Tag Archives: Glen Hansard

Music Monday: August 3, 2026

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

#musicmonday #musicblog #musicandlyrics

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

A beautiful & gifted artist died last week & it has left me and countless others completely bereft. Glen Hansard, an Irish musician, singer, songwriter, actor & Oscar winning composer, died in a single vehicle motorcycle crash on July 29, 2026 at age 56.

He was born April 21, 1970 in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland. He left school at the age of 13 to start busking on the streets of his home city. In 1990 he formed the band The Frames. In 1991 he starred in the Alan Parker film about an Irish soul band, “The Commitments” as guitarist Outspan Foster (I wrote about my love of this movie on Day 158 of my Lockdown Countdown).

Glen Hansard (Far left, bottom row) and the rest of the cast from the film released 35 years ago in 1991. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

In 2005 he formed The Swell Season with fellow musician, singer, songwriter and actress, Markéta Irglová. A year later they released their self-titled debut album. In 2007 they starred in the movie, “Once”. Together they wrote the impossibly beautiful song featured in the film which earned them the 2008 Oscar for Best Original Song.

Hansard (L) and co-star Markéta Irglová (R) on the poster for their 2007 movie. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

In 2013, Hansard released an EP featuring the a cover of “Drive All Night”, one of my very favorite Springsteen songs of all time. Current E Street Band sax player Jake Clemons is featured on the track. Taking on any Springsteen song is a huge undertaking, but that pick showed the level of Hansard’s musicianship. Despite his success, he spent the last 16 years busking in Ireland on Christmas Eve to raise money for Dublin Simon Community. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, their four year old son, countless family and friends plus the millions of heartbroken fans around the world.

“Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You’ve made it now“

Glen James Hansard: April 21, 1970 – July 29, 2026.

Picture from Hansard’s website. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Tony Bennett, whose real name was Anthony Dominick Benedetto, was born 110 years ago on August 3, 1926 in Queens, New York. Below is from my July 24, 2023 post:

Last Friday we lost the man arguably considered to be the greatest crooner who ever was. And yes, even the Chairman Of The Board-Frank Sinatra-called Tony Bennett “the best singer in the business”. Anthony Dominick Benedetto died July 21, 2023 at the age of 96. A native New Yorker born in Astoria, Queens on August 3, 1926, Bennett was probably the greatest champion for the Great American Songbook and many of the most iconic jazz tunes in history. He sang & recorded with everyone from Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong, Count Basie, Paul McCartney, Elton John, James Taylor, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Bono and countless others. Bennett’s death closes out one of the longest, most prolific, most important & most beautiful chapters of American music we will ever see again. Thank you, Tony, for every single note.

Tony Bennett circa 1967. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bennett circa 1992. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bennett circa 2006. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Commitments: “Try A Little Tenderness” (1991, written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods).

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: “Falling Slowly” (2007, written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova).

Glen Hansard: “Song of Good Hope” (2012, written by Glen Hansard).

Bruce Springsteen With Glen Hansard: “Drive All Night” (Per the description credits: Recorded live at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny on Night 1, Jul 27, 2013. Written by Bruce Springsteen).

Tony Bennett: “Rags to Riches” (1953, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross).

Tony Bennett: “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (1962, written by George C. Cory Jr. and Douglass Cross).

Tony Bennett: “When Do The Bells Ring For Me” (1990, written by Charles DeForest).

Tony Bennett: “It Had To Be You” (From MTV Unplugged performance 1994. Written by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn).

Stay safe & well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 158

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Bruce quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

In the fall of 1991, I saw a fabulous movie that celebrated one of my favorite genres of music:  The Commitments.  It is a story of a hastily put together soul music band in Dublin, Ireland as an easy get rich & famous scheme by music lover/band manager, Jimmy Rabbitte, played by Robert Arkins.  The lead singer of the group was played by Andrew Strong, who was only 17 when the movie was being filmed.  What a voice.  The movie was directed by Alan Parker, who died last month at the age of 76 (Some of his other films include “Fame”, Midnight Express” and “Pink Floyd:  The Wall”).

The most well known member of the cast is probably guitarist, vocalist & songwriter Glen Hansard.  He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 with musician, vocalist & songwriter Marketa Irglova for the achingly beautiful song, “Falling Slowly“, from the 2007 movie, “Once”.  Later Hansard appeared on the show “Parenthood” when he used The Luncheonette recording studio where Adam & Crosby worked (Wow, I really miss that show.  Sigh.).

I knew all the songs The Commitments performed except one.  But it was beautiful with a fantastic horn arrangement and I immediately became obsessed.  So I bought the soundtrack CD and set out to learn everything I could about it.  Since this was 1991 that meant going to that year’s internet, the public library.  The songwriters, Dan Penn and Chip Moman, also wrote Aretha Franklin’s hit, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” together, and individually they wrote songs for other artists as well.

The first singer to record the song was James Carr, who was rejected by Stax Records but eventually was signed to a small Memphis, TN label, Goldwax Records, in 1964.  They believed he could be their Otis Redding.  He was a great singer, but to me, he sounded more like Percy Sledge.  But Goldwax shut down in 1969 after only five years in business, so Carr tried recording at a couple of other labels.  However, he suffered from bipolar disease and it frequently affected his ability to perform live, so his career languished throughout the 1970’s & 1980’s.  He did enjoy a career resurgence in 1991 after he released a new album when Goldwax was revived.  Carr performed at local musical festivals for the next couple of years before releasing another album in 1994.  But soon after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died from the disease in 2001 at the very young age of 58.

He did, however, leave us his fantastic recording of today’s song.  It was eventually covered by Sledge himself and other superstars like Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Gregg Allman, Elvis Costello and the group, The Flying Burrito Brothers.  How I never heard this song before the movie is a complete mystery to me, but I am unbelievably thankful for finding it and its original incredible singer.

“At the dark end of the street
That’s where we always meet
Hiding in shadows where we don’t belong
Living in darkness to hide our wrong
You and me, at the dark end of the street“.

James Carr
   (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

James Carr:  “The Dark End of the Street” (1967, written by Dan Penn and Chip Moman).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.