After singing at weddings for a few years, he joined with several other choristers to form a group named The Mistletones in 1980. He also sang the national anthems at Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs games since 1988 and continues to do so. From 1984 through 1992 he worked as a circulation representative for the Toronto Sun, Conrad Black heard him singing at company parties. Black, along with other executives, financed McDermott's independent recording of "Danny Boy" in 1992, which was picked up and released in North America by EMI Music Canada. Following this unexpected success, McDermott decided to pursue a professional singing career.
John has annual concerts world wide, and can be seen from Toronto, to Boston, to New York, to Glasgow.
McDermott performed his first concert at the Rebecca Cohn Theatre on October 5, 1993 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. From there he continued to tour the rest of Canada, performing as an opening act for The Chieftains. Throughout 1994 he went on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, following the great success of Danny Boy, which had been ranked Number 1 on the charts there and achieved triple platinum in New Zealand. Next, in 1995 he went on a tour of the United Kingdom with The Seekers.
At this point in his career he was becoming recognized internationally, so he started to tour regularly as a solo act rather than an opening act. He also appeared at several special events including the D-Day ceremonies in France in 1995, and the US Democratic National Convention in 1996. He has also appeared on TV several times, both as a host of CBC Television concert specials in 1997, and in his own television special titled John McDermott: A Time to Remember which aired on PBS in 2002.
McDermott formed The Irish Tenors and after performing a large concert in Dublin, Ireland in 1998, they spent some time touring the US, appearing on TV, and releasing a gold record.
Since leaving The Irish Tenors, McDermott continues to tour extensively throughout the World, performing with his own group and with the great symphonies of the world. He continues to work to support the veteran community in the United States and in Canada. In 2000 McDermott dedicated McDermott House in Washington DC, a transitional home for homeless veterans. His latest release Journeys-Bringing Buddy Home was recorded to help support fundraising for Fisher House Boston and launch the Canadian initiative for an outreach centre for Canadian Veterans.
Try To Remember
John McDermott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow,
Try to remember and if you remember the follow.
That no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender that
Dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender that
Love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember and if you remember then follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Without the hurt the heart is hollow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow
The song "Try to Remember" by John McDermott evokes feelings of melancholy nostalgia and wistful longing for a bygone time. The opening lines "Try to remember the kind of September / When life was slow and oh, so mellow" invite the listener to reflect on a particular time in their life when everything seemed peaceful and beautiful. The chorus then urges the listener to hold onto those memories like a lifeline as they try to navigate through the ups and downs of life.
The second verse continues the theme of remembrance and highlights the fragility of youth and love. The line "That no one wept except the willow" speaks to the loneliness and heartbreak that often accompany young love. The references to tender dreams and ember-like love suggest that the memories being revisited are from a time before the harsh realities of life set in. The repetition of the phrase "try to remember and if you remember then follow" emphasizes the importance of cherishing these memories, as a way of finding hope and comfort in difficult times.
The final verse brings the song full circle, as the singer reminds us that even though December may be a time of darkness and cold, it's essential to hold onto the memories of September's warmth and beauty. The line "Without the hurt, the heart is hollow" underscores the idea that memories, both joyful and painful, are what make us who we are, and to forget or ignore them would be to miss out on a crucial part of the human experience.
Overall, "Try to Remember" is a beautiful and poignant song that resonates with anyone who has experienced the bittersweet ache of nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
Try to remember the kind of September
Recall a time when life moved at a leisurely pace and things were mellow.
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Life was unhurried and relaxed.
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
The season was summer, when the fields shone with green grass and yellow grains.
When you were a tender and callow fellow,
You were young, inexperienced and naive.
When dreams were kept beside your pillow.
When your dreams were right beside you and easy to reach.
Love was an ember about to billow.
The passion of love was about to fire up into a blazing flame.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
In the cold month of December, it's comforting to remember.
Although you know the snow will follow.
Despite knowing that the winter snow will soon fall.
Without the hurt the heart is hollow.
Without feeling the pain and struggle of life, the heart is empty.
The fire of September that made us mellow.
The warmth and joy of September had a calming effect on us.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow
In the cold month of December, it's important to remember and follow the good memories and feelings of September.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARVEY SCHMIDT, TOM JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob C
Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh
so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow
follow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow
follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Without a hurt the heart will hollow.
Deep in December
it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made you mellow.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow
follow.
Bob C
Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh
so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow
follow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow
follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Without a hurt the heart will hollow.
Deep in December
it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made you mellow.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow
follow.
Brian Kiernan Smith
life overtakes us and we wonder where it all went, but alas, we can't go back.
Skyrunner13
They say that life happens when we're making other plans.
LadyGreyCarolyn
+Brian Kiernan Smith True words...
Jon Holford
How many ways to say thank you for so much beautiful music!? I've quIte run out opf superlatives!
James Montgomery
Lady Grey. You put up the most beautiful music. Thank you. Jim
Ali Mahoud
Takes me back to '62 or so, when the Fantasticks starred the great Jerry Orbach as El Gallo,
Jon Holford
@LadyGreyCarolyn In my last comment, I was so bound up in the music that I never noticed the photos. They are beautiful, and match the song well. The first one brought to mind an old Roman road in England, beside wich I was privileged to live for a few months years ago.
nape jack
Not compare with great John Gary!
Edward Mcinally
I love the Scottish and Irish imagination, Andy doe's his comic voices and glen sings about the cells and our rangers no other countries in the world like us Celts.can anyone tell me where to get a hold of Glen daly video or dvd and Andy stewart videos dvd the TV is not the same without the sots comic stories ,if the Scottish TV networks got off their bottoms and put Andy glen , chic,jonny beattie and all the other greats back on our screens