And a Bang on the Ear

Did You Know?

• The song was recorded at Spiddal House in Spiddal, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, in April 1988.
• Fiddle player Steve Wickham recalled in 2006 that the band played many takes before getting the recording right, noting that simple songs are often the most difficult.
• The single's B-side, 'The Raggle Taggle Gypsy', was recorded live at Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow.

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Music & Media described the song as easy-going traditional folk material with a strong melody line and good lyrics, calling it an uncompromising song that could be a hit. Tim Nicholson of Record Mirror noted the song title of the week and remarked that the jig was so authentic it was almost immune from criticism. John Wilde of Melody Maker selected it as single of the week, writing that the romp through Scott's old flames verged on the ridiculous but was clearly meant to, and that the Waterboys had never sounded so breezy. Barbara Ellen of New Musical Express called the song charming, describing it as a gorgeously delivered fiddle-strewn folk love ballad that only occasionally sounded like a one-man-band falling over a pile of milk bottles; she added that Scott remained a gifted storyteller with his tongue firmly in his cheek. Stereo Review, reviewing Fisherman's Blues, described the track as lilting, rollicking, and altogether effortless, suggesting that Scott had arrived at some breakthrough in his conception of the Waterboys. Audio picked the song as the album's best cut, calling it a bouncy ditty full of cyanide and vinegar. Ira Robbins, in The Trouser Press Record Guide, considered the song rollicking and one of the album's tracks to make the most of Scott's adopted heritage. Ian Abrahams of Record Collector felt the song had a wistful romance. In a 2017 retrospective on the best of Mike Scott, Tom Doyle of Q included the song among ten tracks and described it as a touching tune in which Scott takes listeners through the tales of each of his romances.