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.
Scarlet Ribbons
Val Doonican Lyrics
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When I heard my child in prayer.
She said, "And for me some scarlet ribbons,
Scarlet ribbons for my hair."
All the stores were closed and shuttered,
And all the streets were dark and bare.
In our town, no scarlet ribbons,
Through the night my heart was aching.
And just before the dawn was breaking,
I peeked in and on her bed,
In gay profusion lying there,
Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons.
Scarlet ribbons for her hair.
If I live to be a hundred,
I will never, never know from where,
Came those lovely scarlet ribbons,
Scarlet Ribbons for her hair.
Scarlet ribbons, there's magic in the air.
Scarlet, scarlet ribbons for her hair.
Val Doonican's "Scarlet Ribbons" is a touching and poignant ballad about a father who hears his daughter's prayers for a beautiful adornment for her hair. The song is a beautiful tribute to the love of a father for his daughter, and in a larger sense, it speaks to the power of hope and faith in the human heart.
The song opens with the singer describing his experience of peeking in his daughter's room to say goodnight, and discovering that she was silently praying for "scarlet ribbons" to wear in her hair. The streets were empty and all the stores were closed, so he had no choice but to resign himself to the fact that there were no scarlet ribbons to be had in their town.
Despite the disappointment, he could not shake his feeling of heartache over his daughter's prayers. However, when he awakens in the morning and checks on her again, he finds that her prayers have been answered, and "in gay profusion" lovely scarlet ribbons are lying on her bed.
The song speaks to the themes of love, faith, and the power of prayer. The father's love for his daughter is palpable, as he is moved to tears by her simple request. The song also suggests that there is something magical and mysterious at work in the world, as the scarlet ribbons seem to have appeared out of thin air. Ultimately, the song reminds us of the power of hope and faith, and how they can create miracles when we need them most.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I peeked in to say goodnight,
I checked on my child before bed
When I heard my child in prayer.
While listening, I heard her prayer
She said, "And for me some scarlet ribbons, Scarlet ribbons for my hair."
She prayed for scarlet ribbons for her hair.
All the stores were closed and shuttered, And all the streets were dark and bare.
No stores were open and the streets were empty.
In our town, no scarlet ribbons, Not one ribbon for her hair.
There were no scarlet ribbons in our town.
Through the night my heart was aching.
I felt distressed through the night.
And just before the dawn was breaking, I peeked in and on her bed, In gay profusion lying there, Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons. Scarlet ribbons for her hair.
Before dawn, I checked on her again and found scarlet ribbons on her bed.
If I live to be a hundred, I will never, never know from where, Came those lovely scarlet ribbons, Scarlet Ribbons for her hair.
I will never know where the ribbons came from even if I live for a hundred years.
Scarlet ribbons, there's magic in the air. Scarlet, scarlet ribbons for her hair.
The scarlet ribbons held a magical quality.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Evelyn Danzig, Jack Segal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind