14 June 2012 That title may well have been deliberately pointed. Cheryl, in 2012 an A-list UK celebrity from her judge's role on The X Factor, had changed one married name for another, then split up with the latter, and released this single using the former name. No doubt the air was thick with webloid … Continue reading Cheryl – ‘Call My Name’
Author: Aidan Curran
Emmet Spiceland – ‘Mary From Dungloe’
24 February 1968 Like '80s 'Mary's Prayer' hitmakers Danny Wilson, Emmet Spiceland is a band, not a person. Like '80s 'Paradise City' hitmakers Guns N' Roses, Emmet Spiceland got their name from the amalgamation of two earlier bands, in their case the Emmet Folk Group and the Spiceland Folk Group. Two of these Spice Boys, … Continue reading Emmet Spiceland – ‘Mary From Dungloe’
Loreen – ‘Euphoria’
31 May 2012 Ireland's best Eurovision placing of the 2000s was actually in 2000, when a man with a mullet sang a soft rock power ballad called 'Millennium Of Love' and finished sixth. (Bambie Thug has since equalled that sixth-place finish in 2024.) One place above him was a German comedian in a yellow cowboy … Continue reading Loreen – ‘Euphoria’
Manfred Mann – ‘Mighty Quinn’
17 February 1968 Inuit and Yupik are among the preferred terms today for Quinn and his people, rather than the outdated and improper one used in this song. That bloody Bob Dylan, eh? The unfortunate nomenclature is a pity because otherwise 'Mighty Quinn' would be mightily enjoyable. The rolling piano chords and lilting flute are … Continue reading Manfred Mann – ‘Mighty Quinn’
Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘Am I That Easy To Forget’
25 January 1968 I can imagine the showbands and cabaret acts of 1968 Ireland immediately and gleefully slipping chart-topper 'Am I That Easy To Forget' into their antediluvian repertoire. Its unctuous blend of country balladry and easy listening—written and first recorded by a singer actually called Country Johnny Mathis!—sounds ready-made for the likes of Dickie … Continue reading Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘Am I That Easy To Forget’
Various Artists – ‘The Rocky Road To Poland’
10 May 2012 The song I associate with Ireland's trip to Euro 2012 is 'The Fields Of Athenry' as sung by Irish fans sometime after a Spain in third gear had knocked in their fourth goal. I wish it wasn't. I was watching at home on TV in France, crumpling like a collapsed deckchair of … Continue reading Various Artists – ‘The Rocky Road To Poland’
The Monkees – ‘Daydream Believer’
11 January 1968 Is Monkees-snark even a thing any more? Anyway, not that I particularly care but just if any elderly male white rock fans are reading, apparently the piano on this single is indeed played by Peter and the guitar by Mike, meaning more Monkees played instruments on 'Daydream Believer' than Byrds did on … Continue reading The Monkees – ‘Daydream Believer’
Fun ft. Janelle Monáe – ‘We Are Young’
19 April 2012 Jack Antonoff of Fun has now gone on to greater fame and fortune as co-writer and producer with Taylor Swift. I wonder if 'We Are Young' was in his CV when he was pitching for that gig. Probably not. Perhaps the more pertinent question is: what did Taylor Swift see in this? … Continue reading Fun ft. Janelle Monáe – ‘We Are Young’
Pat Lynch and The Airchords – ‘Treat Me Daughter Kindly’
16 December 1967 The Airchords were a showband formed by members of the Irish Air Corps, and singer Pat Lynch is the first Cork act to have an Irish number one single. This is also one of two records that keep 'Hello Goodbye' by The Beatles off the Irish top spot. However, my unexpected main … Continue reading Pat Lynch and The Airchords – ‘Treat Me Daughter Kindly’
Danny Doyle – ‘Whiskey On A Sunday’
28 October 1967 Aha, says you: another Irish folk ballad about drinking! However, 'Whiskey On A Sunday' was really a contemporary English song called 'The Ballad Of Seth Davy', the reference to the Dublin district of Beggar's Bush was originally Bevington Bush in Liverpool, plus the Seth Davy (or Davey or Davie, depending on sources) … Continue reading Danny Doyle – ‘Whiskey On A Sunday’
