Don McLean, Taylor Swift.Photo: David Abbott; Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Don McLeanhas nothing but praise forTaylor Swift— even after she broke his record for longest No. 1 hit.
McLeanpreviously revealed on Instagramthat “class act” Swift, 32, sent him a bouquet of flowers and a special note, in which she wrote that she “will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.”
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In astatement, the crooner said that while “nobody ever wants to lose that No. 1 spot.. if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor.”
As for whether the world will ever see the two collaborate, McLean says never say never.
“Anything is possible, if it’s done the right way,” he says. “I’m always interested in doing anything.”
The Grammy-nominated musician is currently “in training,” he says, for aworld tourin celebration of the 50th anniversary of hisAmerican Piealbum and its seminal title track. He’ll kick things off in January for 34 North American dates before heading to Europe in September for 35 more shows.
“I always felt that any kind of major career thing was sort of like golden handcuffs. It’s funny, it’s just my nature, I wanted freedom,” he says. “And now I’m enjoying doing work these last six years to embrace this album and these albums and my career, and all the things that have happened is a sort of a final victory lap of some sort.”
Don McLean.Keith Perry/Courtesy Don McLean
While McLean says he prefers not to dwell on the past, he can recall how his fame came on suddenly in the wake of the success of “American Pie” — and how the attention, which sometimes included fainting fans à la Beatlemania, wasn’t always welcome.
“I was not comfortable with that. I don’t like that much focus on me,” he says. “It was something that I certainly did enjoy lots of times, but there was something strange about it.”
Fifty years on, McLean accepts that the classic tune is part of his legacy — even if it has driven him into what he calls an “‘American Pie’ cul-de-sac.”
“That’s the hand I’ve been dealt and that’s what you have to deal with,” he says. “I will always be asked about this song. It was a phenomenon, it is still a phenomenon, and I accept that and I’m thankful for the fact that I have something that I did that has given people as much entertainment and happiness as that song and that album.”
Looking forward, McLean says he’s looking forward to the traveling that’ll accompany his tour (as isgirlfriend Paris Dylan, 27) and to playing for many years to come.
“My girlfriend and I love to travel, so she’s really anxious to get up and get going and so am I,” he says. “I want to get back to playing and living. This is my way of life. I’m like an old firehouse dog, I don’t know anything else.”
For more on Don McLean, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere now.
source: people.com
