Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DLXXXII--The Waterboys: And a Bang on the Ear

 You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find...I'm (only four days?) late again....

[Blogger's Aside:  All caught up--yay!--for now....]

This is the third time I've written about this week's band, and the story of my introduction to their music remains the same for their third straight tune.  I will say, however, that my enjoyment of their music has only grown with the passing of time (now over thirty years)....

I wrote about the Waterboys in Vol. CXIII and Vol. CDLXXVI so a full bio paragraph won't be necessary.  Since my last post about them in 2024, they have released another studio album, and this year will release a three CD set of unreleased material as well as tour later this spring.  Somehow in the first two posts I failed to note their discography, which can be found here.

"And a Bang on the Ear" was the second single from their fourth album, the rather seaworthy entitled Fisherman's Blues.  It was not released as a single in the U.S. but hit #1 in their native Ireland (so many cool kids on the Emerald Isle!), and #51 in the U.K.  The album did chart in America, peaking at #76, but did much better in the U.K. reaching #13.

Fun Fact:  One of the most popular FAQ's on the band's website is what exactly is meant by "a bang on the ear."  A bang is Irish slang for a kiss, so it basically means a kiss on the ear (somewhat akin to our "a peck on the cheek").

"And a Bang on the Ear" recounts the lovers and losses of the protagonist (could well be bandleader Mike Scott, but he isn't telling) over the course of several verses.  Scott sings with a lovingly whimsical tone (there's no bitterness here) with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.  The background music is delightful--mostly Irish folk (though the organ reminded me of The Band) with just a touch of pop.  It features the aforementioned organ, plenty of fiddle, some piano, and a nice rhythmic drumming that pulls it all together.  Scott closes with a short paean to his current love, a nice touch that reminds us that in the end love is what we seek.  In the end, it's an imminently clever look back at love and its wonders and pains as we make our journey through life and hinting that despite those ups and downs it's ever worth our while.

Lyric Sheet:  "Deborah broke my heart and I the willing fool/I fell for her one summer on the road to Liverpool/I thought it was forever, but it was over in a year (oh dear)/But I give her my love and a bang on the ear..."

Enjoy:  

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol.CDLXXVI--The Waterboys: The Big Music

Yikes, only four days late....

Kind of surprised it took me 477 posts to get to this week's tune, though in fairness, even some twenty odd years down the road since I first heard it, its greatness in my estimation only continues to grow and that perhaps explains it--just waiting for its apex.  I have to admit it did take a while for the song to sink in--I first heard it on a greatest hits package and there were a few other songs that struck a chord (so to speak) before this one.  But over time...man what a song. In fact, in my ever so humble opinion, it's one of the ten greatest rock and roll songs ever....

I wrote about The Waterboys in Jukebox CXIII so there's no need for an elaborate bio.  However I should note that Mike Scott and his rotating cast of bandmates have released four more albums since then (2017) and have toured several times as well.

"The Big Music" was released in 1984 as the first single from their rather blasphemously named album A Pagan Place.  The song would reach #124 on the U.K. Singles Chart, while the album would hit #100 on the U.K. Albums Chart.  Neither charted here in the States.

Fun Fact (well, at least for me):  My post for The Waterboys "A Man Is in Love" has the second highest number of pageviews in the history of Friday Night Jukebox.  And if any of my three loyal readers are wondering which FNJ volume has the most page views...oddly enough, it's Chatham County Line's "Speed of the Whippoorwill."

Mike Scott has said that "The Big Music" is not about music but is about something religious.  For me, the song is about music--there is nothing religion related that has moved me spiritually one/one hundredth as much as music has.  And though he may not have intended it, that's exactly what I've taken from the song.  Scott's vocals conjure all the grandiosity of its metaphysical quest, while the band, with the wailing sax and the angelic backing vocals, takes us all to a higher plain.  Even the ending, wherein the exhilarating journey we've been on comes to a quiet close with the drums slowing slowing slowing like a heartbeat...and then just stops.  And then you ask yourself--is this heaven?  It very well might be, but the one thing I can say for certain is that it's a stunning piece of rock and roll.

Lyric Sheet:  "(You'll never get there, you'll never get there, you'll never get there)/But I will/I will always climb the mountain/Because/I have heard the big music/And I'll never be the same..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CXIII--The Waterboys: A Man Is in Love

I have heard "Big Music" and I will never be the same.

Such are the The Waterboys, one of the best bands that most folks have never heard of.  Formed by Mike Scott (and he is the only constant in the band) in 1983 in Scotland, The Waterboys are a big picture band in the same sense as U2, though they haven't had nearly the commercial success. Marked by literary references (in 2010 The Waterboys put 20 W.B. Yeats poems to music and debuted a show called An Appointment with Mr. Yeats--the resulting album reached #30 in the U.K.), strong lyrics, and varying music styles (Rock, Celtic, Irish, Folk), The Waterboys had a modicum of success in the U.K., but have never had an album reach higher than #76 on the Billboard charts.  Still, they've been recording and touring (they've had over 70 musicians tour with them at one time or another, which, unsurprisingly is a record) for thirty-five years, having released 11 studio albums, numerous compilations, and a number of live recordings.

I came to them quite by accident--I enjoyed the debut album of Karl Wallinger's World Party and had read he had been a member of The Waterboys, and decided to take a chance on a greatest hits package.  It was love at first listen--had there been but world enough and time (literary reference!) I am sure I would have devoured their entire catalog.  Alas, there was not (and a decided lack of cash for frivolities, too), and I had to settle for being an admirer of the small body of their work that I knew.

Fun Fact:  The Waterboys are named for a lyric in Lou Reed's song, "The Kids"--"I am the Water Boy, the real game's not over here...."  However, some folks speculate that The Waterboys name (the W and the B) is actually a nod to one of Mike Scott's literary heroes, the aforementioned W.B. Yeats.

Released in 1990 on Room to Roam, "A Man Is in Love" tells the story, surprisingly enough. of a man who's discovering that he's in love.  The song was released during The Waterboy's/Scott's Irish music period, and very much reflects that influence.  The instrumental breaks feature some whimsical flute playing (you could imagine a leprechaun dancing a jig to it).  While the lyrics are light-hearted, Scott has a way with turning a phrase and sings with an earnestness that keeps the song from becoming just another sappy pop ballad.  It's an adult look at the glory that is falling in love and Scott adroitly ties in the joy, the wonder, and the awe that march hand in hand with discovering that special someone.  There's a nice twist at the end (a la Rickie Lee Jones "Chuck E.'s in Love) that'll leave you with a smile on your face and humming the tune for days to come.

Lyric Sheet:  "A man is in love, how did I hear?/I heard him talk too much whenever you're near..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee