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"A Life of Sundays"
"A Life of Sundays"
Song by The Waterboys
from the album Room to Roam
Released	1990
Length	6:18
Label	Chrysalis; Ensign
Songwriter(s)	Mike Scott
Producer(s)	Barry Beckett; Mike Scott

"A Life of Sundays" is a song by the Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, which was released in 1990 as a track on their fifth studio album Room to Roam. It was written by Mike Scott and produced by Barry Beckett and Scott.^[1] In the United States, the song reached No. 15 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and remained on the chart for nine weeks.^[2]

Background

Describing the song in the liner notes of the 2008 re-issue of Room to Roam, Scott said: "Across its six minute span, 'A Life of Sundays' features rock 'n' roll, blues, soul, African, psychedelia, punk or glam, Irish literature and no-nonsense trad." The song was recorded at Spiddal House, Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland in 1990.^[3]

Critical reception

In a review of Room to Roam, Bruce Dessau of The Guardian commented, "'A Life of Sundays', with its talk of a 'sense of wonder', harks back to both the original Celtic pop mystic Van Morrison and the love-stricken metaphysical poets."^[4] Iestyn George of Record Mirror described the song as the album's "only rock concession" and noted "its crescendo of malevolent, thrusting bass, Hammond organ and brash chords behind Scott's Dylanesque delivery which is joined by Noel Bridgeman's stirring and gutsy backing vocals".^[5] Neil McKay of Sunday Life said of the album, "It's all quite enjoyable in its own way, but the record only comes alive when Scott unobtrusively assimilates the folk influences in outstanding songs like 'A Life of Sundays'."^[6] John Mulvey of Uncut described the song as an "ecstatic rocker".^[7]

John Milward of The Philadelphia Inquirer commented, "It's the frantic edge of Steve Wickham's fiddle that puts the adrenaline into ruminative rockers such as 'A Life of Sundays'."^[8] Gene Armstrong of the Arizona Daily Star stated, "With its 5-minute length, rumbling rhythm section, squawking horn and riffing guitars, 'A Life of Sundays' is the album's rock single, if in fact this band cares about such things anymore."^[9] Brant Houston of the Hartford Courant described the song as "semi-psychedelic" and "solely The Waterboys" in its style.^[10]

Musician described the song as a "college radio-ready rocker" which "devolves into a wonderfully unwieldy guitar frenzy".^[11] Mike Curtin of The Post-Star wrote, "Only on the most fully developed material, notably 'Further Up, Further In' and 'A Life of Sundays,' do Scott and company fulfill their promise of a satisfying synthesis of traditional and modern styles."^[12] Eric McClary of the Reno Gazette-Journal said, "Unfortunately, only 'A Life of Sundays' comes close to the visionary wanderings of the last Waterboys album, Fisherman's Blues."^[13]

Personnel

The Waterboys

Mike Scott – vocals, guitar
Anthony Thistlethwaite – saxophone
Steve Wickham – fiddle, Hammond organ
Trevor Hutchinson – bass
Colin Blakey – flute
Sharon Shannon – accordion
Noel Bridgeman – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Production

Barry Beckett, Mike Scott – producers
Tim Martin – engineer
Robbie Adams – assistant engineer

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks^[2]	15

References

^ James Christopher Monger. "Room to Roam - The Waterboys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
^ ^a ^b Billboard. "The Waterboys A Life Of Sundays Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
^ "The Waterboys". Mikescottwaterboys.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
^ Dessau, Bruce (14 September 1990). "Mike finds peace with his muse". The Guardian.
^ George, Iestyn (29 September 1990). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 16. ISSN 0144-5804.
^ McKay, Neil (21 October 1990). "Tracks of pure joy". Sunday Life.
^ "The Waterboys - Room to Roam (Collectors Edition)". Uncut. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
^ Milward, John (16 November 1990). "The Waterboys adopt Ireland and its sounds for new album". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ Armstrong, Gene (2 November 1990). "Waterboys triumph in 'Room to Roam'". The Arizona Daily Star.
^ Houston, Brant (25 October 1990). "Records: ZZ Top recycles classics from the past; diverse Midler LP". The Hartford Courant.
^ "Musician - Google Books". 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
^ Curtin, Mike (28 October 1990). "Fall harvest yields bumper crop". The Post-Star.
^ McClary, Eric (25 November 1990). "On the record". Reno Gazette-Journal.