Taylor Swift sends flowers to Don McLean, whose record she broke with “All Too Well”

Beth Garrabrant

Taylor Swift always does the right thing. After her song “All Too Well” broke the record for the lengthiest track ever to top the Billboard Hot 100, she sent a gift to the guy who’d held the record for the past 50 years: singer/songwriter Don McLean.

McLean, whose 1971 hit “American Pie” ran eight minutes and 36 seconds, was bested by Taylor, with “All Too Well” clocking in at 10:13. McLean tweeted a photo of the flowers and letter that Taylor sent him, and commented, “What a classy artist! Thank you @taylorswift13 for the flowers & note!“

In her letter, Taylor wrote, “Don, I will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Your music has been so important to me. Sending love [from] one writer of LONG SONGS to another. Your fan, Taylor.”

McLean, 76, said in a statement to ABC Audio last month, “Let’s face it, nobody ever wants to lose that #1 spot, but if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor.”

Taylor’s 10-minute-plus recording of “All Too Well” is featured as a bonus track on Red (Taylor’s Version), which she released on November 12.