More About the Music

1982: Stiff Little Fingers — “The Price of Admission”
While most of Stiff Little Fingers’ catalog consists of rousing punk rock in the vein of The Sex Pistols and the Ramones, “The Price of Admission” — arguably the band’s most popular song — skews strongly into the pop rock arena. Featuring gently strummed acoustic guitars and a harmonized chorus, it’s a far cry from other favorites like “Suspect Device” and “Alternative Ulster,” and yet true fans of the band can find the punkish elements all the same.

1983: Snowy White — “Bird of Paradise”
Watching one of Ireland’s most influential and internationally acclaimed bands, Thin Lizzy, dissipate in 1983 couldn’t have been an easy pill for the nation to swallow, but thankfully, its members didn’t quite hang it up until some time later. The same year the famously multiracial ensemble split, guitarist Snowy White released “Bird of Paradise,” a piece of brilliance inspired by Pink Floyd’s psychedelic style that went on to break the top 10 on the UK Singles chart. (White has been touring with Floyd off and on ever since.)

1984: The Pogues — “Streams of Whiskey”
Ah, whiskey: next to water, it’s Ireland’s most important resource and a primary inspiration for its music. Certainly, it’s an honorary member of The Pogues, a band that’s largely recognized for infusing traditional Irish music into popular culture in the 1980s. “Streams of Whiskey,” off the band’s first album, Red Roses for Me, looks to have been written while singer Shane McGowan was on the sauce. (One of the album’s bonus tracks, “Whiskey You’re the Devil,” was written the morning after.)

1985: Clannad — “In A Lifetime”
Right around the time U2 were starting to make waves for their progressive, post-punk-inspired brand of Irish rock, Clannad were sticking to slightly more traditional roots. Combining new-wave, adult contemporary and classic Irish songwriting styles, their 1985 album Macalla — and its hit “In A Lifetime” which, coincidentally, features Bono himself — gained critical acclaim both on the home front and abroad. A disclaimer: this is pretty soft stuff, so you might have to down more than one glass of Irish whiskey to maintain any sense of machismo while listening to it.

1986: The Virgin Prunes — “I Am God”
Welcome to the most psychologically challenging (and understandably depressing) part of the playlist. While gothic music certainly has its merits — and there are many — Ireland’s Virgin Prunes managed to reach for the most clandestine depths of the genre both in terms of the sluggish instrumentation, the drippy vocals and the deprecating lyricism. “I Am God,” from 1986’s The Moon Looked Down and Laughed is only a taste of the band’s expansive musical ideology — but it’s a good one to gauge your interest.

1987: U2 — “With Or Without You”
Say what you want about the band’s post-millennium work and their eccentric singer’s rampant, unwavering activism, few rock albums of the 1980s are more popular or seminal than U2’s The Joshua Tree — and few tracks on the record are as recognizable or acclaimed as “With Or Without You.” As far as love songs go it’s one of the more bittersweet, but just about anyone with enough years under their belt can remember pining over a significant other (or a former significant other, for that matter) while it played longingly in the background.

1988: That Petrol Emotion — “Cellophane”
You’ve heard of Morrissey and The Cure and probably The Beatles, but without being swept up in Ireland’s late '80s music scene, you might’ve missed That Petrol Emotion. Formed by members arising from the ashes of The Undertones, the band combined the musical styles of the aforementioned with more traditional Irish instrumentation — and at times, did it brilliantly. “Cellophane” is one of those times, a ballad-ish track that combines jangly acoustic guitars and surprisingly sweet accordion melodies in a way that would seemingly scare off most contemporary music lovers.

1989: Gary Moore — “After the War”
When Thin Lizzy broke up in the early '80s, one could have done a fair amount of guessing as to why. But once its members embarked on their solo careers, “musical differences” would emerge as the only logical guess left. While Snowy White careened off the mainstream rock cliff into a sea of psychedelic bliss, Moore’s path took him further into the guitar rock and even heavy metal arena for some time (later, he’d return to his blues roots). In 1989, however, the album After the War was as hard-charging as his work would get, and its title track’s gale-force guitar work proved it right out of the gate.

