when a good song is ruined

When I ever think of my Friday's evening as a child, The Late Late Show always comes to mind. From Gay Byrne to the chair that became bigger than the show, to the annual Christmas toy show. I was always asleep by ten resting my head on my mam and would wake up in my room come morning. However one song would always would wake me from my sleep. That song was,'The Town I loved so Well'. Since Phil Coulter was a regular on the show, it was more than once that I've being woken by the song.

By the end of the song my mam would always have a tear in her eye. This puzzled me. Although I was aware that there was sadness in his tone, I always thought it was because he was sad. Sad that he was from the town he loved so much because this darn interview on The Late Late Show had to happen. My mam told me that I once said, "Sure he can go home tomorrow and everything will be better." Eventually I realized what it was all about which made me appreciated the song more and it was always one of my all time Irish favourites.



Recently the song has lost its impact, it lost its warmth! Ever since I found out that Dan White played this song on repeat while committing suicide as a shout out to his Irish heritage, it has just ruined everything I loved about it! The important message that lay in the song has now been eclipsed by the fact that this was the murdering homophobics last song played before he died. I can barely listen to it now, sad really but there you go.

Sometimes it takes more than a cover or over-playing to ruin a song, just as I've learned.