Wikipedia

Neil Hannon

Edward Neil Anthony Hannon(born 7 November 1970)[1]is a singer and songwriter fromNorthern Ireland.He is the founder and frontman of thechamber popgroupthe Divine Comedy,and is the band's only constant member since its inception in 1989. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for the television sitcomsFather TedandThe IT Crowd,as well as theoriginal songsfor the musical filmWonka(2023).

Neil Hannon
Hannon performing in 2007
Hannon performing in 2007
Background information
Born(1970-11-07)7 November 1970(age 54)
Derry,Northern Ireland
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • keyboards
Years active1986–present
Member ofThe Divine Comedy,the Duckworth Lewis Method
Websitethedivinecomedy

Early life and education

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Hannon was born inDerry,Northern Ireland, the son ofBrian Hannon,aChurch of Irelandminister in theDiocese of Derry and Raphoeand laterBishop of Clogher.[2]He spent some of his youth inFivemiletownbefore moving with his family toEnniskillen,inCounty Fermanagh,in 1982.[3]While there, he attendedPortora Royal School.[4]

Hannon enjoyedsynthesizer-based music as a youngster: he has identifiedthe Human LeagueandOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark(OMD) as "the first music that really excited [him]". In the late 1980s he developed a fondness of theelectric guitar,becoming an "indie kid".[5]

Career

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Hannon is founder and mainstay ofthe Divine Comedy,a band which achieved their biggest commercial success in the mid- to late-1990s with the albumsCasanova(1996),A Short Album About Love(1997), andFin de Siècle(1998). Hannon continues to release albums under the Divine Comedy name, the most recent beingOffice Politics(2019). In 2000, he andJoby Talbotcontributed four tracks toUte Lemper's collaboration album,Punishing Kiss.

Hannon composed the theme music for the sitcomsFather TedandThe IT Crowd,the former theme composed for the show and later reworked into "Songs of Love", a track on the Divine Comedy's breakthrough albumCasanova.[6]Both shows were created or co-created byGraham Linehan.For theFather Tedepisode, "A Song for Europe",Hannon co-wrote and sang" My Lovely Horse ", the song Ted and Dougal enter in Eurosong (a parody of theEurovision Song Contest). For the same episode, Hannon wrote "The Miracle Is Mine", the 'typical' Eurovision ballad sung by Ted's nemesis, Father Dick Byrne. A dream sequence in the episode shows Ted and Dougal in the song's pop video, with Hannon providing vocals. Hannon also wrote and performed "My Lovely Mayo Mammy", sung by Eoin McLove in the episode "Night of the Nearly Dead",and wrote" Big Men in Frocks ", sung by Niamh Connolly (played byClare Grogan) in "Rock-a-Hula Ted".When a raffle is held in order to raise funds to repair the roof of the parochial house, theKraftwerk-esque quartet of priests enlisted to perform play an electronic piece of music composed and performed by him. Both of the advertisements for telephone numbers; inThe IT Crowd(the new emergency number) andFather Ted(Priest Chatback) have jingles composed by Hannon. In the episode "A Christmassy Ted",his name is mentioned by Mrs Doyle while she attempts to guess that of the mysterious guest.

In 2004, Hannon performed alongside theUlster Orchestrafor the opening event of theBelfast Festival at Queen's.In 2005, he contributed vocals to Talbot'ssoundtrackfor the movie version ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In 2006, it was announced that Hannon was to lend vocals to theDoctor WhosoundtrackCD release,recording two songs – "Love Don't Roam",for the 2006 Christmas special"The Runaway Bride";and a new version of" Song for Ten ", which originally appeared in 2005's"The Christmas Invasion".On 12 January 2007,The Guardianwebsite's "Media Monkey" diary column reported thatDoctor Whofans from the discussion forum on the fan websiteOutpost Gallifreywere attempting to organise mass downloads of the Hannon-sung "Love Don't Roam", which was available as a single release in the UKiTunes Store.This was in order to attempt to exploit the newUK Singles Chartdownload rules, and get the song featured in theTop 40releases.[7]

The same year, Hannon sang and wrote the lyrics for the song "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" on theAiralbumPocket Symphony,released in the United States on 6 March 2007. This song had been originally written for and sung byCharlotte Gainsbourgon her 2006 album5:55.Though it was not included on its 2006 European release, it was added as a bonus track to its American release on 24 April 2007.[8]

Hannon won the 2007Choice Music Prizefor his 2006 album,Victory for the Comic Muse.[9]It was announced the following day that he had leftEMIby 'mutual consent'.[citation needed]When the bandKeaneplayed atthe O2 Arenain London that July, "A Bad Dream"was introduced by Hannon, who read the poem"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"byW. B. Yeats,upon which the song is based.[10]

In 2009, Hannon collaborated with Thomas Walsh from the Irish bandPugwashto create a cricket-themed pop album, under the namethe Duckworth Lewis Method.The first single, "The Age of Revolution", was released in June 2009, and was followed by aneponymous full-length albumthe week after.[11][12]The group's second album,Sticky Wickets,came out in 2013.

