If We Try

The Story Behind "If We Try" by Don McLean

Imagine the impossible weight of following a song that became a national obsession. That was the strange burden Don McLean carried in the early 1970s, a singer-songwriter whose epic meditation on American innocence had turned him into a household name almost overnight. By 1973 the question hanging over him was simple and merciless: what do you do after you have written something the whole country memorized? "If We Try" arrived as part of his answer, a quieter, more intimate offering from an artist learning to live inside enormous expectations.

Life After a Phenomenon

McLean had become one of the defining voices of the early-1970s singer-songwriter movement. His sprawling 1971 anthem about the day the music died had reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and lodged itself permanently in the culture. That kind of success is a gift and a trap. It opens every door while ensuring that everything afterward gets measured against an impossible standard. Rather than chase that lightning again, McLean leaned into the thoughtful, literate songwriting that had always been his real strength.

A Gentler Kind of Song

"If We Try" showcased the tender, reflective side of his craft. Where his most famous work was a torrent of imagery and historical allusion, this was a smaller and more personal statement, a ballad about love and possibility delivered with his characteristic warmth. McLean's gift for melody and his clear, expressive voice gave the song an unhurried grace. It asked the listener to slow down and sit with a feeling rather than decode a riddle.

A Modest Run on the Hot 100

On the chart, the single carved out a respectable showing. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 31, 1973, at number 87, then climbed steadily across the following weeks, reaching number 67 and then number 59. It peaked at number 58 during the week of May 5, 1973, and spent a total of seven weeks on the Hot 100. Compared to his career-defining smash the run was modest, yet for a gentle ballad it confirmed that McLean retained a devoted audience eager to follow him beyond his biggest hit.

An Artist of Substance

It helps to see a song like this within the arc of a thoughtful, durable career. McLean built a body of work prized for its craftsmanship and emotional honesty, and the quieter entries are essential to understanding him. He was never merely the man behind one giant song. He was a serious writer with a deep catalog, and tracks like "If We Try" reveal the patient, melodic sensibility that ran through everything he made.

The Singer-Songwriter Moment

It is worth remembering just how rich the early-1970s singer-songwriter era was. The charts overflowed with introspective, literate artists who treated the pop song as a vehicle for genuine emotion and personal reflection rather than mere entertainment. Audiences had developed an appetite for sincerity, for music that felt like the work of a real person wrestling with real feelings rather than a manufactured product aimed purely at the charts. McLean fit naturally into that movement, and a tender ballad like this one was exactly the kind of intimate, heartfelt statement listeners of the period embraced. The era rewarded vulnerability, and McLean had it to spare. His willingness to bare a feeling without armor was exactly the quality that defined the most cherished singer-songwriters of the day.

Worth a Quiet Listen

For listeners who know McLean only through his most famous moment, gentle ballads like this offer a rewarding detour. They strip away the spectacle and leave the songwriting exposed, and the songwriting holds up beautifully. Press play and let that warm voice and unhurried melody draw you in, a reminder that the man behind one of pop's great epics could also write with disarming simplicity.

"If We Try" — Don McLean's singular moment on the 1970s charts.