Legendary singer/songwriter Carly Simon was moved to tears by a new cover of her iconic “Let the River Run,” which became the theme song for Derry/Londonderry City of Culture celebrations.
The new single by Stroke City native singers Damian McGinty (of the tv show “Glee”) and Mairead Carlin (of Celtic Woman) celebrates the close of Derry/London-derry’s year as U.K. City of Culture. And Simon couldn’t hold back her emotions on first hearing the Irish duo’s rendition.
“I just played it and cried my eyes out and am still crying. It’s absolutely stunningly wonderful. Thank you for doing me proud,” said Simon, who was so impressed she invited the pair to perform with her in Beverly Hills recently at a gala event to support and celebrate Oceana’s mission to protect and restore the world’s oceans.
“It’s a very proud moment to represent Derry on such a large worldwide scale with so many prestigious figures, showing the world how incredible our city is and singing ‘Let the River Run.’ It’s something I will never forget,” said McGinty.
Mairead, currently on a world tour with Celtic Woman, flew in to L.A. specially for the performance.
“What an amazing night!” she said. “I feel very lucky to have sung with Carly, one of my greatest inspirations.”
Carly’s record label is now planning to release Carlin and McGinty’s new recording of “Let the River Run” as a single, to be released in a unique joint venture between Simon’s label, Iris Records, and the Derry-based label Walled City Records.
Derry’s year of culture has been heralded as an outstanding success, with record numbers of visitors enjoying the various events, and local communities making generous concessions and gestures, which led to mutual respect for their cultural traditions, and a peaceful atmosphere.
“Let the River Run” is available now on pre-order and was released on iTunes and Amazon on January 20.
American Song Becomes Anthem of Hope in Ireland
And it never really has when you think about it after all, how many dirt-poor musicians put in just as many hours of practice and playing in front of live audiences as the guys who made billions by lucking into a record label deal?
I don’t see your point… Lucking out doesn’t mean they didn’t put in the effort or didn’t sacrifice anything. (And you forget that Lady Luck is a very harsh mistress!) As for the dirt-poor rest of us, we must learn to bear it out over our days, even if we’re never to be compensated for the seeming unfairness of it all. That’s life!