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.
I'm Gonna Get There Somehow
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm ringing up to say,
That I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm leaving right away,
I could be there in a minute,
If I had an aeroplane,
There'd be just nothing in it,
I asked a bus conductor,
He said go which way you like,
There's a 13, 14, 15B but they've all come out on strike,
But I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm ringing up to say,
That I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm leaving right away,
I could hop into a taxi,
But I haven't got the fare,
If I hitchhike on a lorry
But it mightn't go past there,
Would you send my jalopy,
It's no good using that,
I could pedal on my pushbike,
But the tyres are too darned flat,
But I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm ringing up to say,
That I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm leaving right away,
I could jump on my toboggan,
But there isn't any snow,
And when I try my roller skates,
The doggone wheels won't go,
I suppose I could start walking,
But my shoes are worn right through,
My socks are full of great big holes,
What the heck am I gonna do,
But I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm ringing up to say,
That I'm gonna get there somehow,
I'm leaving right away,
Yes I'm gonna get there somehow,
If I crawl round on my knees,
If I don't get there tomorrow,
Come looking for me please .
The song "I'm Gonna Get There Somehow" by Val Doonican is a light-hearted and fun tune about the lengths one will go to in order to reach their destination. The song is a testament to perseverance and the determination to make it to where one needs to go, no matter the obstacles in their way. The singer tells a story about how he has missed his train and cannot afford a taxi or hitchhike on a lorry. He even considers walking with his worn-out shoes and hole-filled socks. Despite all of this, he remains optimistic and vows to find a way to get where he needs to go.
The song can be interpreted as a metaphor for life's journey. Sometimes obstacles are thrown in our path, and it can be difficult to remain positive and keep pushing forward. But the song encourages the listener to keep going and never give up. Even when things seem impossible, there is always a way to make it to our destination. Whether it's crawling on our knees or finding a different mode of transportation, there is always a way forward.
In conclusion, "I'm Gonna Get There Somehow" is a fun and lighthearted song about perseverance and determination. It encourages listeners to keep pushing forward and never give up on their journey, no matter the obstacles they might face. The song is a testament to the human spirit and the power of optimism.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna get there somehow,
I am determined to reach my destination by any means necessary.
I'm ringing up to say,
I am calling to inform someone of my plan to get to my destination.
That I'm gonna get there somehow,
That I will reach my destination by any means necessary.
I'm leaving right away,
I am departing immediately in my attempt to reach my destination.
I could be there in a minute,
I could arrive at my destination in a very short amount of time.
If I had an aeroplane,
If I possessed an airplane, I could quickly arrive at my destination.
There'd be just nothing in it,
It would be extremely easy to reach my destination with an airplane.
If I hadn't missed the train,
If I had not missed the train, I could have arrived at my destination on time.
I asked a bus conductor,
I inquired with a bus driver for alternate means of transportation to my destination.
He said go which way you like,
He suggested that I choose my own course of action to reach my destination.
There's a 13, 14, 15B but they've all come out on strike,
Although there are buses available, they are currently on strike.
I could hop into a taxi,
I could take a taxi to my destination.
But I haven't got the fare,
I am unable to afford the cost of a taxi.
If I hitchhike on a lorry,
I could try to catch a ride on a large truck.
But it mightn't go past there,
It is uncertain whether the truck will travel in the direction of my destination.
Would you send my jalopy,
Could you please send my old and unreliable car to assist me in reaching my destination.
It's no good using that,
It would not be wise to rely on such an old and unreliable car to reach my destination.
I could pedal on my pushbike,
I could attempt to cycle to my destination.
But the tyres are too darned flat,
Unfortunately, my bicycle's tires are punctured and unusable.
I could jump on my toboggan,
I could try using my sled to reach my destination.
But there isn't any snow,
Unfortunately, there is no snow, and using the sled is not possible.
And when I try my roller skates,
As an alternative, I could try using roller skates to reach my destination.
The doggone wheels won't go,
Unfortunately, the wheels on my roller skates are not functioning correctly and are unusable.
I suppose I could start walking,
As a last resort, I could try walking to reach my destination.
But my shoes are worn right through,
Unfortunately, my shoes are damaged and not suitable for a long walk to my destination.
My socks are full of great big holes,
Also, my socks are in extremely poor condition and unsuitable for a long walk.
What the heck am I gonna do,
I am in a tough predicament without any suitable means of transportation.
Yes I'm gonna get there somehow,
Despite the various obstacles and difficulties, I am determined to reach my destination.
If I crawl round on my knees,
I am willing to go to extreme measures, even if it means crawling on my knees, to reach my destination.
If I don't get there tomorrow,
I may not be able to reach my destination by tomorrow as originally planned.
Come looking for me please .
If I do not arrive at my destination, please come and search for me.
Writer(s): Val Doonican
Contributed by Callie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@h0rsefuneral
boots xmas ad 2023 brought me here
@mstricky1
Me too 😀😀
@johnjenkins4392
Me three
@ultrex_3200
Me four
@El.Cid17
Me five.
@helenweatherby1694
Me six
@esconis5304
Boots brought me here. I instantly recognised it from another ad years ago
@davidrule385
The adverts for British high street companies Smyths Toys Superstores and Boots, with the latter's latest Christmas ad I just saw today, finally brought me here, ten years later!
@stephenguppy7882
I would love to see this reach Christmas Number One. It beats the heck out of songs about sausage rolls.
@pmadamson
Thanks for uploading. I recognised this from the Boots advert but probably knew it from my Dad's record collection. I remember watching Val Doonican in his own BBC show back in the day. It was in an age when entertainment and variety were popular and Saturday Night was much watch TV. So many pop singers of the day had their own shows, Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Tom Jones,Lulu and many more. They got involved in short comedy sketches, songs, Dance and special guests. Even though I preferred The Beatles, Kinks and Stones the middle of the road crowd were still enjoyable capped off by spoofs. I still Laugh at Marty Feldman walking on in the shadows and then smashing up the rocking chair with an axe.Thanks for jogging my memory. Great days taken away by producers who book celebrities who no one has heard off with poor credentials but a good agent.
Back to Val Doonican I remember an interviewer saying he was an overnight success and he replied "it's took me seventeen years to be an overnight success"💕 That sums up the hard work those entertainers had to put in to earn success and they lasted for a good few years and some are still going strong.