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.
The Windmills of your Mind
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
Val Doonican's song "Windmills of Your Mind" is a poignant exploration of the human mind's capacity for reflection and introspection. The lyrics describe a range of images and experiences that are linked together by the theme of circularity and recurrence, suggesting that life is a never-ending cycle that we are constantly trapped within. The song reflects on the idea that our memories and experiences are constantly returning to us in new ways, often triggered by seemingly random events.
The circularity of life is conveyed by the song's repeated reference to circles within circles. The lyrics compare life's cycles to that of wheels within wheels or spirals that seem to go on forever. They use images like a snowball or a carnival balloon rolling down a mountain or a clock whose hands sweep tirelessly around the face to convey the sense of inevitability and repetition that characterizes human experience. Meanwhile, the imagery of tunnels that lead to other tunnels, doors that keep revolving, and ripples spreading out from a tossed pebble all reinforce the sense that events in our lives are part of a recursive pattern.
The song's final stanza is perhaps the most poignant of all. It describes the way in which the past can unexpectedly and suddenly intrude upon the present, often in ways that are bittersweet or painful. Memories of past loves, moments, and places flood back to us, reminding us of what we've lost or left behind. Ultimately, the song is a powerful testament to the complexity and richness of human experience, evoking a sense of both uncertainty and wonder about the world we inhabit.
Line by Line Meaning
Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Life is a cycle that never ends and repeats itself in various forms
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is ongoing and constantly changing, but always within the same cycle
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Life can be unpredictable, likened to a snowball that grows as it rolls down a hill or a balloon at a carnival that floats in different directions
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Life is like a carousel that feels repetitive and mundane, yet continues to exist and evolve
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Time moves forward constantly, and life goes on with or without us
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
The world is vast and never stops spinning, just like an apple that continues to rotate in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
All of these analogies are like the circles that exist in one's own thoughts and memories
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Life can be a series of pathways, leading to more paths that can be difficult to navigate and explore
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Some paths may be dark or unknown, leading to places where we have never been before
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half-forgotten dream
Life can feel like a dream that we can't quite remember or escape, with doors that keep opening and closing without warning
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Small things can have a big impact and create ripples that lead to larger changes in life
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Memories and thoughts can be just like physical objects that we carry around with us always
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Time passes by quickly, and sometimes we wonder if we could've done more to enjoy it or make it last longer
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love is a powerful force that can have a lasting impact on our lives, leaving behind memories and impressions
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
We may question the reality of things, and wonder if what we hear and see is truly what it seems
Pictures hanging in a hallway and a fragment of a song
Memories can be triggered by small things such as pictures and songs, bringing us back to a specific moment in time
Half-remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
Memory can be tricky, and we may remember certain things without remembering their context or the people involved
When you knew that it was over, you were suddenly aware
Change can come suddenly, and with it comes a realization that something is coming to an end
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Change can be metaphorical, such as the changing of seasons, which can remind us of people or things we have lost
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
Life is a series of interconnected moments and images, which can sometimes feel like a never-ending cycle of circles
In the windmills of your mind!
All of these experiences and memories come together and exist within the confines of one's own mind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JasmineSurrealVideos
Beautiful, haunting, simply sung song which reminds me of my traumatic, empty, sad and ever spinning circular life that I just spin like an apple in space in.
I've heard other versions, Henry Mancini and Dusty Springfield, who is not my kind of singer at all, but Val's is just sublime, slightly world weary and yet mystical, and is perfect for the melancholy yet acceptance at the same time.
Some lovely metaphors of clock hands and apples and things that spin, whirring and whirling in the thoughts of your mind, that only you know about.
Always sets me off on the water works.
This song too whirls around your mind like the very objects it sings about.
@sanosanbaby
Round, like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel.
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of it's own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half forgotten dream
Like the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly
Was it something that you said
Lovers walking along the shore,
Leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And a fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
@emileciampichini810
Best version in my humble opinion.
@user-eu1cm8wz9g
Val Doonican singing songs 🎶 was always beautiful l miss him God Bless him RlP 🙏🏽 Val forever ❤️ 2:24
@user-eu1cm8wz9g
This man was a great singer and RlP Val Doonican an angel 😇 in heaven ❤️ 1:59
@Amianne56
Such wonderful memories watching the Val Doonican show on a Saturday night.
@annoldham3018
Great songs 🎵, great knitwear 😂
@loosewheels1000
Grew up watching this on a saturday evening with my grandma, still like his singing now.
@paddy9i996
R.I.P. Michael V. Doonican . . . . proud to have watched and listened to you.
@djdogjuam
Doonican has such a strong voice, definately the best version of this song in my opinion
@MySpace662
Lovely voice! lovely version, he keeps the same tempo as Noel Harrison, love it.
@djdogjuam
I searched 5 pages of other wannabe nobody's singing this song specifically searching for this version. God bless you, uploader. Such a beautiful song, but only when heard from Val Doonican's soft, tender, gentle lips. Oh my, those lips. Making me all moist...
Thanks again uploader :)