1990: Sinead O’Connor — “Nothing Compares 2 U”
In honor of her recent spat of resurgent fame (something about getting out of rehab, getting married and getting divorced a couple days later), I’ll include, perhaps regrettably, one of Ireland’s most popular songs of the past 20 years. You remember that silhouetted bald head belting borderline-stalker level lines in the music video; you might even remember the words. But regardless of what you choose to remember, Sinead O’Connor’s breakout hit has not yet been forgotten by society. Again, perhaps regrettably.

1991: My Bloody Valentine — “While You Sleep”
Noise and pop were never really meant to go together. The two share almost polar ideologies. But it would seem that nobody ever told My Bloody Valentine that, because their catalog simply defies the differences to create something beautifully memorable. Never is that more apparent than on Loveless, the 1991 album that served to usher in an entirely new era. “While You Sleep” is one of its most excellent tracks (who read that in Keanu Reeves’ “Ted Theodore Logan” voice?), another example of Ireland’s overwhelming effect on popular music worldwide. Let this sink in: My Bloody Valentine were the first band to stare at their shoes while playing.

1992: The Cranberries — “Dreams”
Sure, one wouldn’t be going out on a limb by describing singer Dolores O’Riordon’s distinct style of crooning as “neo-yodel,” but it’s pretty tough to deny that, outside of the grunge movement, The Cranberries owned the early nineties airwaves. The band’s first hit, “Dreams,” made it onto no less than 76 coming-of-age film soundtracks; later hits populated later coming-of-age film soundtracks. And the band cemented itself as one of the best-known alternative groups of the decade. Just a few weeks ago, the band released its first album in six years. But let’s be honest; I haven’t gotten around to listening to it just yet.

1993: Marxman — “All About Eve”
The general visibility of Irish hip-hop acts in the global pop-culture milieu isn’t good. In fact, in my efforts to bridge the genre gap on this playlist, I discovered that there’s not a single Irish rapper I’ve ever heard of before. That being said, Marxman — a quartet made up of two Dublin natives and two British Jamaicans — is actually pretty awesome. Channeling the style of American artists like Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics, “All About Eve” and other tracks on 33 Revolutions Per Minute infuse bits of traditional Irish sound with what at the time was very relevant: lo-fi beats and R&B. This track is a good one to spring on your hip-hop snob friends: instant cred.

1994: The Saw Doctors — “Small Bit of Love”
In the US, we tend to make the mistake of thinking that because we listen to them on St. Patrick’s Day, bands like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys and Black Clover are actually Irish. They’re not. Just so you know. But their music is inspired by Irish music, and The Saw Doctors — 18-hit wonders from Galway — serve as one of the biggest influences. Their upbeat rock tends to best accompany the more rowdy moments of the holiday, and “Small Bit of Love” is no exception.

1995: The Corrs — “Runaway”
By this point in the playlist, you’re starting to notice that traditional sounds play a pretty big part in popular music on the Emerald Isle. Well, now that we’re into that generally awkward period of the mid-'90s when songs like “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer were passing as, well, passable chart-toppers…it’s the same story. The Corrs gained massive commercial success in the years following their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten, but before that, “Runaway” was their first official single. Sounds a little like the title track from Braveheart, if Braveheart had been set in Ireland during that awkward period of the mid-'90s instead of 13th-century Scotland.

1996: The Frames — “Fitzcarraldo”
Outside of U2, few of the artists on this playlist have achieved consistent mainstream success from their inception through today, but The Frames — or, more appropriately, Glen Hansard — have been cranking out popular records since the earlier part of the 1990s. Their second album, Fitzcarraldo, was a commercial success with plenty of solid material on it, but the title track is most likely the most promising example of what the band would become over time. Hansard’s powerful vocals and the accompanying harmonies carry the song, while a wailing violin provides plenty of heart-wrenching support.

1997: Kila — “Tog E Go Bog E”
Welcome to the late 1990s: WHEN IRISH FOLK AND WORLD MUSIC COLLIDE. Kila is a prolific Irish band that combines traditional sounds of Ireland’s folk lexicon with music from cultures around the world. Still going strong after over 20 years, the group’s Tog E Go Bog E is a percussive masterpiece that combines instrumentation and vocal melodies not easily found in popular music. I went to Kila’s website to get some additional information on them for this synopsis, but the only thing that really stood out is a quote by our old friend Sinead O’Connor: “Brilliant.” No disagreement here.

**1998: B*Witched — “C’est La Vie”**
Oh, god, make it stop. Ireland has enjoyed some of the most successful and wholly bearable artists of the past 30 years. B*Witched is not one of them. However, the female pop foursome enjoyed insane amounts of success in the late '90s (an awkward extension of the awkward mid-'90s), most of it stemming from the worldwide performance of “C’est La Vie,” this empty, soulless song that feels more in place on a Kidz Bop album than a radio station with adult listeners. Can we just get through this and move on? Cool? Good.

1999: Afro Celt Sound System — “Lovers of Light”
If you weren’t aware, electronic music sounded a hell of a lot different in Ireland in the '90s than it does anywhere today. Case in point: Afro Celt Sound System. Mixing the traditional music of Ireland and South Africa with a modern electronic twist, the ensemble is a cultural phenomenon that’s maintained popularity throughout the country since its debut album, Volume 1: Sound Magic, was released in 1996. “Lovers of Light” comes from Volume 2: Release, and remains one of Afro Celt Sound System’s most popular productions to this day. Next time you head to Ireland, look them up; there’s a chance they’ll be playing a gig.

2000: Westlife — “My Love”
Alright, so it’s become apparent that, not unlike the United States, Ireland fell victim to the abysmal pop takeover of the late 1990s and early 2000s — and with that unfortunate happening came boy bands, most notably Westlife. You’re gonna hate me for including this track, but I swear it’s the only song that was released there in 2000. Seriously. Wikipedia it. Anyway, it was a huge hit, and it sort of relates back to whiskey…because after listening to it, you will need a lot — read: a LOT — of whiskey to help you forget.

2001: Ash — “Shining Light”
Just as The Strokes were staging their global rock revival in the US and UK, Irish group Ash were reviving their career after a critical meltdown in the late 1990s — and “Shining Light” was literally the first light that shined on them in the new millennium. An upbeat pop-rock number with an infectiously memorable hook, it set the Downpatrick group (by this time a quartet) on course for levels of success they hadn’t reached before. Free All Angels, the album from which “Shining Light” hails, hit #1 on Irish charts.

2002: Damien Rice — “Volcano”
I remember seeing the video for “Volcano,” the first proper single for ex-Juniper front man Damien Rice on MTV’s Subterranean sometime during my junior year of high school. The sad violin lead and minimalist instrumentation struck me — a kid who spent most of his time listening to New Found Glory and the rest of the Drive-Thru Records catalog — as unique, complex and intriguing. Turns out others felt the same way, and Rice has enjoyed plenty of success on both sides of the pond ever since.

2003: Snow Patrol — “Run”
Remember when this song was, like, the only song any alternative radio station played for three months during 2003? Yeah, me too — but unlike other tracks of its ilk (James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” comes to mind), I can still listen to “Run” without any real disdain. A touching, heavy anthem that catapulted Snow Patrol out of the indie scene and directly into the global limelight, it kickstarted a career that’s seen a handful of commercial hits and lots of album sales. We’re talking over three million for Final Straw alone.

