"And a Bang on the Ear" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Fisherman's Blues. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by John Dunford and Scott. The song reached No. 1 in the Republic of Ireland and No. 51 in the United Kingdom.[2][3] The single's B-side, "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy", was recorded live at Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow.[4]
The song was recorded at Spiddal House in Spiddal, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, in April 1988.[5] In 2006, fiddle player Steve Wickham recalled of the song: "We played a lot of takes before we got this right. It is often the simple ones that are the most difficult."[6]
Critical reception
Upon release, Music & Media wrote: "Easy-going, traditional folk material with a strong melody line and good lyrics. Stylewise, an uncompromising song but one that could be a hit."[7] In a review of Fisherman's Blues, Stereo Review described the song as "lilting, rollicking, and altogether effortless". The reviewer added: "It flows in a way that suggests Scott has arrived at some breakthrough in his conception of the Waterboys."[8]Audio picked the song as the album's "best cut" and described it as "a bouncy ditty full of cyanide and vinegar".[9]
High Fidelity News and Record Review believed the song's lyrics to link "romance and honour".[10]Ira Robbins, writing in The Trouser Press Record Guide, considered the song to be "rollicking" and one of the album's tracks to "make the most of Scott's adopted heritage".[11] Ian Abrahams of Record Collector felt the song had a "wistful romance".[12] In his review of the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked the song as an AMG Pick Track.[13]