The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinéad O'Connor, James Galway, Jackson Browne, Nancy Griffith and numerous Country-western artists. In 1975, the group won praise for their playing of "Women of Ireland" for Stanley Kubrick's movie Barry Lyndon.
They have won six Grammy Awards and have been nominated eighteen times. In 2002 they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the UK's BBC Radio 2. The front covers of the first four albums were designed by Edward Delaney.
Paddy Moloney is the band's leader, and composes or arranges most of the band's music. While the band's members changed numerous times in the band's early history, the membership solidified in 1979 when Matt Molloy replaced Michael Tubridy.
From then until 2002, members included:
Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, button accordion, bodhrán)
Matt Molloy (flute, tin whistle)
Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals)
Seán Keane (fiddle, tin whistle)
Martin Fay (fiddle, bones) (born 1938; died 14 November 2012)
Derek Bell (Irish harp, keyboard instruments, oboe) (born 21 October 1935; died 17 October 2002)
In 2002, Fay retired from active membership. In the same year, Bell died due to complications following a minor operation. Fay died on 14 November 2012.
Little Love Affairs
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And find that I'm dreaming
You're the first thought in mind
Love's a fair-weather friend when you're lonely
You are my summer state of mind
Chorus:
Does it sing to you nightly?
Does it lay down beside you?
Does it make you hear songs on the radio?
It once was my shadow, grown weary of travel
Til you gave it home
What makes the love grow
When the seasons change?
What makes the love grow?
It's simple it comes and it grows on its own
In "Little Love Affairs," The Chieftains sing about a love that is enduring and unbreakable. The lyrics of the song reflect on the powerful nature of love and how it can uplift those who are lonely and lost. The singer wakes up in the night and finds himself dreaming of his love - the first thought that comes to his mind. The lyrics suggest that love is the only constant in his life, and that it gives him a sense of comfort and security.
The chorus of the song asks if love sings to the listener at night and if it lays down beside them. The lyrics suggest that love is like a shadow that follows us around, always nearby, and always ready to offer us a sense of belonging. The singer seems to find solace in the fact that his love is constant and his state of mind is joyous and summery, no matter the season.
The final verse of the song asks what makes love grow, especially when the seasons change. The answer, according to the lyrics, is simple: love just grows on its own. The Chieftains sing about how love is not something that can be forced or controlled - it's spontaneous, natural, and beautiful in its own way.
Line by Line Meaning
When I wake in the night
Every time I awaken in the middle of the night
And find that I'm dreaming
And realize that I'm still dreaming
You're the first thought in mind
You're the initial thought that comes to my mind
Love's a fair-weather friend when you're lonely
Love only supports you in favorable times when you're by yourself
You are my summer state of mind
You're the feeling which I associate with the summertime
Does it sing to you nightly?
Does love reveal itself to you frequently?
Does it lay down beside you?
Does love stay with you when you're in bed?
Does it make you hear songs on the radio?
Does love remind you of specific tracks on the radio?
It once was my shadow, grown weary of travel
Love was previously constantly with me, but became tired of relocating
Til you gave it home
Until you provided it with stability and permanence
What makes the love grow
What stimulates the growth of love
When the seasons change?
When the times change
What makes the love grow?
What facilitates the progression of love?
It's simple it comes and it grows on its own
Love is modest, it appears by itself and grows independently
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES BROWN, NANCI GRIFFITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist