7 February 1966
Doctor, doctor, I’m having old man trouble! Leaky bladder, liver spots, and… who are you again? Doc Carroll wasn’t a qualified medical professional, so if you’ve been affected by the issues raised in ‘Old Man Trouble’ please see a registered GP. (In true Irish style, Doc Carroll got his nickname because his father was a doctor.)
‘Old Man Trouble’, the first Irish number one single from a Mayo or west of Ireland act, is a cover of a US hit from 1964. Could this be the showband ecosystem evolving with the times? Well, no – that hit was for Fats Domino, who by 1964-66 was a ’50s rock & roll survivor. The sentiment is cornball, the arrangement is twee, and the whole thing pines for a simpler, less sophisticated past. Listening to ‘Old Man Trouble’ may cause erectile dysfunction.
Irish Number Ones 