Don McLean’s song Vincent, also known as Starry, Starry Night remains a special song to James and me for separate reasons. It first came on James’ radar when Josh Groban recorded and released it. James was a total Grobanite at the time. For me, I heard a kid sing it on karaoke night at a dingy, drag bar in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and was taken with how beautiful the melody was and how perfect the structure was. In November 2017, when we planned the songs we wanted to record on our new album, it made our shortlist. At the time, neither of us realized why Don McLean wrote the song. It wasn’t until we visited the Van Gogh museum in July 2018 that we realized who Vincent was in the song.
The tragic life of Vincent Van Gogh still has great relevance and significance, despite being in a completely different time period. People of all kinds still struggle with mental illness and still commit suicide. More recently, it overtook homicide as the second-leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15-19 in the United States. That figure is staggering. Every one of us reading this is in contact daily, with someone suffering from mental illness: it is as rampant as ever. In the USA, there is a terrible stigma surrounding mental illness and our government has largely abandoned those of us who have suffered for so many years by slashing funding and turning a blind eye to what is now at epidemic levels. Guns often get into the hands of those who suffer from mental illness and we see, on a near-daily basis, what that does.
We’ve recorded this song and brought it to life with a music video in hopes to create awareness around LGBTQ youth suicide in particular. We miss the friends we have lost, both heterosexual and homosexual; every single day.
We believe in and support the work of The Trevor Project and its mission with all of our beings. If you’re curious to know who they are please visit: trevorproject.org
To download or stream the single on your platform, please visit: https://stem.ffm.to/vincent
The music video is linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kzddUg1J7s
We’re taking this song (and many others) on the road. If you’re curious about where we’re playing next, please visit: https://brandenjames.com/tour/
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