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Theme from Harry's Game
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Wikipedia article
"'Theme from 'Harry's Game'" is a 1982 song by Clannad commissioned as the theme for 'Harry's Game', a Yorkshire Television miniseries adapted from a 1975 novel set in The Troubles in Northern Ireland. It was released as a single in October 1982 and became a surprise hit, reaching number 5 in the UK Singles Chart the following month and number 2 in the Irish Singles Chart.
Composition
The song was written "in a couple of hours", credited to Pl and Ciarn Brennan. Gerald Seymour, author of 'Harry's Game', originally wanted to use "Mhorag 's Na Horo Gheallaidh", a Scottish Gaelic song from Clannad's album 'Fuaim', but Clannad felt Irish-language lyrics would be more appropriate. The verse is adapted from a Connacht Irish proverb in a 1948 anthology,; cited in glossed by Mire (Moya) Brennan as "Everything that is and was will cease to be." This was considered appropriate to the miniseries' depiction of the futility of political violence.
The song is to date the only British hit single ever to have been sung entirely in Irish. The chorus "'Fol lol the doh fol the day, Fol the doh fol the day'", is ancient Irish mouth-music, known as Portaireacht, which is common in traditional music.
Over previous albums, Clannad's sound had moved away from traditional Irish music arrangements, and the production of "Theme from 'Harry's Game'", using lush slow layers of synthesiser and vocal harmony, marked the arrival of what would become their signature style for the next decade.
Reception
The song won an Ivor Novello award, and launched Clannad's global career. Its success delayed the release of the band's 1983 album 'Magical Ring', which was altered to include it and more material in the same style.
It has since appeared in several Hollywood movies, most notably 'Patriot Games,' in which an IRA member, played by Patrick Bergin, is seen watching the music video for the song on his television.
Clannad's 1990 album 'Anam' was released in the United States in 1992 to capitalise on the 'Patriot Games' exposure, with "Harry's Game" inserted in the tracklist; the album sold well and the track was often broadcast on VH1. Its use from late 1992 in a Volkswagen Passat commercial introduced Clannad to a broader American audience and boosted sales of 'Anam'.
The song also features on Clannad's vocalists' live albums, the 2005 album 'r - A Live Session' and the 2008 Moya Brennan solo album 'Heart Strings'. The original has also been sampled various times by artists such as Kaleef and Elate. Moya Brennan recorded a solo version at Mothership Studio for dance musician Chicane, which he used on his UK top 10 hit "Saltwater."
Track listing
# Theme From 'Harry's Game' 2:30
# Strayed Away 2:47
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
1989 Theme from 'Harry's Game' / Hourglass AA-side
In 1989, as part of the promotion for their compilation 'Pastpresent,' Clannad re-released the "Theme from 'Harry's Game'" as an AA-side single with their new song "Hourglass."
1992 'Patriot Games' re-release
in Dublin.
In 1992, the "Theme from 'Harry's Game'" was used in the soundtrack to the film 'Patriot Games,' and it was also re-released as a single. There were two versions of the CD single, a two-track and a four-track version, both with the same cover and catalogue number.
Track listing
'7" single, cassette, 5" compact disc'# "Theme from 'Harry's Game'"
# "Robin (The Hooded Man)"
'5" compact disc'
# "Theme from 'Harry's Game'"
# "Robin (The Hooded Man)"
# "In a Lifetime"
# "Closer to your Heart"
1993 Jameson Whiskey re-release
In 1993, in connection with an advertising campaign for Jameson Whiskey, both "Theme from 'Harry's Game"' and "In A Lifetime" were re-released in The Netherlands.
Track listing
# "Theme from 'Harry's Game'"# "Caislen ir"
Cover versions and other use
The song has been covered by artists including Phil Coulter and Celtic Woman. The Irish rock band U2 also used the song as their outro during the War Tour, and it can be heard as such at the beginning and end of their live film 'U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky'. It has also been used extensively by the RAF for the decommissioning flypasts of the Avro Vulcan Delta wing bomber, and subsequently in memorial flights at airshows.
* 1986 Light Shadows
* 1993 Phil Coulter on 'Recollections'
* 1996 The game Civilization II features that music as the soundtrack of "The Oracle" wonder of the world
* 1997 Phil Coulter and James Galway on 'Legends'
* 1999 Chicane on 'Saltwater'
* 2005 rla Fallon, then of Celtic Woman, on 'Celtic Woman (album)'
* 2009 Ron van den Beuken feat. Nicole Tyler on 'Faraway'
* 2009/2011 Dierdre Shannon on 'Celtic Thunder: Storm' (the album was recorded in 2009 but released in 2011)
* 2019 Voces8 on 'Enchanted Isle'
Footnotes
References
Category:1983 songs
Category:Celtic Woman songs
Category:Clannad songs
Category:Irish songs
Category:Television drama theme songs
Category:Songs written by Pl Brennan
Category:Songs about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
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