Neil Hannon
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Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a
Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...
singer and songwriter. He is the creator and front man of the
chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of string section, strings, horn section, horns, piano, and voca ...
group
The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for the television sitcoms ''
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...
'' and '' The IT Crowd''.


Early life and education

Hannon was born in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland, the son of
Brian Hannon Brian Desmond Anthony Hannon (5 October 1936 – 10 January 2022) was a Church of Ireland clergyman, who was Bishop of Clogher from 1986 to 2001. He was also the father of the singer and songwriter Neil Hannon, lead member of The Divine Comedy, ...
, a
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
minister in the
Diocese of Derry and Raphoe The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in the north-west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Its geographical remit straddles two civil jurisdictions: in Northern Ireland, it covers all of ...
and later
Bishop of Clogher The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the ot ...
. He spent some of his youth in
Fivemiletown Fivemiletown is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Enniskillen and 26 miles (43 km) west-south-west of Dungannon, on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road. Fivemiletown's populat ...
before moving with his family to
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...
, in
County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...
, in 1982. While there, he attended
Portora Royal School Portora Royal School located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, was one of the public schools founded by the royal charter in 1608, by James I, making it one of the oldest schools in Ireland at the time of its closure. Origina ...
. Hannon enjoyed
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
-based music as a youngster; he has identified
the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...
and
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...
(OMD) as "the first music that really excited im. In the late 1980s he developed a fondness of the
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
, becoming an "indie kid".


