18 December 1975 and 19 December 1991 I wasn't born when it was first a hit, and I hadn't developed any interest in Queen since then, so I knew very little of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' when it came around again after Freddie Mercury's untimely death. I reckon today you wouldn't even fill a taxi with the … Continue reading Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ / ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’
Tag: 1991
U2 – ‘Mysterious Ways’
12 December 1991 I remember Hot Press in the early '90s carrying angry letters from die-hard U2 fans, mostly in North America, on how Achtung Baby and Zooropa were a travesty of U2 by U2. On 'Mysterious Ways', for instance, those strobe-lit dance beats and synth washes combine with Adam's mildly funky bassline to sound … Continue reading U2 – ‘Mysterious Ways’
Zig and Zag – ‘Zigzaggin”
14 November 1991 "What do you get if you cross Zig and Zag?" asked the flustered young phone-caller to The Den, struggling to come up with a joke to tell. "Zigzag!" Kindly uncle Iano, then still the host, gave a hearty laugh and a sincere 'well done'. It stuck in my small child brain because … Continue reading Zig and Zag – ‘Zigzaggin”
U2 – ‘The Fly’
24 October 1991 Deep down, did U2 really change all that much on Achtung Baby? Where they had gone west for The Joshua Tree and Rattle And Hum to chase their idea of US blues and gospel, now they went east to chase the spirit of Bowie's Berlin albums. On 'The Fly', our entrée to … Continue reading U2 – ‘The Fly’
Monty Python – ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’
17 October 1991 I had thought this song's second life must have been connected to a cinema re-release or video re-issue of Monty Python's Life of Brian. (The Irish film censor ban on the film had been lifted in 1987.) But no: apparently 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' came around again because … Continue reading Monty Python – ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’
Right Said Fred – ‘I’m Too Sexy’
3 October 1991 Philosophical question: do you still listen to The Smiths? I must admit that ever since their singer started positioning himself to the right of Enoch Powell I've been unenthused about the prospect of hearing his voice. Similarly, Covid-19 public health measures brought out the unsavoury performative ranter in heretofore much-respected figures. For … Continue reading Right Said Fred – ‘I’m Too Sexy’
Guns N’ Roses – ‘Don’t Cry’
19 September 1991 Oh, so blustery power ballads are edgy and cool now, are they? Well, no. It's just what rock bands do when they become big and lucrative. 'Don't Cry' and 'November Rain', so similar as to be interchangeable, are the two signature songs from this phase of the meanest, baddest rock band in … Continue reading Guns N’ Roses – ‘Don’t Cry’
The Saw Doctors – ‘Hay Wrap’
12 September 1991 "Will Galway bate Mayo? / Not if they have Willie Joe!" I'll say straight away that, even though I'm from outside Dublin and therefore technically a culchie, this clearly isn't a song for me, if only because no Kerry person has ever fretted about beating Mayo. Giving a voice to the west … Continue reading The Saw Doctors – ‘Hay Wrap’
Bryan Adams – ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’
4 July 1991 Before we start laughing at the Brits for making this, at 16 weeks, their longest-running consecutive number one ever, keep in mind that it spent ten weeks at the top of the Irish charts before returning to number one a month later for one more week. People of Ireland: you have disgraced … Continue reading Bryan Adams – ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’
Jason Donovan – ‘Any Dream Will Do’
27 June 1991 What's this, an '80s revival already? Well, actually Jason was still having hits at the start of the '90s - in fact, up to this point in mid-1991 he has more Irish top ten singles than Kylie (six versus five) plus now he has a '90s number one in Ireland and she … Continue reading Jason Donovan – ‘Any Dream Will Do’
