Vincent (song)

The song clearly expresses sincere admiration not only for the work of van Gogh, but also for himself as a person. The words contain references to his landscapes, such as in the lines “sketch the trees and the daffodils” (“sketch trees and daffodils”) and “morning fields of amber grain” (“morning fields of amber wheat”) describing yellow wheat - detail of some paintings. There are also some lines that may hint at van Gogh's self-portraits. So, perhaps in the words "weathered faces lined in pain / are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand" ("weathered faces, wrinkled with suffering / soften under the artist's loving hand"), Maclean suggests that van Gogh might find some comfort in creating self portraits. It also shows the artist’s most famous series of works, “ Sunflowers ”. The line “Flaming flowers that brightly blaze” (“Burning flowers so brightly shine”) not only paints us with bright orange and yellow colors, but also creates strong images of the sun itself, glowing and shining, enclosed in flowers and a picture.

In the first two refrains, Maclean pays tribute to Van Gogh, reflecting on the lack of attention to him: "They would not listen / they did not know how / perhaps they'll listen now" ("They did not want to listen, they could not, / but perhaps they are listening now. ”) In the last refrain, Maclean says, “They would not listen / They're not listening still / Perhaps they never will” (“They did not want to listen and still do not listen, / and may never hear”). This is the story of van Gogh: he was not recognized as an artist until his death. The words suggest that van Gogh tried by the message of his work to “set [people] free” (“set [people] free”). Macklin believes that this message clarified everything for him. He sings: “And now I understand what you tried to say to me” (“And now I understand what you tried to tell me”). This is probably one of the possible understandings that inspired Macklin to write the song.

It is also believed that the song describes Van Gogh's difficult relationship with his family. It was a wealthy family that did not recognize him because of bipolar disorder (“for they could not love you”) (“because they could not love you”) and never understood his desire to help the poor. It is believed that van Gogh was convinced that by killing himself, he would be able to attract the attention of his parents. This can be seen in the line “Perhaps they'll listen now” (“But maybe they are listening now”).

There are also references to van Gogh's mental health and his suicide in the song. All his life, Van Gogh suffered from mental disorders , in particular depression . He “suffered for [his] sanity” (“suffered from his sanity”) and as a result “took [his] life, as lovers often do” (“took his life, as lovers often do”).

Another theory is that the lines relate to van Gogh's relationship with Paul Gauguin , with whom he, like many others, had a complex relationship. These relationships were so strong that they led van Gogh to the idea that it would be reasonable to cut off part of his left ear, as a sign of Gauguin's departure from his life and heart. This led to the fact that Gauguin, who also had severe bouts of depression and suicidal tendencies, moved away from van Gogh, plunging the already worried artist into schizophrenic depression, which theoretically became the "straw that broke the back of a camel."

• Alexander Vasiliev ( Spleen group) in 2016 at concerts presented the Russian-language version of the song.
• Chuck Loeb with his wife Carmen Cuesta-Loeb in his 2001 album "In A Heartbeat".
• Josh Groban in the debut album Josh Groban .
• Tori Amos performed this song live during concert tours in various periods of 2002-2003, 2005 and 2009.
• Julie Andrews sings a song in the episode The Julie Andrews Hour .
• Justin Hayward in his solo album Classic Blue with Mike Batt .
• This song was covered by Declan Galbraith in his 2006 album Thank You .
• Brian Kennedy sang a song at George Best's funeral.
• NOFX punk band released a version of this song on a rarities and b-sides double album . She also went on a compilation of Survival of the Fattest , published in 1996.
• Jane Olivor made a cover version of her 1977 album, First Night .
• Spot 1019 released a version of the song on their 2002 CD In Her Satanic Majesty's Secret Service Entrance .
• Daniel Selby made a cover version on his 2009 album Another Town, Another Time, Another Face .
• Chyi Yu made a cover version of her 1988 album Whoever Finds This, I Love You .
• Julio Iglesias did a cover version of his album My Life: The Greatest Hits (disc 1).
• Vonda Shepard for the television series Ally McBeal and the album of his partner Heart and Soul .
• Garth Brooks performed an acoustic version of this song on November 12, 2007 at a concert in Kansas City, Missouri .
• Roberto Vecchioni , an Italian songwriter and singer, released the Italian version of this song in his 2000 album Canzoni e cicogne .
• Raymond Lam sang at the opening of the Heart of Greed show, and also performed some lines live.
• David Roth made a cover version of his album Pearl Diver.
• Vienna Teng performed this song in a number of live performances.
• Joanna Wang on her album Joanna & ??? ".
• Sam Hui in his concerts in 2008-2009.
• Damien Leith made a cover version of his 2008 album Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation .
• Nana Muskuri made a cover version of her 2005 album I'll Remember You.
• Ronan Keating did a cover version of his 2009 album Songs For My Mother .
• Jackie Evancho recorded a cover version on her debut album Prelude to a Dream in 2009.
• Rick Astley made a cover version of his 2005 album Portrait .
• Fightstar released their cover of the song on the second side of EP A City on Fire , released December 21, 2009.
• Japanese songwriter and singer Yano Akiko performed a version of the song for piano / vocals on her album “Ongakudo”, released in February 2010.