Doonican started performing in his home town and featured in the first ever television broadcast from Waterford. He then joined a band which toured Ireland playing the drums. In 1951 he moved to England to join another group, The Four Ramblers who toured and performed on BBC Radio shows broadcast from factories.
He eventually went solo and had a radio show as well as performing concerts and cabaret. In 1963 he was booked to appear on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. As a result of this performance, he was offered his own show on BBC television, lasting for over twenty years and moving to Saturday as its popularity grew. It featured his relaxed crooner style performance sitting in a rocking chair, as well as a number of comic Irish songs, notably "Paddy McGinty's Goat", "Delaney's Donkey", and "Rafferty's Motor Car", on which he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He often wore a cardigan which became a trade mark, and was sometimes compared to American singer Perry Como though Doonican has claimed his main influence was Bing Crosby. As a variety show, there were a number of other acts featured and performers such as Dave Allen had early exposure on the show.
The Palladium performance also kick-started his recording career. Between 1964 and 1973 he was rarely out of the UK Singles Chart, his greatest successes including the singles "Walk Tall", "The Special Years", "What Would I Be", "If The Whole World Stopped Loving", and "Morning"; and the albums 13 Lucky Shades of Val Doonican, and Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently. He also sang the theme song to the film, Ring of Bright Water.
He stopped performing in 2009 and spent a lot of his free time in Spain (where he had a second home).
Doonican's daughter wrote two books entitled Wired to the Moon and Fear of Custard under the name Sarah Kavanagh. Both stories are related to the performance entertainment world.
Always On My Mind
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
But you were always on my mind
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you
That I am so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied
I'll keep you satisfied
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Val Doonican's song "You Were Always On My Mind" is a heart-wrenching ballad that deals with the feeling of regret after failing to appreciate a past romantic relationship. The song starts with the singer admitting his shortcomings in the past relationship, how he didn't show enough love and care to his partner. He confesses that he didn't treat her as good as he should have and made her feel second-best.
Although the singer might not have shown enough love and attention, the thing that he regrets most is the fact that he never expressed how much he appreciates having her in his life. He acknowledges that he never held her during lonely times and didn't communicate his feelings to her. The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, emphasizes the fact that although he didn't show it, his partner was always on his mind. He asks for a second chance, to prove to her how much he cares, to say and do the little things that he should have done in the past but failed to do so.
This song is an emotional reminder of how important it is to express our love to the people we care about, as we may not always have a second chance to do so. It's a tribute to the power of hindsight and the pain of regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I didn't love you
Perhaps I didn't love you in the way that I should have
Quite as often as I could have
I missed many opportunities to show you just how much I cared
Maybe I didn't treat you
Potentially I didn't handle our relationship in the best way
Quite as good as I should have
I failed to give you the love and attention that you deserved
If I made you feel second best
If at all, I made you feel less important than you are
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
I apologize for not seeing just how much you meant to me
But you were always on my mind
Despite my shortcomings, I thought of you constantly
Maybe I didn't hold you
Perhaps I could have been more affectionate
All those lonely, lonely times
During the times that you felt alone and unloved
I guess I never told you
I realize now that I failed to tell you how much you truly mean to me
That I am so happy that you're mine
I'm grateful that you've chosen to spend your time with me
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Assure me that the love we share still burns bright after all this time
Give me, give me one more chance
I'm asking for another opportunity to prove my love for you
To keep you satisfied
In order to keep you happy and fulfilled
I'll keep you satisfied
I promise to do everything in my power to keep you happy
Little things I should have said and done
I realize now that it's the small things that matter most
I just never took the time
I regret not making more time for you in the past
You were always on my mind
Regardless of my mistakes, you were always in my thoughts
You were always on my mind
You were always present in my heart and in my thoughts
You were always on my mind
Even when I wasn't showing it, I was always thinking of you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Wayne Carson Thompson, John Jr. Christopher, Mark James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patdoyle3686
Great version by Val🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