Don McLean gushes about Taylor Swift saying 'she does more for one song' than he does in a whole night

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Don McLean spoke highly of Taylor Swift during an interview with People on the red carpet of the 32nd Annual Movieguide Awards on Friday, February 7.

The 79-year-old 'American Pie' singer brought up Swift, 35, while commenting on the stars who have caught his eye at this year's Grammy Awards.

Don McLean gushes about Taylor Swift's excellence and dedication

According to People, Don McLean claimed to know what Taylor Swift "does" even though he was not able to attend her recently concluded Eras Tour that took the pop star across the globe.

"I mean, she does more for one song than I do for the whole night. ... I can't (understand) how she does it. But that's the level of excellence that's now required of all these young ladies and men who go out there, and that's a high level," the veteran musician shared. 

He went on to add a word of caution, saying, "I don't know if even she can do it again.”

Don McLean's past appreciation of Taylor Swift

Don McLean bonded with Taylor Swift after she dethroned his 1971 hit 'American Pie' on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with her song 'All Too Well (Taylor's Version)' in 2021. Her track became the longest to get the top spot on the charts, being over 10 minutes long.

"There is something to be said for a great song that has staying power. 'American Pie' remained on the top for 50 years and now Taylor Swift has unseated such a historic piece of artistry. Let's face it, nobody ever wants to lose that No 1 spot, but if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor," McLean reportedly wrote on his website at the time.

Swift responded to McLean with a gesture of her own, sending him a bouquet of flowers with a handwritten note. Sharing the gift on Instagram, the 'Vincent' hitmaker wrote, "What a class act! Thank you Taylor Swift for the flowers and note."

Later in an interview, he shared considering Swift a "major rock and roll force of nature," noting, "Taylor takes the whole new form of entertainment to the peak by making these phenomenal videos and records and doing these massive tours that are successful, and so on and so forth."

In yet another interview, McLean compared the 'Lover' singer to a "monster star, the size of the galaxy" while voicing concern for the toll it possibly takes on her mental health.

"She’s working all of the time and she does everything that she does better than everybody else. Whether it’s a video or a performance or songwriting or records or whatever, she does it all, just way better than everybody else and it’s really interesting because all of those other acts are suddenly old-fashioned," he expressed.