Hannon composed the music for a stage adaptation ofArthur Ransome's novelSwallows and Amazons(1930), which premiered in December 2010 at theBristol Old Vic,with book and lyrics byHelen Edmundson.[13]A new Divine Comedy album,Bang Goes the Knighthood,was released in May 2010.[14]

On 20 April 2012, Hannon's first opera commission,Sevastopol,was performed by theRoyal Opera Housein London.[15]The piece was part of a program called OperaShots, which invites musicians not typically working within the opera medium to create an opera, and was based uponLeo Tolstoy'sSevastopol Sketches.[16]Hannon's second opera for which he composed the music,In May(with book by Frank Alva Buecheler and English translations by Tim Clarke), premiered atLancaster University's Nuffield Theatre[17]in May 2013.

In 2013, Hannon was commissioned by theSouthbank Centreto compose a piece for theRoyal Festival Hall's refurbished organ:To Our Fathers in Distress,"a kind oforatorio"for chorus, strings and organ, premiered at the Hall in London on 22 March 2014, as part of the Pull Out All the Stop Festival, and was inspired by Hannon's father, the Rt Rev Brian Hannon, who had suffered fromAlzheimer's diseasebefore his death in 2022.[18]In 2015, Neil won the 2015 Legend Award from theOh Yeah organisationin Belfast.[19]

Hannon wrote the soundtrack and songs for the Irish sci-fi filmLOLA,for which he won anIFTA Awardat the2024 IFTAs.

Hannon wrote the songs for the 2023 musical filmWonka.[20]

On 28 January 2024 Hannon was the guest ofMichael Berkeleyon the BBC Radio 3 programmePrivate Passions.His choices included Chopin'sNocturne in E flat major, Op 9, No. 2,Ravel'sString Quartet in F majorand "Montague Terrace (In Blue)"byScott Walker.[21]

Personal life

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Since 2009 (wed Jan 2023), Hannon's partner has been Irish musicianCathy Davey.The couple live inCounty Kildare.He was previously married to Orla Little, with whom he has a daughter, born about 2002.[22][23][24]With Davey, Hannon is a patron of the Irish animal charity My Lovely Horse Rescue, named after theFather TedEurovision song for which he wrote the music.[25][26]

Politically, Hannon describes himself as being "a thoroughlyleftie,Guardian-reading chap, but of thechampagne socialistvariety ".[27]

Discography

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The Divine Comedy

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Main article:The Divine Comedy discography

Other contributions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"The Divine Comedy Facebook".Facebook.7 November 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2022.Retrieved8 November2019.
  2. ^Purden, Richard (30 September 2016)."Neil Hannon: The hardest thing for me is to simplify".The Irish News.Retrieved26 May2018.
  3. ^"The Church of Ireland Diocesan Press Release".29 October 2003.
  4. ^"A Short Site".Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2015.
  5. ^Cummings, Damien (18 October 2019)."'Being an oddball is part of it': The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon ".Exberliner.Retrieved20 March2021.
  6. ^"Father Ted Theme".ashortsite.Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2013.Retrieved10 March2013.
  7. ^"Who's in the pop charts?".The Guardian.12 January 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2008.Retrieved5 October2023.
  8. ^5:55#Release history
  9. ^"Choice Music Prize".RTÉ.ie.Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2012.
  10. ^Keane(20 October 2010).Keane – An Irish Airman Foresees His Death – Neil Hannon(YouTubevideo).The O2 Arena:SoulR3d. Event occurs at 0:50.Retrieved2 October2023.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  11. ^"interview with The Duckworth Lewis Method".BBC News.21 May 2009.Retrieved11 June2009.
  12. ^"Interview about cricket and music".BBC News.21 May 2009.Retrieved11 June2009.
  13. ^"Neil Hannon on Swallows and Amazons: Is theatre the new rock and roll?".The Telegraph.30 November 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved26 October2015.
  14. ^"Bang Goes the Knighthood – the Divine Comedy | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".AllMusic.
  15. ^"Neil Hannon pens Opera!".BBC.16 April 2012.Retrieved2 October2023.
  16. ^Hall, George (23 April 2012)."OperaShots – review".The Guardian.Retrieved2 October2023.
  17. ^"In May — About".In May.Retrieved2 October2023.
  18. ^Hannon, Neil(10 March 2014)."Neil Hannon: my father's Alzheimer's was the inspiration behind To Our Fathers in Distress | Music".The Guardian.Retrieved13 September2015.
  19. ^"Singer Neil Hannon says his life is anything but a rock 'n' roll cliche".Belfast Telegraph.12 November 2015.Retrieved25 July2019.
  20. ^D'Alessandro, Anthony (29 September 2021)."Wonka:Warner Bros Movie Adds Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman & Jim Carter ".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2021.Retrieved2 October2023.
  21. ^"Private Passions – Neil Hannon – BBC Sounds".bbc.co.uk.
  22. ^"Neil Hannon: 'I was born old. I was an old man trapped in a young man's body' | Music".The Guardian.15 October 2014.Retrieved13 September2015.
  23. ^"Simply Divine".Belfast Telegraph.5 May 2010.
  24. ^Una Brankin (12 November 2015)."Singer Neil Hannon says his life is anything but a rock 'n' roll cliche".Belfast Telegraph.
  25. ^Gemosi (28 January 2014)."Gemosi to support My Lovely Horse Rescue".Retrieved5 September2016.
  26. ^Bairbre Power; Kirsty Blake Knox (30 November 2014)."The Diary: Christmas party season is upon us".Retrieved5 September2016.My Lovely Horse Rescue, a charity special to the hearts of singers Cathy Davey and Neil Hannon
  27. ^Mick Heaney (25 May 2019)."Neil Hannon: 'It's like whistling a happy tune as the ship goes down'".The Irish Times.Retrieved27 March2021.
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