Don McLean has confirmed that his 2024 album American Boys will be the final studio album of his career as the songwriter prepares to return to Australia for his American Pie 55th anniversary tour.
by Paul Cashmere
Speaking to Noise11 ahead of his October Australian tour, Don McLean said he has no plans to record another album after American Boys, closing the chapter on a recording career that has spanned more than six decades and produced one of the most enduring songs in popular music history, American Pie.
“I don’t want to make albums anymore and I don’t really want to write songs anymore,” McLean told Noise11. “I’m done that now. I want to spend the future doing other things and performing less than I used to, but as continuous as I am able.”
Watch the Noise11 interview with Don McLean:
The announcement adds significance to the upcoming Australian dates, which are being promoted as the 55th anniversary tour for American Pie. For Australian audiences, McLean’s connection stretches back to the early 1970s when the song transformed him from an emerging folk artist into one of the biggest international acts on local radio.
Don McLean said American Boys emerged from collaborations with guitarist and songwriter Vip Vipperman, who contributed fragments and ideas that eventually evolved into a complete record. The album also became one of McLean’s most direct statements on social and political issues.
Among the tracks discussed with Noise11 was ‘Vacant Luxury’, which McLean described as a reflection on the excesses exposed during the pandemic years.
“It really sums up a lot of what happened during the pandemic,” he said. “People had to realise they were going to have to settle for a lot less and that they’ve been victims of luxury.”
Another song, ‘The Ballad Of George Floyd’, addressed police violence and social unrest in the United States. McLean noted the absence of contemporary protest songwriting compared to the politically charged music climate of the 1960s.
“In the 1960s there would have been five songwriters who would have written a song about George Floyd,” he said. “I was the only one who did it. I just do what I think I’ve got to do.”
The comments come at a time when veteran artists continue to dominate touring circuits while reducing their recording output. Artists from McLean’s generation increasingly rely on live performance and catalogue value rather than new releases, particularly as streaming economics reshape the music business. McLean also expressed concern about artificial intelligence and its impact on employment and creativity.
“I hope the whole artificial intelligence thing does not put a lot of people out of work,” he said. “This is how the whole system gets thrown on its head.”
The Australian tour will revisit a catalogue that enjoyed remarkable success locally throughout the 1970s and 1980s. While American Pie remains his signature work, songs such as ‘Vincent’, ‘Castles In The Air’, ‘Crying’, ‘Since I Don’t Have You’ and ‘And I Love You So’ all became staples of Australian radio.
Don McLean reflected on the creation of American Pie during the Noise11 interview, describing the process as a personal battle against resistance from both his record company and industry expectations. He credited producer Ed Freeman with helping realise the ambitious recording after initially struggling to convince him to take on the project.
“I’m a fighter,” McLean said. “If I want something, I will just about do anything to get it. It was me against everybody.”
The enduring reach of his songwriting continues to expand decades later. ‘And I Love You So’ became one of McLean’s most covered songs through recordings by artists including Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey and Nana Mouskouri. McLean noted that melody remains central to lasting songwriting.
“You have to have melodies,” he said. “We don’t have melodies anymore.”
McLean also recalled his formative years performing at New York’s Bitter End during the Greenwich Village folk boom, sharing memories of encountering emerging comedians and musicians including Joan Rivers, Woody Allen and Richard Pryor before they became household names.
The Australian tour begins in October with festival and theatre dates across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. McLean said audiences should not expect a conventional setlist, revealing he has never used one during his live
career.
“I’ve never had a set list in my life,” he said. “In almost 60 years I have done a different show every single night.”
Tour Dates:
Sat, Oct 10, Mareeba, Savannah In The Round Festival
Mon, Oct 12, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Wed, Oct 14, Gold Coast, The Star Theatre
Sat, Oct 17, Western Sydney, Coliseum Theatre
Sun, Oct 18, Wollongong, WIN Entertainment Centre
Mon, Oct 19, Sydney, State Theatre
Wed, Oct 21, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Fri, Oct 23, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
Tickets and tour information: Echo Pacific Entertainment
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