The 75 Best Songs of 2011
Nostalgia Alert! Jump back a decade and enjoy the best songs of 2011. They are headlined by a synthpop classic, a massive hit from a hot diva, pristine harmonies of a young band headed for greatness.
75. They Might Be Giants – “Can’t Keep Johnny Down”
They Might Be Giants aficionados might have guessed that co-leader John Linnell had a fondness for the Smiths when the band released their rarity “Save Your Life”, which sounds suspiciously like a Smiths style parody. “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” isn’t quite as literal a Smiths tribute Linnell sings in his own voice, not a fake English accent, and the bouncing keyboard melody is more TMBG than Morrissey but the song’s malcontent narrator, singing about imagined triumphs over imagined slights, hits a similarly sweet-and-sour tone. Then again, marrying catchy melodies to dark lyrics has always been their specialty; this instant classic proves it’s a talent undiminished by time.
Kildare musician Hally: 9,000 of my peers died in Mother and Baby institutions
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Naas singer-songwriter and music producer Hally, aka Ronan O’Halloran, last week wrote an open letter in the wake of the release of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission report, detailing his search for information about his past.
Born in 1973, he was adopted by a Naas family and raised in Kingsfurze.
He describes how, on December 18, 1991, the day after his 18th birthday, he tried to get information from the Cúnamh Adoption Agency (formerly CPRSI - Catholic Protection & Rescue Society of Ireland), just off South Anne Street in Dublin, pertaining to his birth and adoption.
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It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you do the wrong thing you can expect to pay the price and end up before the court – just ask these pensioners.
These Northern Rivers pensioners found themselves on the wrong side of the law this year.
We take a look back at some of the crimes they were convicted for in 2020:
• Paul Anthony Johnson
A disability pensioner punched a taxi driver when asked to pay his fare, a North Coast court heard.
Paul Anthony Johnson, 61, appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court on November 16 facing a charge of common assault.