The Rock’n’Roll Kid

Here in my car…

or many a musician, winning the Eurovision Song Contest is simply a ticket to ride the gravy train.

Just sit back and keep hitting the nostalgia trail.

When Paul Harrington joined Charlie McGettigan on the Eurovision winner’s podium in 1994 with Rock’n’Roll Kids, this Dublin musician was already thinking about the next song, the next album, the next project.

That he had already tasted success with his Top 10 1991 album What I’d Say meant Harrington knew there was more to a career than just the one big hit. Becoming the in-house musician at Lillie’s Bordello in Dublin – and performing for the likes of The Rolling Stones, Prince and, hey, Bono & The U2s – may have been good for the soul and the parties, but the need for new musical kicks was always there.

Reconnecting with old friend Michael Flatley sparked a world tour with the latter’s Celtic Tiger Live before Paul hooked up with his biggest musical influence to form The Harrington Brothers for a one-off recording. All the while, celebrating classic songs has been a part of the lad’s live shows and albums, leading to five years on The Pat Kenny Show every Tuesday morning with The Lyric’s The Thing.

And that’s the show Paul Harrington is bringing to The Whale on Sunday, March 19th at 6pm.

To mark the big occasion, we decided to find out where the rock’n’roll came from, and what songs still bring the man to his knees…

I know it’s a cliché, that to do a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life, but it’s kinda true.

You do still have to work at what you do ,but there is a joy in it like no other.

I have been fortunate enough to have been doing just that, more or less, for the last 45 years, and doing it for a living for probably 30 of those years. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, but I have enjoyed it, and I’m always aware that it’s such a privilege.

The truth is I’m probably enjoying it more than ever, particularly during my current performances of The Lyrics the Thing, the live show that developed from the weekly radio slot on Pat Kenny’s radio programme.

I was lucky being the youngest in a family of six people who all had a strong interest in music. My older brothers played live music weekly, which mean there were also lots of lively music parties in our home. Another brother worked in radio which gave me a different influence and music perspective; he was the one who probably encouraged me most to start recording songs – which thankfully, I have done quite extensively over the years.

And just above me age-wise, my sister to whom I am eternally grateful. If it wasn’t for her having to have a piano in the house to practice music pieces, I may never have played, and may have been doing something entirely different for a living.

Songs that, not necessarily shaped me or defined my musical direction, however playing piano and singing starting out in the 70s it was hard not to be influenced by Elton John and of course Billy Joel.

Starting out in the ’70s playing piano and singing, it was hard not to be influenced by the likes of Elton John and Billy Joel, but the reality is, probably the main influences and musical influences on me were my family as all of my older brothers played music – during the ’60s ballad boom and beyond.

Also, long before I had my own money, I had their record collections to be inspired by…

Noel Gay The Birthday Of The Little Princess
My mother used to sing that to us and me in particular in the evening time putting us to sleep, of course I was very, very young.

Al Jolson Swanee
Anything by Al will do. Another influence from my mother…

Daryl Hall & John Oates She’s Gone (from Abandoned Luncheonette)
I heard this for the very first time in glorious stereo on headphones in my brother Derek’s home in Toronto Canada. I was 14 years of age; he had recently been at a concert of the Bee Gees and these two lads were the opening act. This album influenced me greatly.

Gordon MacRea My Boy Bill (from Carousel)
We would always have singers at the parties in our house, and it introduced me to the musicals. This was always a special treat with a lovely twist at the end of the tale.

Commodores Easy
No matter where I am in the world, whether it’s a restaurant a supermarket, or even if I’m playing the song myself, as soon as I hear the first notes of Easy, it casts back every time to the moment I heard it for the first time. It’s a blissful memory.

Elton John Your Song
There are many wonderful things about this song. The delicate honesty, the beautiful melody, the piano. It also casts me back to playing it on the piano in the front room in my family home when I was a teenager. It’s a song I still sing today and it feels as fresh as the first time I ever sang it.

Beach Boys God Only Knows
Again, from one of my brother’s record collection. This was my first real introduction to exquisite complex vocal harmony delights. unique in both the composition and sound here. Vocal harmony is something that I relish in – which means I have often spent more time singing background vocals for other artists that I have for myself. Using your vocal skills and tone to the power of many is very gratifying.

The Bee Gees Massachusetts
staying with the vocal harmony theme, The Bee Gees were very different from The Beach Boys, as they were brothers recording and performing. This introduced a completely different element to their blend producing a sound that is instantly identifiable.

Don McLean Vincent
This is a song I learned in the ’80s and used singing in my live set. Back then – and still to this day – I would write out the lyrics of the song that I was performing, place on the piano and read it gig after gig until I didn’t need it anymore. But when I transcribed the lyrics of this song, it introduced me to a whole new world of beautiful storytelling. Without ever singing this song, it read like a poem. It’s a song that stays with me, I also believe it helped me to understand Van Gogh, whose work I love to this day.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Teach Your Children
Again, this is all about different vocal styles, with many blends all swirling around a beautiful philosophy. From the album Déjà Vu, my sister’s version of this song brought me into the more nuanced side of country music, which I love very much – particularly when the music is perfectly balanced with the storytelling. This song is a fine example.

You can grab your tickets for The Lyric’s The Thing at The Whale on Sunday, March 19th here, and find out more about the Harrington lad on Facebook here and Twitter here.