Scorn Not His Simplicity
A song about a child with Down syndrome.
Last updated
"Scorn Not His Simplicity" is a song written by Irish musician and songwriter Phil Coulter. It appears on his albums Classic Tranquility and The Songs I Love So Well. The song has been performed by several Irish musicians, including Luke Kelly, Sinéad O'Connor, Paddy Reilly, The Dubliners, Sonny Knowles, The Irish Tenors, Celtic Thunder, Paul Byrom, George Donaldson, and Mike Denver.
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Phil Coulter
- Albums featuring the song
- Classic Tranquility, The Songs I Love So Well
- Dubliners album
- Revolution
Facts from the source article.
Other versions
Phil Coulter has said that he is immensely proud of the song because it was recorded by two of the finest voices Ireland ever produced: Sinéad O'Connor and Luke Kelly. He thought that when Luke Kelly recorded it, that was the definitive version. Coulter noted that Sinéad O'Connor's version was completely different: more tender, more female, more vulnerable, and more Sinéad. On "The Ireland Podcast", Coulter stated that while producing the album Universal Mother, Sinéad O'Connor asked if he knew the song about the mentally challenged child that Luke Kelly sings.
Coulter played it on the piano and explained to an unaware O'Connor that he wrote it and it was about his child. They recorded the song in Lombard Studios, Dublin with Tony Harris engineering. Coulter said that after the performance, everyone stayed where they were to savour the moment, knowing something special had just happened.
Did You Know?
- Phil Coulter's first son was born with Down syndrome, and several months later the father wrote the song about his experiences with his son's disorder.
- Luke Kelly felt that the song should not be sung except for special occasions, and not during every performance.
- The song is unusual in the chorus as it has a 6th minor chord going into a 4th minor chord.
More in The Dubliners Songs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Scorn Not His Simplicity (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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