‘Dance With Me’ in Greece!! #sRated

Dance With Me in Greece!

Every so often I hear of couples who have chosen ‘Dance With Me’ for their wedding ceremony or reception. This week, I know of a couple who got married in Greece and chose it as a song for their ceremony. Things like that blow my mind a little. It’s a song I wrote in 2009 and officially released it in 2011. It did very well on it’s release getting lots of airplay on stations throughout Ireland as well as getting a live interview on The Morning Show on TV3 and a slot on the John Murray Show on RTE Radio 1. A lot of the appeal was that Ireland was pretty much in a depressed state and there is a lot of love and hope in the song.. “through the darkness we’ll find our way back into the light.”

Dance With Me Official Music Video

The song is very personal to me and it’s lovely to be able to share it in a way that it becomes a very special part of another person’s life and especially on a day as important and significant as a wedding day. I am really honoured that it has this way of fitting into other people’s lives, sometimes without me knowing. That’s why I love writing so much. The songs can live out there forever floating around, doing their thing!

Every once in a while it’s nice to give them a little push again and find ways to gain some momentum for a few weeks or months. Over the next few weeks, I am going to dedicate some time to this song to see what I can achieve with it. I’ll keep you posted on what I find, things that work, things that don’t and make an #sRated report on what I managed to do!

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‘MATTHEWS TAKE YOU THERE’ – My first company song!! #sRated

So after months and months of waiting to share the news with you, I can finally reveal that I have written my first ever company song for Irish transport and tour operator Matthews.ie!!!

http://MATTHEWS.IE

I was delighted that at the end of 2013 Paddy Matthews CEO of the company, asked me to write a song for them. I was a little scared to be honest, simply because of the nature of the song he wanted. It had to showcase the company services and sentiments and also include the company name. Now, as anyone who writes songs or poems know.. rhyme whether it’s in your face or barely recognisable, some words are nearly impossible to use. The vibe and momentum of the word and how it moves and fits into the song and with the music is also a massive factor. Anyways, without boring you, the point is that ‘Matthews’ is a very difficult word to fit into a lyrical sentence!! 🙂 I wrote a blog post at the time describing my experience of writing to brief, which you can read here: https://sineadmcnally.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/do-these-briefs-fit/

But I decided to give writing the company song a shot and after a few days of pulling my hair out and revisiting lots of different ideas, Matthews Take You There finally came together!! It is being launched on May 7th in Dundalk in conjunction with the company’s 20th anniversary, alongside another project that I have worked on with Matthews.ie called the ‘Matthews Arts Showcase’ and it deserves a whole blog post of it’s own, which will be posted soon!

Matthews Take You There Song and Video

Introducing ‘Nearly Christmas’ – The song I wrote standing in the classroom many years ago!!

I am delighted after all these years of thinking about doing it, to finally record and release ‘Nearly Christmas’, a song I wrote in 2006 when I was teaching 2nd class. The principle at the time asked me to do something with my class at the Christmas concert and I decided that doing something completely original was as original as it could get. The result was ‘Nearly Christmas’ a very upbeat and happy song about all the things that make Christmas special for children. It is off to a great start and is available to download from iTunes and all online music stores. Hope you enjoy it!!

‘Ballad of the Tiger’

Ballad of the Tiger – The Video!

In a few days time, I will release a song I wrote called ‘Ballad of the Tiger’. It started as a poem but I decided to make it into a song to give people a means to come together and grieve for the things that have been difficult over the past few years in Ireland but also to share all our hope for our futures here or abroad. I hope that the song gives people a chance to come to terms with all that has happened. We are in it together, all over Ireland and abroad..

