'American Pie' singer Don McLean says 'pain' is key to songwriting: 'If you're not hurting, you're no good'

Throughout his storied career, musician Don McLean has learned that songwriters need to experience "pain" to pen music that speaks to people.  

"There's a lot of pain, you know, if you want to be a songwriter," McLean, who lost his dad when he was 15 years old, told Fox News Digital. "If you're not hurting, you're no good as a songwriter. You know, if you have everything work out perfect for you, you’ve got nothing to say, you know? And you certainly can't relate to the average person out there who has all sorts of f---ing bad things in his life, you know, he has to deal with: kids on drugs and ex-wives and no money and you name it, one thing after another."

McLean said people who are struggling want to find some "harmony with your music so that they can feel that you understand them a little, and I do. I've been there." 

The 78-year-old just released a new album, "American Boys," which he wrote with his guitarist Vip Vipperson, who had written a song about "country boys."

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Don McLean released a new album called "American Boys."  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

"And I took it and changed it around and rewrote the lyrics and put the melody to it," he said of "American Boys."

"And he had a few other songs that were wonderful ideas that I wouldn't really, you know, think of. But, he inspired me to work with those, and we created six new songs together. And then I wrote six more new songs, and then we put out a track, a thirteenth track called ‘Gotta Make You Mine,’ which I've always loved, and I just wanted to get out on this album."

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He said after struggling with the song for a while, he "came up with this really open melody for ‘American Boys,’ and it just felt really good." 

"What I liked about this particular song, the title song, the American boys invented rock and roll," he explained. "I love that, because Americans don't realize how creative this country is. The blues, jazz, rock and roll. We create things and other countries, you know, like England and Australia and Canada, they've done a great job of taking these concepts, especially rock and roll, and taking them to the moon, but we invented it." 

Don McLean in 1972.  (PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images)

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The 78-year-old said after the "nightmare" of his father dropping dead right in front of him as a teenager, he looked for "magic" in his life. 

"From that point on, I wanted magic," he said. "And I found magic in the guitar and the banjo and rock and roll, in folk music and records. I found magic, and I pursued magic. Sometimes I found magic with women, you know? And I have a wonderful time. But then sometimes that would go bad, you know? And I write about it."

McLean noted that Drake's song, "Doing it Wrong," wouldn't have happened without him. "You know, in fact, ‘When a Good Thing Goes Bad’ and ‘The Wrong Thing to Do’ are two songs I wrote on the ‘Prime Time’ album that Drake used for the biggest hit he ever had. So, at least there’s some use for these ideas." 

Don McLean says he looks for "magic" in his life.  (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

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One of the songs on his new album, "Mexicali Girl," was inspired by his longtime girlfriend, Paris Dylan. 

"She is better to me, I think, than anybody I've ever known," he said of Dylan, 30. "She's a very pure-hearted person. And, my God, she travels everywhere with me. We've probably been to 501 nighters, you know, and she still doesn't get sick of hearing me sing."

He said he doesn’t worry about their 48-year age difference "as long as she's happy and I'm happy, we take it one day at a time and we'll move ahead, obviously, and who knows what the future holds, but nobody knows what the future holds anyway. So I'm just out there on the edge, dancing."

McLean says his song, "Mexicali Girl," was inspired by his longtime girlfriend, Paris Dylan.  (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images))

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McLean still owns his valuable song catalog. 

While reflecting on the staying power of "American Pie," McLean said, "it's a magic piece of work. I think it's good lyric writing. I think the concept was really off the walls, and I was able to somehow capture that. And I think the record is an excellent record that Ed Freeman made with me, the producer. So, if you have a lousy record, you're not going to have a song anybody is talking about. You have to make a good record."

He told Fox News Digital that he appreciates how many people have come out to see him play over the years. 

"I respect the fact that they will spend money – I mean, millions and millions and millions of people have spent money to hear me sing, you know, over 50 years. That's an amazing [thing]. I mean, people, you know, spend their evening with me, millions and millions. And, I respect that because they're not rolling in money. You know, they got to pay a babysitter and the parking and go to dinner or whatever they do. So when I go out there, I try to, I give them everything I have." 

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McLean is also giving what he can to help the homeless through his Don McLean Foundation. 

"We're going to send money every year to people, individuals who care, who are running homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and they're all over the country, you know, and I'm going to help all those people," he told Fox News Digital. "Recently, I sent money to a place in Long Island, to take care of some of the migrant workers that work there who had been sort of put out in the cold, and they have to sleep in the woods. I read a story about that, and I had the foundation send $10,000 to them, and I don't like that. So that's what I'm going to do." 

"American Boys" was released earlier this month. 

Inductee Don McLean attends the 2022 Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum Concert and Induction Ceremony. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)