australia. I am with Amber……love the country life…. I’ve lived in small towns, and on a farm for a while after I got married. It is a blessed thing to wake up in the country…. And you can now do both with a small lot close to a major area still, and the beach, at least where I live❤❤ Don McLean has a gorgeous tone, and gentle melody to most of the songs I know….I call it easy listening music……

[@ianbennett1491]

His best song me thinks. Wonderful lyrics.I love you reviews. Iain Leeds Yorkshire England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@TracyfromNC]

Reminds me of John Denver.. his lovely song, Today, I learned it on piano. Of course he has a banger you haven't done. JOHN Denver...Calypso, about Jacque Costeau and the ocean...beautiful.

[@elizabethrusso5564]

Only because he was mesmerized by your beauty, Amber! 😊Beautiful song and voice! You guys are the best! 🥰

[@fahinahigby1152]

❤❤❤❤ My favorite song he sings!

[@jeremyl2026]

Amber, i think you will luv, luv Don McLean’s AND I LOVE YOU SO,. His lyrics are just simply poetry!

[@davidnelson6874]

Great Choice! I love this song! I’ve seen a few people react to this song but Amber is the first person to truly understand what Don is trying to say.

[@brettcurtis5710]

Green Acres is the place to be - Farm living is the life for me! Countryside spreading far and wide.... Yep a 60s SitCom!

[@taun856]

I haven't heard this song in so long... Thanks for reminding me about it! Two others of his that you haven't reacted to that I love are "Empty Chairs" and "Winterwood".

[@RicoCosta317]

Empty Chairs, Crying, Chain Lightning and Dreidel are also great songs by him.

[@daz_n]

My favourite DM song. I moved from the city to the country many years ago and married a country girl. I love the country life and my country wife! I don't think I ever made the connection about castles in the air being apartments in skyscrapers... I always thought it meant unattainable dreams and aspirations.

[@kennethroots7575]

So glad you guys are getting into Don McLean. The next one you should check out is "Crossroads". Rob, you will like his piano playing and, Amber, I know you'll just love the lyrics!

[@kennethmccabe3278]

Thanks!

[@debbowers5769]

Nothing can compare to living in the country. There are so many reasons but one of the best is you have a privacy like nowhere else. I talked to my hubby many years ago about city verses country living. His answer makes me laugh to this day, and I wish so very much he was still with us. He is in spirit at least and in our hearts. Anyway, his response to my question was "hey, I can't sit on the front porch in my underwear and drink my coffee while I watch the sun come up in the city honey." He was a morning person and I, of course, am a night person. For the almost forty-five years we were together that man was always up at four am every day. I miss him terribly.

[@bassvibasics479]

Definitely my favourite song of Don's.

[@samuelpajoa215]

Yeah! I love this song. This is on my CD mix listening to it on a country side road trip.

[@tracypearson6315]

I'm with Amber nothing better than morning coffee the birds and squirrels doing their thing

[@terrilgeorge7255]

Was playing this back in the day, and my father commented on what a lovely song it was. The song always reminds me of my Dad, miss him, love Don. Saw him in concert, he was actually very funny in his interactions with the audience. ❤️

[@eclecticexplorer7828]

His name is pronounced as if it was spelled "McClane," like the Bruce Willis character in the "Die Hard" movies. Another Don McLean song that you need to listen to is "Dreidel." The song was a #21 hit for him from his follow-up album to "American Pie."

[@kaafromoz]

One of the top 3 i love by Don, another masterpiece by the mast song writer. Your right it is one that you close your eyes and drift away to its beautiful. Add "And I Love You So" to your list for your next Don McClean songs it is another stunner, and one my wife and I danced to on our wedding day. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘🎶🎶🎶🎶💖💖💖💖

[@robinserna7152]

One of my Favorite Don McLean Songs his voice floating through air !

[@OCGal78]

Thanks for reacting to this! Always loved this son..the story and melody is fabulous!

