A Life of Sundays
| "A Life of Sundays" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Waterboys | |
| from the album Room to Roam | |
| Released | 1990 |
| Length | 6:18 |
| Label | Chrysalis Ensign |
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Scott |
| Producer(s) | Barry Beckett Mike Scott |
"A Life of Sundays" is a song by the Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released in 1990 as a track on their fifth studio album Room to Roam. It was written by Mike Scott and produced by Barry Beckett and Scott.[1] In the United States, the song reached No. 15 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and remained on the chart for nine weeks.[2]
Describing the song on the official Waterboys website, Scott said: "Across its six minute span, "A Life of Sundays" features rock 'n' roll, blues, soul, African, psychedelia, punk or glam, Irish literature and no-nonsense trad." The song was recorded at Spiddal House, Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland in 1990.[3]
Reception
In a review of Room to Roam, Bruce Dessau of The Guardian commented: ""A Life of Sundays", with its talk of a "sense of wonder", harks back to both the original Celtic pop mystic Van Morrison and the love-stricken metaphysical poets."[4] Neil McKay of Sunday Life said of the album: "It's all quite enjoyable in its own way, but the record only comes alive when Scott unobtrusively assimilates the folk influences in outstanding songs like "A Life of Sundays"."[5] John Mulvey of Uncut described the song as an "ecstatic rocker".[6]
John Milward of The Philadelphia Inquirer commented: "It's the frantic edge of Steve Wickham's fiddle that puts the adrenaline into ruminative rockers such as "A Life of Sundays"."[7] Gene Armstrong of the Arizona Daily Star commented: "With its 5-minute length, rumbling rhythm section, squawking horn and riffing guitars, "A Life of Sundays" is the album's rock single, if in fact this band cares about such things anymore."[8] Brant Houston of the Hartford Courant described the song as "semi-psychedelic" and "solely The Waterboys" in its style.[9]
Musician described the song as a "college radio-ready rocker" which "devolves into a wonderfully unwieldy guitar frenzy".[10] Mike Curtin of The Post-Star wrote: "Only on the most fully developed material, notably "Further Up, Further In" and "A Life of Sundays," do Scott and company fulfill their promise of a satisfying synthesis of traditional and modern styles."[11] Eric McClary of the Reno Gazette-Journal said: "Unfortunately, only "A Life of Sundays" comes close to the visionary wanderings of the last Waterboys album, Fisherman's Blues."[12]
Personnel
The Waterboys
- Mike Scott - vocals, guitar
- Anthony Thistlethwaite - saxophone
- Steve Wickham - fiddle, Hammond organ
- Trevor Hutchinson - bass
- Colin Blakey - flute
- Sharon Shannon - accordion
- Noel Bridgeman - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Production
- Barry Beckett, Mike Scott - producers
- Tim Martin - engineer
- Robbie Adams - assistant engineer
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[2] | 15 |
References
- ^ AllMusic Review by James Christopher Monger. "Room to Roam - The Waterboys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Billboard. "The Waterboys A Life Of Sundays Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "The Waterboys". Mikescottwaterboys.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Dessau, Bruce (14 September 1990). "Mike finds peace with his muse". The Guardian.
- ^ McKay, Neil (21 October 1990). "Tracks of pure joy". Sunday Life.
- ^ "The Waterboys - Room to Roam (Collectors Edition)". Uncut. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Milward, John (16 November 1990). "The Waterboys adopt Ireland and its sounds for new album". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Armstrong, Gene (2 November 1990). "Waterboys triumph in 'Room to Roam'". The Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Houston, Brant (25 October 1990). "Records: ZZ Top recycles classics from the past; diverse Midler LP". The Hartford Courant.
- ^ "Musician - Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Curtin, Mike (28 October 1990). "Fall harvest yields bumper crop". The Post-Star.
- ^ McClary, Eric (25 November 1990). "On the record". Reno Gazette-Journal.