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.
Elusive Butterfly
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
And if you're quick enough to rise
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
Out on the new horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow
Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
You might have heard my footsteps
Echo softly in the distance through the canyons of your mind
I might have even called your name
As I ran searching after something to believe in
You might have seen me runnin'
Through the long-abandoned ruins of the dreams you left behind
If you remember something there
That glided past you followed close by heavy breathin'
Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
Val Doonican's Elusive Butterfly is a song about the pursuit of love, how it can be fleeting, and the lengths one might go to in order to capture it. The lyrics evoke a sense of mystery and longing, as the singer describes chasing after something he is not sure of, but feels compelled to follow nonetheless. The imagery of the butterfly, a symbol of transformation and beauty, adds to the sense of wonder and possibility that this pursuit can bring.
The first verse describes the sensation of waking up to a fleeting glimpse of something that may be the object of the singer's pursuit. The reference to hearing footsteps and seeing shadows creates an atmosphere of suspense, as though the singer is always right on the edge of capturing his elusive butterfly. In the second verse, he extends the image of chasing after something through the canyons of the mind and abandoned dreams, suggesting that this pursuit is not just a physical one, but a psychological and emotional one as well.
The chorus, which repeats after each verse, reassures the listener that there is nothing to fear from this pursuit. It is simply the singer following his heart, even if he isn't entirely sure what he's after. The final line, "across my dreams with nets of wonder," suggests that this pursuit takes place in the realm of imagination and possibility, where anything can happen.
Overall, Elusive Butterfly is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the complexity and longing of the search for love. It is a reminder that love is not always easy to find or to hold on to, but that the pursuit of it is an essential part of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
You might wake up some mornin'
You may wake up one morning
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
You might hear something blowing in the wind outside your window
And if you're quick enough to rise
If you get up quickly enough
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
You might see someone's shadow passing by briefly
Out on the new horizon
On the distant horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
You might see the distant movement of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
If you're not asleep anymore
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow
You might hear footsteps running through a meadow
Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
Don't worry, it won't harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
I'm just chasing after something I'm uncertain about
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
Through my dreams with amazing nets
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
I'm chasing the bright, hard-to-catch butterfly of love
You might have heard my footsteps
You might have heard me walking
Echo softly in the distance through the canyons of your mind
Faintly echoing in the depths of your mind
I might have even called your name
I may have even called out your name
As I ran searching after something to believe in
As I was running, searching for something to believe in
You might have seen me runnin'
You might have seen me running
Through the long-abandoned ruins of the dreams you left behind
Through the forgotten ruins of your old dreams
If you remember something there
If you recall something from there
That glided past you followed close by heavy breathin'
That moved past you, with the sound of heavy breathing following
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
Through my dreams with amazing nets
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
I'm chasing the bright, hard-to-catch butterfly of love
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
Through my dreams with amazing nets
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
I'm chasing the bright, hard-to-catch butterfly of love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Lind
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wiliburysteve
This always reminds me of my mum. I think the single came out in the uk in march, 1966, & I vividly remember her playing it. She's been gone nearly 16 years, but music has that wonderful ability to pinpoint people, places & times. I think of her often, & if she was still here she'd be getting a telegram from the palace tomorrow ❤
@juliehardley9917
Reminded me of my Mum to
@adrianfarmer3107
I have to say I could not agree with you more.
@smithy2365
So true mate. I get the same with patsy cline crazy.
@riialucia7955
She would be speaking directly with Her Majesty in Heaven fir her 101st bday xxxxxxxxx Bless her x
@sengasingleton601
Reminds me too of my mum. Sunday nights in clean pj's.
@davidhumphries3541
Played this at mum and dads funeral yesterday 20/8/20 . They had this on a 45 record. Always playing it when I was a kid. Rest in piece Mum and Dad.
@gigglegobzfacepaintinglive6527
We played this at my mam’s funeral in 2011. Still makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest when I hear it but it’s comforting too. It’s strange. 😭
@sugarbertie1143
Often I just browse some of these songs from my youth and realise just how good people like Val were. Lovely mellow voices that we didn't appreciate when we were younger as it wasn't 'cool ' to like them. Yet they were at the top of their game and entertained us with their fantastic talent on TV. Nobody comes close today.
@angelova67
My childhood song... The most beautiful ballad by an incredible singer! There will never be another like Val Doonican. Thank you for your music!