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.
Now
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's spend some time together
I'm gonna be what's on your mind
Look in my eye's they're calling
I need your love to fall in
If you could just give me a sign
I can't get over now
I can't get over this feeling, I feel
[Chorus]
Now,right now
It's the fire inside you
Feels like I feel
NOW,right now
Deep inside me
Deep inside me
I'm tired of make believin', I'm lost and barely breathin'
I'm on the ceiling help me down, yeah
I'll be the risk your takin'
And I won't rest until your mine, oh
I want to show you baby
I want to show you now
I want to tell you this feeling I feel
[Chorus]
I can't get over this feeling I feel right now
Yeah.
Now,right now
Let the fire inside you
Burn like I burn
[Chorus]
Deep inside
Deep inside me
Deep inside me
Deep inside
The song "Now" by Val Doonican is a love song that talks about a man's desire to know his love interest better. The first verse starts with the man expressing his wish to spend some time with the woman so that he can be on her mind. The second line indicates that he wants her to reciprocate his feelings of fondness. He is calling her towards him while looking deep into her eyes, hoping for a sign of her affection. The chorus then emphasizes the intense passion he feels, with him repeatedly using the phrase "Now, right now" to emphasize his urgency. He yearns to have a connection with her and describes the feeling as a "fire" that burns deep inside of him. In the second verse, he talks about how he is struggling to keep up the pretense and is barely breathing. He then promises to be the risk the woman can take, and he won't rest until she is his. The song ends with the chorus, this time with him urging the woman to let her fire burn like his, so they can be forever in love.
Overall, the song is about a man who is head over heels in love with a woman and desires to be with her. The use of the phrase "Now, right now" indicates his sense of urgency, and his repeated use of the word "fire" emphasizes his passion. The song's lyrics are simple, but the message is powerful and relatable to anyone who has been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to know you better
I desire to understand you more deeply.
Let's spend some time together
Let's engage in activities that will bring us closer together.
I'm gonna be what's on your mind
I will become the primary object of your thoughts.
Look in my eyes they're calling
The longing in my eyes is inviting you to look deeper into my soul.
I need your love to fall in
I require your affection to fall into my world.
If you could just give me a sign
If you provided me with any indication of interest, it would suffice.
I can't get over baby
I am unable to move past the intense emotions that I am currently feeling.
I can't get over now
I am entirely preoccupied with my feelings for you and cannot escape them presently.
I can't get over this feeling, I feel
I am consumed by the overpowering affection that I possess for you.
Now,right now, It's the fire inside you, Feels like I feel
At this precise moment, the passionate intensity within you parallels that which I am experiencing.
Now,right now, Deep inside me, Deep inside me
Currently, a profound longing resides within me, deep within my core.
I'm tired of make believin', I'm lost and barely breathin'
I am exhausted from concealing my emotions and I feel as if I am suffocating.
I'm on the ceiling help me down, yeah
My feelings for you have elevated me to an emotional high, and I need assistance to come back down to reality.
I'll be the risk your takin'
I will be the gamble you willingly accept in the pursuit of real love.
And I won't rest until your mine, oh
I will not be at peace until I achieve the status of being yours.
I want to show you baby
I wish to demonstrate my affections for you.
I want to show you now
It is imperative that I convey my feelings to you at this very moment.
I want to tell you this feeling I feel
I want to confess the emotive sensations that I am experiencing regarding you.
Now,right now, I can't get over this feeling I feel right now
Currently, I am entirely and utterly consumed by the immense amount of passion that I have for you.
Let the fire inside you, Burn like I burn
Let the same fervent emotion within me consume you as well.
Deep inside, Deep inside me, Deep inside me
My longing for your love exists within me, buried deep within my soul.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD ALISTAIR ALLEN, VIVIAN PATRICK CAMPBELL, PHILIP COLLEN, JOSEPH ELLIOTT, MARTI FREDRIKSEN, RICHARD SAVAGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Boyes
The world is a slightly sadder place with the passing of Val Doonican. A real gentleman and genuinelly humble human being. A voice like velvet and always a smile on his face. 'Special years' a timeless tune efforlessly sung and with lyrics that always bring a tear to my eye and tonight more tears than usual. RIP Val we will all miss you .
Geraldine Babester
It is a safer place with out val Dominican even I rember him with his jumpers I liked him to may he rest in peace love him as his songs reminds me of my dad good memories God bless himxxx
yvonne Hibbert
This was my favourite  Val Doonican song,fantastic lyrics,applied to me, my daughters,grand daughters and now great grandauughters.Thanks Val RIP
conniff44
Don't we all miss those years? Dad was right when he would say "don't wish your life away, it doesn't last very long". We can see that now that we have gone through that 'special' time and wish we could go back again. Childhood is such a wonderful period.
tcbbear
A true Gentleman. Takes me back to Saturday nights in the 70's when I was just a little boy, snuggled up on the settee between my nan and granddad. I loved seeing Val, his fab jumpers and his rocking chair. RIP.
conniff44
It's a shame we didn't realise how true they were until it was too late and we were all grown up.
cs atlantic
Such a sad sad day. This is such a beautiful song and brings back so many happy memories sat watching Val with my Mum and Dad.
What a great voice and what a wonderful human being. RIP Val.
Debbie Arnold
I spent every Saturday night as a child watching Val Doonican on tv with my parents, it was a tradition. He was always so smiling and kind looking. Why oh why cant we live in a world like that anymore like a traditional Saturday night in with Val Doonican type entertainment!! Call me old fashioned and boring, but he brought escapism, nice music, and a bit of charm to our TV on a Saturday night....what do we have now that can do this for us at a weekend without noise, flashing lights, sometimes uncomfortable viewing, and as usual the weekend taken over by Simon Cowell!
Rip val
John Robertson
angry world now
Jacko Jackson
I quite agree. During the 70s, I always watched Valâs lovely heartfelt show cuddled up on the sofa with my now departed mum. Special memories of more simple times đą