<Tr> <Td> "American Pie" (1971) </Td> <Td> "Vincent" (1972) </Td> <Td> "Dreidel" (1973) </Td> </Tr> <P> "Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh . It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to Van Gogh's painting The Starry Night . The song also describes different paintings by the artist . It was created on the 100th anniversary of the midpoint of Van Gogh's life . </P> <P> McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of the artist . The following year, the song became the number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and No. 12 in the US . It spent 12 weeks on the Hot 100 . In the US, "Vincent" also hit number two on the Easy Listening chart . Billboard ranked it as the No. 94 song for 1972 . </P> <P> The song makes use mainly of the guitar but also includes the accordion, marimba, and strings . </P>

When was the song starry starry night written