I am putting together a simple lyric video for the song and I am hoping to use some of your pictures in it. All you need to do is take a picture of any lyric from the song (see below) written/painted/printed (anything goes) by you onto any surface you wish. Remember it is a photo, not a video. It may not be possible to use all images sent to us but we will do our best to showcase all that were sent it one way or another!! Also, by sending in the image you are giving permission for the use of the image on YouTube and other social media etc. Here are the lyrics, choose whichever line you like best and scribble it down somewhere, take a pic and send it to mcnallysinead@hotmail.com

Thanks xx

We’ve all been a little bit down

We’ve taken a beating but we never made a sound

All the bruises and marks on our skin are sinking in

Building dreams by digging holes

Concrete fields and showhomes

Forgotten dreams now its all gone to waste

On the ghost estates

They spent they lied we lost and we cried together

Savings schemes government bonds

They kept on giving until it was gone

No convictions for the debt that they caused

We took it all

A nations loss is another ones gold

They sit round tables and they tell us what we owe

But it’s you and me and the people next door who feel it more

They spent they lied we lost and we cried together

Lining up instead of clocking in

Moving out instead of moving in

All we own for sale on the cheap to make ends meet

We carry on as our loved ones disappear

For a better life in a place overseas

Two clocks ticking on the wall telling times abroad

They spent they lied we lost and we cried together

They spent they lied but we’ll work, we’ll rise together

They spent they lied but we’ll work, we’ll rise together

‘The Ballad of the Tiger’

I wrote this poem earlier this year and then wrote music for it. I am in the process of recording it and filming a video so that I can share it online with you all.  I hope the poem and the song will help people grieve for the many difficult changes and losses in their lives over the past 5 years and perhaps help us all to move on and have hope for the future..

‘The Ballad of the Tiger’ by Sinéad McNally

We’ve all been a little bit downWe’ve taken a beating but we never made a sound

All the bruises and marks on our skin are sinking in

Building dreams by digging holes

Concrete fields and show homes

Forgotten dreams now it’s all gone to waste

On the ghost estates

 

They spent, they lied, we lost we cried together

They spent, they lied but we’ll work and we’ll rise together

 

Lining up instead of clocking in

Moving out instead of moving in

All we own for sale on the cheap just to make ends meet

We carry on as our loved ones disappear

For a better life in a place overseas

Two clocks ticking on the wall telling times abroad

 

They spent, they lied, we lost, we cried together

They spent, they lied but we’ll work and we’ll rise together

 

Savings schemes, government bonds

They kept on giving until it was gone

No convictions for the debt that they caused, we took it all

A nation’s loss is another one’s gold

They sit round tables and tell us what we owe

It’s you and me and the people next door who feel it more

 

They spent, they lied, we lost and we cried together

They spent, they lied but we’ll work and we’ll rise together

They spent, they lied but we’ll work and we’ll rise together

 

‘Dance With Me’

‘Dance With Me’

I never in a million years thought as I was writing ‘Dance With Me’ that it would become popular as a wedding song. It makes sense I suppose as it about love and companionship. I am very humbled to know that so many couples use the song for their wedding ceremonies and first dances. Here are the lyrics and chords to the song: Enjoy singing or playing along.

Verse 1

(A) If every star was to fall from the sky, there would still be you

(D) Dreams are more beautiful when there is you

(A) And every place you go, I want to go too

(D) I am much better when I’m with you

(E) So take me (D) back to where the (A) borders meet

(E) And watch the (D) sunset trace the (Bm) shadows of our (A) feet

Chorus

(D) Dance with me (E) tonight (A)

(Bm) Put your arms in (E) mine and lose (A) all sense of time

(D) Yes dance with me (E) tonight (A) – (E)

In the (Bm) darkness we’ll (Fsharp) find our (E) way back into the (A) night

Verse 2

(A) Whenever the light in my heart starts to fade, you give me yours

(D) You give me strength to carry on when I have no more

(A) There’s always a place for me in your arms anytime of day

(D) Through the good and the bad we’ll get there (A) I hear you say

(E) So take me (D) back to where the (A) borders meet

(E) And watch the (D) sunset trace the (Bm) shadows of our (A) feet