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.
If The Whole World Stopped Loving
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have you ever stopped to wonder what kind of place this would be
If the whole world stopped lovin' the way you stopped lovin' me
If every heart was broken the way that you broke my own
And the whole world stopped lovin' how long would livin' go on
Hear the church bells in the steeple as they ring their song through the air
If the whole world stopped lovin' there'd be no steeple bell there
If the whole world stopped lovin' the way you stopped lovin' me
If the whole world stopped lovin' the way you stopped lovin' me
Val Doonican's song "If The Whole World Stopped Loving" is a poignant reflection on the profound emotional impact of a break-up. The lyrics explore the idea of what would happen if the entire world stopped loving in the same way that the singer's lover stopped loving him. The song expresses a sense of loss and despair around the idea that life would be unbearable if everyone felt the same way he does.
The opening lines of the song emphasize the deep hurt that the singer is experiencing. He compares the state of the world if love were to disappear to the way he feels without his lover's love. The comparison is a powerful one, as it demonstrates the centrality of love to both personal and global well-being.
The song goes on to describe the cataclysmic consequences that would occur if everyone felt the same pain and heartbreak that the singer is going through. The church bells would no longer ring, the river would flood with tears, and life as we know it would cease. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling to come to terms with the loss of love, as he is unable to imagine a world in which love is not an essential part of life.
Overall, the song captures the profound sense of loss and vulnerability that can come with the end of a relationship. It shows how difficult it can be to navigate life without the support and love of a significant other, and how everything can feel bleak and empty without it.
Line by Line Meaning
If the whole world stopped lovin' the way you stopped lovin' me
Imagine a world where no one loved anyone anymore, the way you stopped loving me.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what kind of place this would be
Do you ever contemplate what the world would become if love ceased to exist?
If every heart was broken the way that you broke my own
If everyone had their heart shattered like you shattered mine,
And the whole world stopped lovin' how long would livin' go on
How long could life continue if the world was devoid of love?
Hear the church bells in the steeple as they ring their song through the air
Listen to the sound of the church bells ringing, carrying their message far and wide.
If the whole world stopped lovin' there'd be no steeple bell there
If love disappeared, the church bells would fall silent too.
The tears would fill the river till the river's flooded the sea
The world would be awash with tears, cascading into the rivers until they overflowed into the sea.
If the whole world stopped lovin' the way you stopped lovin' me
If love vanished from the world, as it has from my life since you left me.
Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: BEN PETERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian Harris
Wow, what a voice Val had, we love and miss you. You songs like this one bring back so, so many memories of times long gone, care free times as a child with my parents sadly long gone. You were my Mum and Dads favourite singer back in those days. Beauiful song sung by a man who really could sing. RIP Val you are missed and still loved by so many, and thank you for the legacy of songs you have left us, much love.
BOB IYER
Val was the most versatile singer and television personality and I still remember his shows, his wit and humour and above all his mellifluous , silky voice! Such genius are rare!
Sue Richardson
Val's wonderful rich smooth voice will be a great miss. I was a teenager when this came out and loved it then as I still do. Reminds me of Jim Reeves, another velvet voice from the past.
kevin heming
Yes, I was 14 in 1967- my favourite year for music. Used to love Val's Saturday tv show. Such a lovely man. RIP.
John Robertson
Whats to dislike, a great waltz, a lovely song..back at 9 i wanted this..no proper pop radio..love it still
MadFranko008
I always remember this song being played endlessly as kid by my mum & dad on the only record player in the house back in the late 60's / early 70's... times were different back then... :-) Even recall it was the one with the light blue label in the video... :-)
Bernie Darbyshire
Fond memories of Val in my special years .
Janet Kempster
rip Val, so many memories of listening to your songs, growing up, awesome singer
Old Aircraft Guy
A great talent with humour and humility. R.I.P.
Karen Hackman
Val Doonican singing was a great 👍 singer all his life RlP Val forever ❤️ 2:45