[@andrewrose2337]

Empty Chairs. And then, listen to Killing Me Softly With His Song by Lori Lieberman. Roberta Flack had the popular version of Killing Me Softly, but Lori Lieberman wrote it as a response to sitting in the audience and listening to Don McClean playing Empty Chairs live.

[@cweefy]

Oh wow, it's been so long since I've heard this one. Great memories.😊

[@davidbecker2536]

Don McClellan crying is one you have to listen to.

[@JamesCarson-tm8df]

Always loved this great song

[@joannerichards1750]

The descending acoustic guitar arpeggio in the background sounds a lot like "Everybody's Talkin'" by the great folkie, Fred Neil, and covered by Harry Nilsson.

[@jdscottphd]

Empty Chairs is also beautiful Thanks for doing a deep dive!!

[@rickmeredith5201]

I've been a fan of Don since I was in my teens & went to my first concert in Rotorua, New Zealand at the ripe old age of 15, & still listen to his music today. My favourite by him is Three flights up which is kind of an explanation of why he wants to move to the country. If you have time one day have a listen. You never know you might et your partner to agree after listening to it. The guitar work & lyrics are something else.

[@oldschool72]

The castle walls he is singing about are all the High Rise Apartments and buildings in a City that imprison you in all the concrete. One day as you grown older you will come to realize the peace and quiet of the country are more important than all the trappings and noise of cities. I could never live in a city. farthest one from me is 50 miles, I know exactly where she is coming from.

[@andrewroberts4736]

This is one of my favourite songs of his, surpassed only by, and I love you so.

[@paulineandrushuk8923]

Good analogy to J. Denver. You know, someone who changed a whole generation of music is Glenn Miller with tunes like "In The Mood" in 1939. Find a clip showing people dancing to this.

[@mrcoldshower2823]

seen an interview with Don at his house in Maine, in a small town overlooking the ocean with the jagged coast line, just awesome... the whole state of Maine is mostly country

[@bjdefilippo447]

Always loved this song, but haven't heard it in forever. Thanks for making my evening better.

[@SWLinPHX]

Check out Don McLean's cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying". It was a hit in its own right in the early 1980s (I heard that version before Orbison's) and then later in the 1990s k.d. lang covered it amazingly as well. Fun fact: The megahit "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" which was a #1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1973, was written by Lori Lieberman about her captivation when she first went to see a young, up-and-coming promising musician named Don McLean live in concert -- before he hit it big.

[@ianoo23]

Great song, Don McClean is so good with words 😎

[@goittoog7563]

Barely well known but a true masterpiece from The Great One--kudos to whoever hipped you to this classic.

[@phila3884]

Late to the party, never heard this song, looking forward to hearing it. Oh wait- of course I've heard it! But it has literally been 35+ years! Thanks for posting!

[@KevinSchmitt77]

Jay, the song you're talking about is called "Downtown" by Petula Clark. It's from 1964 and it hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100 that year. Another one is "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful from 1966. Your next Don McLean song? "And I Love You So" is a great love song.

[@TomTom-ui9hg]

City life is okay when life is revolved around working and surviving day to day but their is nothing like a home on a small piece of land and growing a small garden of flowers and veggies and watching the birds and those crazy squirrels playing in the trees. Amber you would be so happy and Jay will eventually fall in love with it also. Peace!

[@stephanienewbern769]

I absolutely love your reactions. We have the same taste in music, and across multiple decades. Looking forward to future posts.

[@lawreence13]

Love you two and your family, keep it going.

[@nickyd6457]

Such a great songwriter! Nothing boring about Don. “Crying” next. It will blow you away, even if you’ve heard Roy Orbison’s original ❤❤

[@po5283]

When you're looking for another Don McLean song, consider, Mountains O'Mourne!

[@rogerwaterman8153]

Son McClean is a wonderful storyteller. It’s time You got back to another iconic storyteller in HARRY CHAPIN. You e only reacted to him once! His is such a deep rabbit hole and he was take. From us much too soon. Mr. Tanner is a sweet heartfelt song that will bring Amber to tears. Cats in the Cradle is a song about a fathers relationship with his son. I Want to Learn a Love Song is a story about Harry’s early years as a musician. All of them bangers. And they just scratch the surface. Need some more HARRY!

