Circuses

From around 8 to 10 years old, I was big into circuses. I used to buy Corgi circus vehicles for birthdays and Christmas, and I’d visit any circus that came to town.

I’d even visit in the early morning on the first day to see them assembling the circus, and I sometimes helped out a little for a free ticket.

That time, in Ireland, we had Fossett’s, Duffy’s, and Courtney’s circus. I remember making a plastic tent and charging other kids money to come to a circus in a friend’s backyard. And my dad made a little model circus for me too.

Prior to that, I would have been into cowboys, Batman, and The Man from Uncle – and some toy planes and trains. The trains lasted for a few years into my teens, and I’m even into trains now.

In late 1972, when I was still 10, my interest moved to pop music. Here are four of my favourite songs from the autumn of 1972.

What about Christian songs? The only one that made the UK and Irish charts in 1972 was Amazing Grace:

The only other pipe band song that I remember from the pop scene was Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre, which became his biggest UK hit as a solo artist. Actually there was Scotch on the Rocks too from 1975, and Little Drummer Boy from 1972, which must have been the follow up to Amazing Grace. I remember learning that in school when I was about 4 or 5 years old but I don’t remember the pipe band song.

Here are some other 1972 hits:

Even though I was half-way through the year before I became interested in pop music, I was aware of earlier hits of 72. Here I’ll list 20 international favourites from 1972.

• Morning Has Broken​ – Cat Stevens
• Beg, Steal Or Borrow​ – The New Seekers (UK Eurovision entry)
• Come What May​ – Vicky Leandros (Eurovision winner)
• What is Life – Olivia Newton John
• A Thing Called Love​ – Johnny Cash
• Metal Guru​ – T-Rex
• Sister Jane​ – New World
• Mary Had A Little Lamb​ – Paul McCartney and Wings
• Amazing Grace – Pipes & Drums & Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
• Circles – The New Seekers
• Popcorn – Hot Butter
• Run To Me​ – Bee Gees
• Conquistador – Procol Harum
• You Wear It Well​ – Rod Stewart
• All The Young Dudes​ – Mott the Hoople
• Mama Weer All Crazee Now​ – Slade
• Children Of The Revolution​ – T-Rex
• The Guitar Man​ – Bread
• Love Theme From The Godfather​ – Andy Williams
• GudBuy T’Jane​ – Slade
• I Don’t Believe In Miracles​ – Colin Bluntstone
• Solid Gold Easy Action​ – T-Rex
• You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
• Happy Xmas War is Over – John and Yoko

Morning Has Broken, Amazing Grace, and A Thing Called Love had spiritual themes.

Some Irish Hits of 1972

• These Are My Mountains – Brian Coll
• I Don’t Know How to Love Him – Tina and the Real McCoy
• Hello Darlin – Roly Daniels
  • Roly Daniels was originally from India. He was born there in the 1940s and moved to Ireland in the mid-1960s, where he became a beloved figure in the Irish showband and country music scene.
• The Men Behind the Wire – The Barleycorn
  • This was released in 1971, but still a big hit in 1972. It was all about internment, which was introduced in Northern Ireland in 1971.
• Kiss Me Goodbye – Red Hurley and the Nevada
• The Manchester Rambler – Sean O ‘Se
  • Sean O’ Se is a well-loved Cork tenor, known as “the pucker”, for his song, An Poc Ar Buile.
• Ceoil an Ghra – Sandie Jones
  • Ireland’s 1972 Eurovision entry, the only entry in the Irish language. The national contest was held in my hometown, Cork that year.
• Johnny’s Wedding – Horslips
• Four Green Fields – The Flying Column
• Sunday Bloody Sunday – The Paddywagon
  • Not the better known U2 song. This was related to the 1972 shootings in Derry by the British army, where they fired into the protesting crowd.
• What Do I Do – Sandie, Joe & the Dixies
• Beautiful City – The Donal Ring Sound
  • A song about Cork
• Hold Me – Red Hurley and the Nevada
• Michael Collins – Sean Dunphy & The Hoedowners
• On the One Road – The Wolfetones
• Far Too Young – Brendan Shine
• The Gypsy – Dermot Henry and The Virginians
• Take the Money and Run – Joe Dolan & The Drifters
• The Entertainer – The Times
• Promise and the Dream – Tommy Drennan
  • For whatever reason, I liked this song. Tommy Drennan was from Limerick.
• Just the Way I Am – Gloria
  • I remember Gloria singing this on an Irish pop show, “Like Now”. Gloria had a huge hit in later years with One Day at a Time.
• Give Me Your Hand – Family Pride
  • Family Pride were an Irish group, perhaps something like the New Seekers. The Wolfe Tones also had a version of the song. I remember one of the Family Pride members, Ann Bushnell, releasing a few solo singles. In later years, she did an Edith Piaf tribute. and she was a backing singer for some Eurovision stars.
• All I Have to Offer You is Me – Johnny McEvoy
• Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger – Mattie Fox & The Country Blue Boys
• Keys in the Mailbox – Buckshot
• March of the High Kings – Brendan Shine Superband
• Suffer Little Children – Canon Sydney MacEwan and The Cork Children’s Choir
  • I think that this was performed at St Francis Church in Cork. It was part of the mass of St Francis of Assisi. 1972 was also the year of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a movie on the life of Francis.
• Whiskey in the Jar – Thin Lizzy
• Darling – Pat Lynch and the Treetops
  • Pat Lynch, from Blackpool, Cork, was my welding instructor. In fact, I was taught welding my three of the lynch brothers. I wasn’t very good at it, but that was my fault, not theirs 😀.
• Cliffs of Dooneen – Planxty
• Cushy Butterfield – Brendan Grace
• How Great Thou Art – Kelly and the Nevada
  • One of my favourite hymns. I didn’t make much of it in 1972. The first time that I heard it sung in church was at the Upper Room Christian Fellowship Cork, shortly after my conversion in 1980.
• Gilbert O’Sullivan, from Waterford, had three international hits in 1972. We were all very proud of him. He became my favourite pop star until I discovered the Beatles in 1972.
  • Alone Again (Naturally)
  • Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day
  • Clair