I have so many songs tucked away on my iPod, sometimes while I listen to the songs shuffle in the background as I do my work, I hear a song mixed among the old friends that I don’t remember or one I did not connect to earlier and I have a new discovery. Today, I found a song by an artist who chooses to no longer make music. Today’s new discovery is Sinéad Lohan’s “Whatever It Takes.”
The song came up on my iPod as part of a collection of acoustic songs from various artists. But here is the video for the original version, which is from Lohan’s No Mermaid (1998) album. I love the odd little dancing marionnette that you see around the 1:08 mark.
Lohan is from Cork, Ireland, and in the 1990s was a rising star on both sides of the ocean. After her 1995 debut album, Who Do You Think I Am?, did well in Ireland, she made her second album, No Mermaid — which contains “Whatever It Takes” — in New Orleans. The title track of No Mermaid was used in the film Message in A Bottle, and Joan Baez covered it. Another creative person put Lohan’s No Mermaid song to scenes from The Little Mermaid even though the song was not used in that film.
Lohan also created an excellent cover of Bob Dylan’s “To Ramona.”
Despite plans for a third album, after Lohan had her second child in 2001, she decided to devote herself full time to motherhood. Last reported, she was living with her husband John, an accountant, and their two children near Leap in County Cork. Around 2005, she made a guest appearance with Phil Coulter in the Opera House in Cork. But that’s it. She no longer even has a website devoted to her music.
Wikipedia reports that Lohan in 2004 began working on a new album, and another website claims that new album was completed in 2007. But such an album has yet to be released.
In 2011, her former manager Pat Egan explained to The Irish Times that while touring around 2000, Lohan “suddenly decided she didn’t want to do it any more. She never really liked the music business, and wasn’t that great doing interviews.”
Although it is a loss to the music world that Lohan no longer releases new music, we cannot complain that Lohan chose family over creating more music. We know from another Lohan and another Sinead how fame can un-ground a person.
Perhaps the reason the song “Whatever It Takes” resonates so much is its honesty. In the song, Lohan is perhaps telling us what type of life she would like. She sings that she will do what she needs to be fulfilled without worrying about legacy or fans.
Whatever it takes you to believe it,
That’s all right with me;
Take this morning in my kitchen,
Or whatever that helps you to believe;
You will find me down by the river,
Getting high on my mortality;
I’ll be holding hands with nameless beauty,
Or whoever wants to stand next to me.
Whether or not the we ever get to hear new music from Lohan, I hope Sinéad Lohan is somewhere singing for her children, high on mortality holding hands with nameless beauty. Thanks for the music.
Sinead Lohan seems intent on becoming the Greta Garbo of Irish musical performers. She is such a wonderful talent. Time has a way of dissipating great talent without choosing to forfeit such a gift voluntarily. It’s such a shame she has not been able to combine her pursuit of family life with her music. One hopes if and when she decides to return, the muses will not have abandoned her.
Good points. I agree about Sinead Lohan’s talent, and yes it is true that many artists peak at a certain point in their careers even if they continue in their field. While leaving the music field for awhile can make one less relevant as tastes change, I can also imagine that one could come back refreshed. The new stage of the artist’s career would depend partly, I suppose, on whether or not the artist comes back with dedication. For Lohan, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Thanks for the comment.
I was first enchanted with Sinead Lohan’s music (because that’s what she does to you, she pulls you in) back in 1998 when “No Mermaid” was circulating the college and alternative stations and I was a DJ at a small public liberal arts college in a town you could walk across in half an hour. I remember the station manager’s notes on the disc’s case – #4 (Loose Ends) “Cool, heavy bass” #7 (Believe it if you like) “Flowery, techno”. Like he only listened to the first 15 seconds of each track before moving on to Eve6 or Harvey Danger. I was smitten, I played her every shift for my Red (heavy rotation), and even after that she always had a spot in my Grey (DJ’s choice).
Several years later I picked up a used disc at a Slackers for $1.99. It’s been a staple of my rotations, enduring longer and being listened to more than any top hit in the summer of 1999 (Limp Bizkit? Insane Clown Posse?). After I outgrew the directionless angst of NIN and Korn and sold or gave away that part of my collection, Sinead Lohan remained.
Still today she’s what I play in the kitchen when the windows are open and the air is fresh after a spring rain, or my wife and I are having a “coffee night” curled up next to each other, novel in one hand and cup of tea in the other.
Much like when you wrote this post, I was listening to some of Sinead Lohan’s music today, and googled her to see if, maybe, she’d let her creative talent back out for a little bit. The soul that created this music, though, must be happy living in the beautiful mystery of Ireland, hopefully enjoying life with her family.
I like your image of how you listen to Sinead Lohan’s music, as it gives a great picture of how music plays a role in our lives and enriches us. It is great to hear that others still listen to her, especially since these days it is not easy to track down her CDs. Thanks for the comment!
such apity she doesn’t record more stuff when we have 2 listen the tripe on this voice & that voice etc remember thatgirl had the LIGHTOUSE SONG got nowhere because like sinead no flashing of TITS just talent to whoever regards jm
Today I needed to be immersed in a sense of all that changes, and all that is constant passing into all that will be, so I listened to “Everything around me is changing”. It reminds me of Romeo’s line:
“But He that hath steerage of my course, direct my sail!”
There’s an abandonment, a trust, a conscious decision to put one foot in front of the other but look further down the road. I have wondered if this were her farewell song, as it were, to a public life and a music career. Perhaps she is with the witches, waltzing through the forest, and if not, do they still come calling to her nightly?
Being the middle child of a large family i absoutely loved the somg whatever it takes and took inspiration from it, this was a long time ago and i would now love to have another light of inspiration from Sinead. Having said that her music is timeless and im sure her family will be amazed at her ability. An absoulate unassuming worldclass star.
I remember where I was the first time I heard this song. The year was 2000. I was sat in a mate’s flat in London while he was at work, with only a cheap little pocket radio for company. This song came on, and I was absolutely blown away from the second it started
Mobile phones were much rarer back then, but I happened to have one there at the time. I called up my answering machine and let the song play, so I could attempt to ID what it was when I got back home. I found the CD on sale in Ameica, so got it shipped over, and the whole CD has remained a favourite ever since.
Can’t fault her for doing what she did, but I’d love to know if that elusive third album was ever completed…
Great story, and that sounds like an early inspiration for the Shazam app that identifies songs from hearing them. I agree that I can’t fault her, but still would be happy to hear some more music from her too. Thanks for the comment!