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Danny Boy

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This article is about the Irish folk song. For other uses, see Danny Boy (disambiguation).
"Danny Boy"
Song

"Danny Boy" is a song whose lyrics are set to the Irish tune Londonderry Air. The lyrics were originally written for a different tune in 1910 by Frederick Weatherly, an English lawyer and songwriter, and were modified to fit Londonderry Air in 1913 when Weatherly was sent a copy of the tune by his sister.

The first recording was made by Ernestine Schumann-Heink in 1915. Weatherly gave the song to Elsie Griffin, who made it one of the most popular in the new century."[citation needed] Weatherly later suggested in 1928 that the second verse would provide a fitting requiem for the actress Ellen Terry.[citation needed]

The song has been interpreted in various ways. Early recordings were by female singers who presented it as a farewell from a woman to a beloved young man. Weatherly provided the alternative lyric "Oh Eily dear" for male singers in his 1918 authorised lyrics.[1] However the song is widely sung by men, with the original lyric "Oh Danny boy", as a farewell from an older man to a male relative. The younger man may be going off to war, may be leaving as part of the Irish diaspora, or may be recently dead or dying.

With its Irish melody, the song is widely considered an Irish anthem, considered by many Irish Americans and Irish Canadians to be their unofficial signature song.

Recordings

Film

  • On The Beatles' 1970 final album Let It Be, at the end of the track "One After 909", John Lennon plays the (uncredited) opening of the song with altered lyrics. Probably "Oh, Danny Boy, the oats of Anne are calling...".
  • In his faustian 1994 song "The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy", Joe Jackson implies that the author of "Danny Boy" created an immortal "perfect refrain".
  • Mentioned in the lyrics of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" (1997).
  • Canadian Idol 2006 runner-up Craig Sharpe performed the song during the program and included a version on his February 2007 debut CD I Am
  • Sung by Declan Galbraith on his Debut Album "Tell Me Why"
  • Performed several times in concert by celebrated singer/songwriter Tori Amos

Television

Other

  • Musician Joe Jackson's song 'The Man who Wrote Danny Boy' was released on his 1994 album 'Night Music'. It's about a composer who sells his soul in order to write a melody as memorable and eternal as Danny Boy. He likens the genious of the song's immortality to that of Shakespeare and Bach.
  • In the novel Angel Light by Andrew M. Greeley, the protagonist is transported to an alternate history Ireland which superficially seems the same as ours, but is different in many details - and finds out what happened when he sings "Danny Boy" and realizes that nobody in this Ireland had ever heard it before.
  • The 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps used the piece to close out their competitive shows from 1971 to 1983 (excepting 1974 and 1978)
  • Sung by The Question after his return to Hub City and as he lay dying in DC Comics 52. Was also sung during his first return to Hub City, after he was almost killed by the Reverend Hatch's gang, he made a comment 'We dump him in the river, then if he arises singing Danny Boy I shall give him whatever he wants.'.
  • Sung by comedian Peter Kay (who also invites the audience to join in with him) at the end of Live at the Bolton Albert Halls.
  • Sung by boxer Barry McGuigan's father, Pat, before many of Barry's bouts.
  • 'Battle of Danny Boy' An Iraqi insurgent checkpoint ambush against the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment [1] where bayoneting was used for the first time since the Falklands war[2] a local Iraqi doctor confused the bayoneting with post battle 'abuse'.[3]
  • In Grand Theft Auto IV after you call up the Irish character Patrick McReary, aka Packie and go drinking with him he could recite the poem in a drunken stupor depending on how many times you got drunk with him before.
  • In BioShock when you reach Frank Fontaine's home the song can be heard coming from the radio.
  • In March 2008, Foley's NY Pub & Restaurantattracted worldwide attention by banning the singing of the song for the month. Owner Shaun Clancy cited that the song is ranked among the top 25 most depressing songs of all time, is overplayed (and often sung badly) at the expense of other great Irish ballads, and was written by a man who had never set foot in Ireland. Foley's welcomed the song back on April 2 with a rendition by former Phantom of the Opera star Ciaran Sheehan accompanied by Eily Patterson, renowned pianist and widow of one of Danny Boy's most famous singers: Frank Patterson, the legendary Irish tenor.
  • From March 15 – March 17, 2008. AJ's Cafe <ajsmusiccafe.com> in Ferndale, Michigan held a "Danny Boy Marathon" in which over 700 performances of Danny Boy were performed by over 1000 people in a fifty hour non-stop marathon. The song was sung, rapped, and performed on guitar, pennywhistle, piano, drums, bagpipes,flutes, clarinet, violin, tuba, bass, kazoo, and harp. It was done in languages of French, Polish, Yiddish, American Sign and English. The youngest performer was 4 months old as a member of the 30-plus Donnellon Family from Port Huron, Michigan who performed all together, and the oldest was in her nineties, a member of a group of seniors who performed from the Saint Patrick's Senior Center in Detroit. Among other notable performances were five full chorale groups, church choirs, transgenders, sock puppets, and the Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm. Allen James (AJ) O'Neil, organized the charity event as a tribute to his late father, Alfred James O'neil (1996). AJ sang the first song at 3 pm on March 15 and the last song on March 17 at 5pm

Books

  • Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad ISBN 0-451-20806-4 by Malachy McCourt

References

  1. ^ "Danny Boy—the mystery solved!". Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  2. ^ Classic TV, ISBN 0-7935-4762-8, 1996, published by Hal Leonard Corporation
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