Val Doonican (born Michael Valentine Doonican, 3 February 1927, in Waterfor… Read Full Bio ↴Val Doonican (born Michael Valentine Doonican, 3 February 1927, in Waterford, Ireland; died 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop and swing and was well-known for his novelty stylised songs. A notably relaxed crooner, Doonican had five successive Top 10 albums in the UK Albums Chart in the 'swinging sixties'. From 1965 to 1986 he was a regular fixture on BBC Television with The Val Doonican Show, which featured his own singing performances and a variety of guest artists.

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.

All My Lovin'
Val Doonican Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

I'll pretend that I'm kissing

The lips I am missing
And hope that my dreams will come true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving, I will send to you
All my loving, darling I'll be true

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving, I will send to you
All my loving, darling I'll be true

All my loving, all my loving
Woo, all my loving, I will send to you

Overall Meaning

Val Doonican's song "All My Loving" is a beautiful love song that speaks to the commitment and devotion the singer has for his significant other. The song speaks about the act of physical separation due to the singer's departure, but also promises unending emotional connection during his absence. The line "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you, remember I'll always be true" highlights how the singer is trying to make the moment of their physical disconnection as special and intimate as possible.

The singer makes a promise to stay connected despite the distance and commits to sending love by writing every day, even while he's away. The line "And I'll send all my loving to you" is especially poignant because it highlights the effort and care that the singer is putting into maintain the relationship. The second verse presents the singer's attempt to keep the memory of his lover alive while he's away. The line "I'll pretend that I'm kissing the lips I am missing and hope that my dreams will come true" works as a coping mechanism for the singer, but also serves as an encouragement to his lover that he'll make it back to her.

Overall, "All My Loving" by Val Doonican is a thoughtful and sincere expression of commitment, love, and devotion. The song highlights the strength of true love and how it carries us through difficult times, even when we're physically apart.

Line by Line Meaning

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Imagine my presence and within it my kiss

Tomorrow I'll miss you
I'll regret not being there tomorrow when you wake up

Remember I'll always be true
Keep faith that I'll remain loyal to you

And then while I'm away
During the time I'm gone

I'll write home every day
I'll keep in contact by writing every day

And I'll send all my loving to you
I'll express my love, even though we're apart

I'll pretend that I'm kissing
I'll use my imagination to feel close to you

The lips I am missing
I'll imagine the touch of your lips

And hope that my dreams will come true
I'll hold onto the hope that we'll be together again

All my loving, I will send to you
I'll always express my love for you

All my loving, darling I'll be true
I'll be faithful to you, my beloved

Woo, all my loving, I will send to you
I'll continue to express my love in every way possible

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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