1985 Songs: Delirium Tremens

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Well, if you think you haven’t known the “hits,” wait until you get a load of THIS! Wow, I can’t believe this song is 40 years old now. I haven’t known it that long, but I’m thankful for every moment I have known it. This song is stark raving hilarious. So, with a profanity warning for the video, here it is. Delirium Tremens - Christy Moore And yes, I had to look a lot of the references up. But a lot of them (“I dreamt…Mother Teresa was taking the pill”) I got without any prodding. Christy Moore, who’ll turn 80 in May, is a legend in Ireland. He’s the Irish Bob Dylan, to put it to the Americans. His brother Barry didn’t want the burden of being “Christy Moore’s little brother,” so his stage name is Luka Bloom. (Paul McCartney’s brother Mike did that, too…of course, Mike’s brother is a whole lot more famous! ) So anyway, I had Sirius XM’s folk channel on one day, and THIS came on. I laughed my butt off. Then I had to find it. I did, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. Not all of Moore’s songs are this funny. He has dealt with The Troubles in his songs, for instance. He was also charged with contempt of court (or slander) over his song “They Never Came Home,” which was about the Valentine’s eve 1981 fire at the Stardust Club in Artane, Dublin. It was a protest song about how there was no accountability over the fire (and there was none until last year, when an inquest ruled that the 48 fatalities were the result of “unlawful killing”). “They Never Came Home” was on this album, but had to be pulled over the judge’s ruling against the song. Turns out the folkie was right. But that’s for another time. Enjoy this and laugh, because it was meant for you to do so. Delirium Tremens Written by Christy Moore Recorded by Christy Moore From Ordinary Man, 1985 Goodbye to the port and brandy (PROFANITY WARNING):