DANNY BOY - Traditional Irish Ballad

[hyperrune]

Hmmm, no thread for this yet? Seeing as it makes everyone cry, it's a wonder
Just thought i'd let everyone know that I added damien to the list of people who have recorded this song at its Wikipedia entry.

This song has been haunting me for days, it is so beautiful. No song has moved me closer to tears than this one. There is something soul-wrenching about Damien singing about his own death. Every time he gets to 'I am dead, as dead as well I'll be'.... *shiver*

Love these lyrics:
"In darkness or in shadow"

"When all the flowers are dying"

"When summer is in the meadow/ or the hills are hushed and white with snow"

"If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me/ I'll sleep in peace until you come to me"

I can imagine Damien singing this to Jarvis

[Spud]

A little while ago I had a dream that Damien drowned and this song reminds me of that a bit.

[SJ]

I never really liked this song.. My opinion is totally changed now, I love it when Damien sings it

[erin]

Whenever I hear 'Danny Boy' being sung I always wait with baited breath for the high note to be reached. Many singers struggle with this, but in Damien's case he reaches the note perfectly in his own way, just like in Nessun Dorma where he made that aria his own.

[hyperrune]

damienleithrules said:

A little while ago I had a dream that Damien drowned and this song reminds me of that a bit.

Yeah, I dreamt once that I was at his funeral. That was horrible! I think it was just after he played the tribute to Belinda Emmett.

Can you imagine this playing at a funeral? If you were upset to begin with, you'd be a wreck by the time the song finished. It's beautiful though, lovely imagery. It still gives me the creeps to hear Damien saying he is dead

[irishscorpio]

Hyp, I love your interpretation of this song. Damien’s version just evokes so much imagery and emotion- as if he is breathing meaning and life into the song itself. The haunting melody envelopes you and it is as if Damien is singing directly to your soul.

Danny Boy has always been one of those songs that made me cringe, as it seemed to be the only song associated with the Irish and therefore held a cheesy element (like the old “top of the morning” bollocks).
There have been a few times where I have been moved by a performance of the song, even feeling a sense of pride (eg when it is used in the North as an anthem), but these are few and far between. This version however, seems to transcend all boundaries and remind us of the intricate similarities by which we are all bound- our humanity: our yearnings, our struggles, our fallibilities, our triumphs, and our joys.

I have listened to this song numerous times, and each time it has brought tears to my eyes (or at least close to). I can certainly imagine him singing to Jarvis or Jagger. All I can say, is that this is breath-taking.

[Mi chiamano Kami]

I have to say, when Damien made such a big thing about it being a "raw" recording done in only one take... I was sort of expecting something less than a powerful, note-perfect performance!

His is definitely up with my favourite recordings - the fact that he doesn't go all opera with it means we get a chance to absorb the lyrics. I admit I was listening the other day and got a bit teary over it. Damien has that lovely quality to his voice that he can embrace the Irish side of him without ever sounding dated or trite. I'm glad he went ahead and put it on the album.

[hyperrune]

You can really tell that he's sung this often and really thought about the lyrics over the years, can't you? According to the interview with Alan Jones, he recorded this for a female friend who is very sick and having open heart surgery. A bit morbid and pessimistic in that context, perhaps!

I know exactly what you mean, irishscorpio. It's not about being Irish or acting Irish or anything, it's so raw, it's about being human and knowing your own mortality and just making the most of being with someone before your time is up. It's like letting the younger generation know that death is not necessarily the end, and that existence isn't futile, no matter how brief it is.

*thinks she is getting carried away. That song is too damn haunting*

[Spud]

I just looked up the lyrics of this song because there were a few bits where I couldn't understand it properly. It's made it even nicer to hear now that I know exactly what he's singing. ;D I've never heard anyone else sing it before (well I can't remember hearing it, but I must have because I recognised the tune when I first heard Damien sing it) - but Damien's version is funtarstic. I love the high notes, but the lower ones are so nice as well.

[Nuffy]

I can't recall which interview it was - there have been so many - but Damien said that besides reminding him of Ireland it makes him think about his mum and how he's so far away should anything happen... I hear it and see Damien singing Angela's message to him
THAT makes me teary just thinking about his grief if he's not there when her time comes (as all of ours will). AND also how much she must miss him and how her spirit will wait patiently for him to come back to her one day... I'm getting a tissue now and a drink to wash down the lump in my throat.

[Spud]

Yeah Nuffy I remember that interview since I only just listened to it on 7th September. It was the Radio Australia interview from 13th August, which was also the one when D talked about his scars from the pipette and the pancakes. I haven't listened to Danny Boy since I listened to that interview, but after hearing what D thinks about when he sings it, I'll have that new perspective when I listen to the song.