Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids
‘I was yours; you were mine, that was once upon a time’
April 1991, Fats Domino in Dublin’s National Boxing Stadium, I scribbled the words ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids’ on the stub of a purple admission ticket.
When the resulting song was knocked into shape, the thought came to enter this ‘slice-of-life’ song into the Eurovision Song Contest, in its barest form – no bells or whistles...to let the song stand or fall on its own merits...a ‘conversation in a kitchen’.
In Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan, I had two great ‘storytellers’ whom I knew could do that. Three decades later, it was such a special regathering when they both so generously agreed to revisit the song with me for this album.
In 1994 Ireland became the only country to win the Eurovision Song Contest three years in a row, a record that stands to this day.
The country clinched the coveted song contest trophy with a performance by Dublin singer Paul Harrington, with Co Donegal-born Charlie McGettigan on piano.
Rock ‘n Roll Kids
Words and Music Brendan Graham
I remember ‘Sixty-Two’,
I was sixteen and so were you -
And we lived next door,
On the avenue:
Jerry Lee was big and Elvis too,
Blue jeans and blue suede shoes -
And we never knew what life held in store,
We just wanted to rock ‘n’ roll for evermore.
We were the rock ‘n’ roll kids:
Rock ‘n’ roll was all we did,
And listenin’ to those songs,
On the radio:
I was yours - you were mine,
That was once upon a time,
Now, we never seem to rock ‘n’ roll...
Anymore.
Now, Johnny’s in love with the girl next door,
Mary’s down at the record store,
They don’t wanna be,
Around us no more:
Golden Oldies but we hardly speak,
Too busy runnin’ to a different beat,
Hard to understand we were once like them,
How I wish we could find those rock ‘n’ roll
days again.
We were the rock ‘n’ roll kids.
Rock ‘n’ roll was all we did,
And listenin’ to those songs,
On the radio:
I was yours - you were mine,
That was once upon a time,
Now, we never seem to rock ‘n’ roll...
We just never seem to rock ‘n’ roll...
We just never seem to rock ‘n’ roll...
Anymore.
© Peermusic (UK) Ltd
Praise and success for Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids
“It’s timeless, it’s so simple and it’s so good...fantastic!”
— Louis Walsh
“Rock n Roll Kids’ was the song I loved I remember hearing that song, wishing I wrote it.”
— Danny O’Reilly, The Coronas.
“Not only my favourite Irish entry but my favourite entry of all time. How could they ever top Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids?”
— Dermot O’Leary - Ireland - The Eurovision Glory Years - BBC Radio 2
“Their song, which tells the story of two lifelong friends reminiscing about their youth, struck a chord with many, combining evocative lyrics with soulful melodies.”
— BBC News