[@toolatehello3345]

Wow this song almost is leading to you guys having a serious row. It's fun watching it.

[@johnnyebarrera1380]

So happy that you got to listen and react to this song. A wonderful work of art. Its so visual. A true songwriter. I wish you could watch a proper waltz danced to this song. It's emotional. Much love!

[@claviclenotch1876]

Country life is THE ONLY LIFE. I LEFT NYC in my rear view for ever. TN mountains for me.

[@Teresia12]

My husband was a city boy from money and all he wanted was a home in the country. I am a country girl. He made me feel like I was his home. Miss him every day. I lost him 12 years ago Aug 5th.

[@Amadeus1066]

Thanks for reviewing this song! I absolutely LOVE it! As a huge John Denver fan I do find similarities between John and Don. This song contains one of my all time favorite lyrics. ", but how can words express the feel of sunlight in the morning." Simply beautiful!! I recommend as your next Don McLean song to review is "And I Love You So." It's fantastic!

[@DG2244]

Definitely a John Denver Vibe.

[@Citizenesse8]

It's been an age and a day since I've heard the song. It ambles along so beautifully and gently. You just can't help but be drawn in.

[@fleegerbriggs5694]

A humorous side of McLean is "Everybody Loves Me, (What's the Matter With You?)

[@wangofree]

My absolute favorite! Thanks guys.

[@philbaumgartner1776]

Chickens and goats! She’s right! Being self sufficient is the way to be.

[@jamespasifull]

You have to check out Don McLean singing 'Empty chairs', it's one of the greatest 'break-up' heartbreak songs ever written, yet it gets so little attention! Nope, I have no idea why?!?!

[@Devoid_Freud]

This is his redone version from 1982 - Believers. The original was on his first album, Tapestry in 1970.

[@manna2015]

I appreciate how you both appreciate the music - well done !!

[@mucksmith3569]

In 1970 this was the first song off his album Tapestry. It was much faster, a version I like better probably because it was my favorite song. The whole first album is phenomenal. One long poem set to music. Magdalene Lane is about the excesses of LA and Hollywood, Respectable is about Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick, General Store is about small town racism, and Tapestry is a beautiful poetic song about pollution and the excesses of mankind. And I love you so off Tapestry was our wedding song along with a million other couples. Keep up the great work you two. You bring a smile everyday to this old man.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

I hear a lot of John Denver when I listen to Don McLean . Both are excellent musicians , composers and singers . 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

Ffs 🤦‍♂️ I SWEAR JAY , I typed that comment and just as I was adding the Scottish flag at the end of my comment I heard you say the exact same thing …. 4000 miles and 40 years between us but we are not so different … and I find that quite amazing and comforting . 👌 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@johnfaram4684]

his voice draws you into the song

[@alanmatthews9945]

I bought 'Vincent' as a single when it first came out. 'Castles In The Air' was on the flip side. I haven't heard it in decades. Listening to it here doesn't sound quite as I remember it. Having done some foraging on KZbin I discover that this is not the original version which I own. It is much slower. Both are great, but I must say that I prefer my more up-tempo arrangement.

[@annamariadelillo2916]

I absolutely LOVE this song!! I always loved the line ..."For I will not be part of her cocktail generation. Partners waltz, devoid of all romance. The music plays and everyone must dance. I'm bowing out. I need a second chance." He is describing perfectly why he needs to get out. The people (including his city girlfriend) are empty, cold and soul-less. He is tired of those "castles in the air" (the high rise buildings) and wants wide open spaces, clean air and sunshine and a new love (a "country girl") who appreciates all the same things. The concept of asking someone else to break up with the girl for him as an idea for this song is great! This is master-class song-writing. And the guitar and orchestration of this song is GORGEOUS. So happy you gave this sweet song a listen.