2004: The Thrills — “Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?”
It’s always great to hear European artists adopting a musical style that emerged far from home. In the case of The Thrills, California surf culture is the culprit — and the band still manages to capture its spirit better than more Californian artists. “Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?” is the first single off of the band’s second album, Let’s Bottle Bohemia, and one of the most pleasing rock songs of 2004. Unfortunately, we all know what happened to Corey Haim — and unfortunately, it seems The Thrills have gone the way of the great gig in the sky as well.

2005: Bell X1 — “Bigger Than Me”
After Damien Rice left Juniper in 1998, the remaining members held steady and reassembled as Bell X1 a year later — and while Rice’s style steered toward the mellow, adult alternative arena, the new three-piece opted for a bit more alt-rock energy. Their 2005 album, Flock, was nominated for Irish Album of the Year, and served as the home for “Bigger Than Me,” a melodic and upbeat track that jumped as high as #16 on the Irish singles charts. And for good reason, too: its cohesive production style and tight chorus are pretty damn hard not to nod along to.

2006: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova — “Once”
Seeing that it was nominated for an Oscar, it would be tough for anyone to go through the past decade without at least catching word of Once, The Frames’ singer Glen Hansard’s spectacular mock-umentary about the ups and downs of the music industry (and love, and stuff). The title track isn’t its most recognizable, but it embodies the spirit of the film and is among Hansard’s best work. Marketa Irglova’s lovely harmony doesn’t hurt, either. The pair has continued to make music together as The Swell Season, but the original collaboration won’t be easy to match.

2007: Simple Kid — “Serotonin”
This playlist doesn’t stretch all the way back to the '60s, but Simple Kid mastermind Ciaran McFeely’s influences certainly do. The Irish solo artist channels everyone from The Beach Boys to Beck to Fatboy Slim, combining Beatle-esque rock composition with modern mixing and looping. “Serotonin,” off McFeely’s second album, 2, is a codeine-induced warbler that conjures up plenty of fair comparisons to tracks found on The Beatles’ White Album...though its production value is markedly modern.

2008: Gemma Hayes — “Out of Our Hands”
Gemma Hayes is the closest thing Ireland has to an indie pop diva these days — the Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton of her country. The 34-year-old singer and guitarist has had plenty of success at home, winning the Meteor Ireland Music Award for Best Irish Female Artist and debuting her album The Hollow of Morning — featuring “Out of Our Hands” — at #12. Still, it would seem that Hayes still has plenty of opportunity to rise in the international pop rock scene. I’ll certainly be keeping an ear to the ground.

2009: The Things — “Some Kind of Kick”
We’re getting close to the end here, which means you’re probably a few drinks deep and looking for something to punch. (It’s the Irish in all of us.) “Some Kind of Kick” might not do anything to abate those feelings, but it was impossible for me to leave it off the list. The title track from The Things’ only official LP, it hits hard early and often and seems the perfect companion for a late-night St. Patty’s bar fight. The Things broke up shortly after releasing Some Kind of Kick; I like to believe the split wasn’t pretty, and happened while this song was playing.

2010: Two Door Cinema Club — “Cigarettes in the Theatre”
Thanks to earning the buzzworthy tag from MTV over here in America, Two Door Cinema Club are probably the most recognized Irish act to come out of the past couple years. Their debut LP Tourist History is a fiery release filled with syncopated guitars and snappy percussion, and its opener, “Cigarettes in the Theatre,” presents the band’s style with pointed immediacy. Tourist History won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year in 2010 and, while it’s yet to be followed up with a sophomore effort, cemented Two Door Cinema Club as the preeminent princes of the nation’s rock scene.

2011: The Coronas — “Addicted to Progress”
Well, here we are. We’ve gone from the birth of punk to the emergence of indie-electro-piano-pop in the span of 30 years. I’ve been imagining how each of the St. Patrick’s Days throughout three decades have been spent by the members of these bands, and while I like to think they all did things their own special way, the truth is: they probably did what you’re doing right now. Celebrating. We finish out the mix with “Addicted to Progress” from The Coronas’ third album Closer to You — to me, a fitting end. After all, we’re all a little closer to Ireland today.