The discography of American singer Don McLean consists of 20 studio albums, four live albums, 11 compilation albums, and 16 singles.
| Don McLean discography | |
|---|---|
 Don McLean performing in 2009 | |
| Studio albums | 21 |
| Live albums | 4 |
| Compilation albums | 10 |
| Singles | 16 |
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
AUS [2] |
CAN |
UK [3] | |||
| 1970 | Tapestry[A] | 111 | 22 | — | 16 | |
| 1971 | American Pie | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1972 | Don McLean | 23 | 15 | 15 | — | |
| 1973 | Playin' Favorites | — | 22 | — | 42 | |
| 1974 | Homeless Brother | 120 | 65 | — | — | |
| 1977 | Prime Time | — | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | Chain Lightning[B] | 28 | 41 | 25 | 19 | |
| 1981 | Believers | 156 | 15 | — | — | |
| 1987 | Love Tracks | — | — | — | — | |
| 1990 | Headroom | — | — | — | — | |
| 1991 | Christmas | — | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | The River of Love | — | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | Christmas Dreams | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Sings Marty Robbins | — | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | You've Got to Share: Songs for Children | — | — | — | — | |
| The Western Album | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey | — | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Addicted to Black | — | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | Botanical Gardens | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | Still Playin' Favorites | — | — | — | — | |
| 2024 | American Boys | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Live albums
edit| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Solo |
| 1982 | Dominion |
| 2001 | Starry, Starry Night |
| 2014 | Don McLean: Live in Manchester |
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [2][7] |
UK [3] | |||||
| 1980 | The Very Best of Don McLean | 2 | 4 | |||
| 1986 | For the Memories | 63 | — | |||
| 1987 | Don McLean's Greatest Hits · Then & Now | — | — | |||
| 1989 | For the Memories Vols I & II | — | — | |||
| And I Love You So | — | — | ||||
| 1991 | The Best of Don McLean | — | — | |||
| 1992 | Classics | — | — |
| ||
| 1992 | Favorites and Rarities | — | — | |||
| 2000 | American Pie – The Greatest Hits | — | 30 |
| ||
| 2002 | Classic Collection | 57 | — | |||
| 2003 | Legendary Songs of Don McLean | — | 71 | |||
| 2004 | Christmastime! | — | — | |||
| 2007 | The Legendary Don McLean | — | — | |||
| 2008 | American Pie & Other Hits | — | — | |||
| 2012 | American Troubadour | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
US A/C [1] |
US Cou. [1] |
AUS [2] |
CAN |
CAN A/C |
CAN Cou. |
UK [3] |
IRL [12] | ||||
| 1971 | "Castles in the Air"[C] | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tapestry | |
| "American Pie" | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 7 | American Pie | ||
| 1972 | "Vincent" | 12 | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 13 | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1973 | "Dreidel" | 21 | 7 | — | 34 | 16 | 5 | — | 56[D] | — | Don McLean | |
| "If We Try" | 58 | 12 | — | 9 | 82 | 22 | — | — | — | |||
| "Everyday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | Playin' Favorites | ||
| 1974 | "Mountains o' Mourne" | — | — | — | 90 | — | — | — | — | 2 | ||
| "Fool's Paradise" | 107 | 25 | — | — | — | 90 | — | — | — | |||
| "La La Love You" | —[E] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Homeless Brother | ||
| 1975 | "Wonderful Baby" | 93 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 60[D] | — | ||
| 1980 | "Crying" | 5 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 7 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
Chain Lightning |
| 1981 | "Since I Don't Have You" | 23 | 6 | 68 | — | 45 | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| "It's Just the Sun" | 83 | 20 | — | 92 | — | 12 | — | — | — | |||
| "Castles in the Air"[C] | 36 | 7 | — | 11 | — | 2 | — | 47 | — | Believers | ||
| 1987 | "He's Got You" | — | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Greatest Hits Then & Now | |
| "You Can't Blame the Train" | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Love Tracks | ||
| 1988 | "Love in My Heart" | — | — | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "American Pie" (reissue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 9 | The Best of Don McLean | |
| 2012 | "American Pie" (2nd reissue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Rarities
edit| Year | Title | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "The Flight of Dragons" | This song was recorded for the film The Flight of Dragons in the early 1980s. |
| 1994 | "Vincent" (live version) | Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume III[18] |
Notes
edit- ^ Tapestry did not chart in Australia or the UK until 1972 after the success of American Pie.
- ^ Chain Lightning also peaked at #3 on the RPM Country Albums chart in Canada.
- ^ a b The original version of "Castles in the Air" was included on the Tapestry album. In February 1971, it was released as the first single from the album and reached No. 40 on the Billboard Easy Listening / Adult Contemporary chart. After the success of the "American Pie" single, "Castles in the Air" was included as the B-side to its follow-up, "Vincent", and received enough radio airplay to reach the Hot 100 chart as a "flip". McLean's 1981 version of the song, a slower ballad version of the more mid- to up-tempo original, first appeared on his album Believers, and later replaced the original version on some copies of Tapestry.
- ^ a b Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".
- ^ "La La Love You" reached No. 111 on the Cashbox singles chart.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Don McLean US chart info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 187. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c "Don McLean UK chart history". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved June 22, 2009.
- ^ "American album certifications – Don Mc Lean – American Pie". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Canadian certifications – Don McLean". Music Canada. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Don Mclean - American Pie (album)". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 183.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "The Very Best of Don Mclean". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "American certifications – Don Mclean – Classics". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "British certifications – Don Mclean – American Pie - The Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "Search for 'Don Mc Lean'". Irish Charts.
- ^ a b "American certifications – Don Mclean". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Don Mclean – American Pie". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "British certifications – Don Mclean – Vincent". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954–1982. Sheridan Books. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
- ^ "Don Mclean - Crying". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume III: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