Career

Hannon is founder and mainstay of
The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
, a band which achieved their biggest commercial success in the mid- to late-1990s with the albums ''
Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
'' (1996), ''
A Short Album About Love ''A Short Album About Love'' is the fifth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1997 by Setanta Records. It was recorded on 20 October 1996 at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London. Release and reception "Everybody Kn ...
'' (1997), and ''
Fin de Siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...
'' (1998). Hannon continues to release albums under The Divine Comedy name, the most recent being ''
Office Politics Workplace politics is the process and behavior that in human interactions involves power and authority. It is also a tool to assess the operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. It is also known as office politics and ...
'' (2019). In 2000 he and
Joby Talbot Joby Talbot (born 25 August 1971) is a British composer. He has written for a wide variety of purposes and an accordingly broad range of styles, including instrumental and vocal concert music, film and television scores, pop arrangements and wo ...
contributed four tracks for
Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...
's collaboration album, ''
Punishing Kiss ''Punishing Kiss'' is a studio album by German singer Ute Lemper, released in 2000 by Decca Records. It is the product of a collaboration between Lemper and the Divine Comedy and includes songs by the latter artist, as well as Nick Cave, Elvis ...
''. In 2004 he played alongside the
Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...
for the opening event of the
Belfast Festival at Queen's Belfast International Arts Festival, formerly known as Belfast Festival at Queen’s, claims to be the city’s longest running international arts event. Originally established in 1962, it was hosted by Queen’s University until 2015, after whi ...
. In 2005, he contributed vocals to his long-time collaborator Joby Talbot's
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
for the movie version of ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comic science fiction, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to th ...
''. In 2006 it was announced that Hannon was to lend his vocal ability to the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' soundtrack
CD release The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...
, recording two songs – "Love Don't Roam" for the 2006 Christmas special, " The Runaway Bride", and a new version of "Song For Ten", originally used in 2005's "
The Christmas Invasion "The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of David Te ...
". On 12 January 2007, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' website's "Media Monkey" diary column reported that ''Doctor Who'' fans from the discussion forum on the fan website
Outpost Gallifrey Outpost Gallifrey was a fan website for the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was active as a complete fansite from 1995 until 2007, then existing solely as a portal to the still-active parts of the site, including its n ...
were attempting to organise mass downloads of the Hannon-sung " Love Don't Roam", which was available as a single release on the UK
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. This was in order to attempt to exploit the new
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
download rules, and get the song featured in the
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
releases. The same year Hannon added his writing and vocal talents to the
Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
album ''
Pocket Symphony A pocket symphony is a song with extended form. The term was popularized by English journalist Derek Taylor, who used it to describe the Beach Boys' 1966 single "Good Vibrations". (The description of a "pocket" symphony had appeared in print s ...
'', released in the United States on 6 March 2007. He is featured on the track "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping", for which he wrote the lyrics. This song had been originally written for and sung by
Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...
on her album, '' 5:55''. Though it was not included in its 2006 European release, it was added as a bonus track for its American release on 24 April 2007. Hannon won the 2007 Choice Music Prize for his 2006 album, ''
Victory for the Comic Muse ''Victory for the Comic Muse'' is the ninth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2006 by EMI. The title derives from the E.M. Forster book ''A Room with a View'' ("I have won a great victory for the comic muse") ...
''. It was announced the following day that he had left
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
by 'mutual consent'. In 2015 he won the 2015 Legend Award from the Oh Yeah organisation in Belfast. When the band Keane played at the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decem ...
in London in July, "
A Bad Dream "A Bad Dream" is a song by English rock band Keane appearing as the fifth track on their second album, ''Under the Iron Sea''. It was released on 22 January 2007 as the fifth and final single from the album. The song peaked at No. 23 in the UK S ...
" was introduced by Hannon. He introduced it by reading the poem " An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by
W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
, upon which the song is based. He is credited with composing the theme music for the sitcoms ''
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...
'' and '' The IT Crowd'', the former theme composed for the show and later reworked into "Songs of Love", a track on The Divine Comedy's breakthrough album ''
Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
''. Both shows were created or co-created by
Graham Linehan Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...
. For the ''Father Ted'' episode, "
A Song for Europe A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
", Hannon co-wrote and sang "
My Lovely Horse My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Mar ...
", the song Ted and Dougal enter in Eurosong (a parody of the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
). For the same episode, Hannon wrote "The Miracle Is Mine", the 'typical' Eurovision ballad sung by Ted's nemesis, Father Dick Byrne. A dream sequence in the episode shows Ted and Dougal in the song's pop video, with Hannon providing vocals. Hannon also wrote and performed "My Lovely Mayo Mammy", sung by Eoin McLove in the episode "
Night of the Nearly Dead "Night of the Nearly Dead" is the seventh, and penultimate, episode of the third and final series of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. The episode's title and some of the scenes are a parody on the movie ''Night of the Living Dead''. Synops ...
", and wrote "Big Men in Frocks", sung by Niamh Connolly in "
Rock-a-Hula Ted "Rock a Hula Ted" is the seventh episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', and the thirteenth episode overall. Synopsis Ted and Dougal see feminist musician Niamh Connolly – a thinly veiled parody of Sinéad O'Connor ...
". When a raffle is held in order to raise funds to repair the roof of the parochial house, the
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
-esque quartet of priests enlisted to perform play an electronic piece of music composed and performed by him. Both of the advertisements for telephone numbers; in ''The IT Crowd'' (the new emergency number) and ''Father Ted'' (Priest Chatback) have jingles composed by Hannon. In the episode "
A Christmassy Ted "A Christmassy Ted" is both the 17th episode overall of and a Christmas special for the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. This episode was broadcast between the second and third series. It is 55 minutes long, as opposed to the usual 21–22 min ...
", his name is mentioned by Mrs Doyle while she attempts to guess that of the mysterious guest. Hannon has also collaborated with Thomas Walsh, from the Irish band Pugwash, to create a cricket-themed pop album under the name
The Duckworth Lewis Method The Duckworth Lewis Method are an Irish pop group formed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of Pugwash. The Duckworth Lewis Method is also the title of the group's first album, which was released on 3 July 2009, a few days b ...
. The first single, "The Age of Revolution", was released in June 2009, and a full-length album released the week after. The group's second album, ''Sticky Wickets'', came out in 2013. Hannon contributed to a musical version of ''
Swallows and Amazons ''Swallows and Amazons'' is a children's adventure novel by English author Arthur Ransome and first published on 21 July 1930 by Jonathan Cape. Set in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District, the book introduces the main characters of John, ...
'', writing the music while Helen Edmundson wrote the book and lyrics, which premiered in December 2010 at the
Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
. A new Divine Comedy album, ''
Bang Goes the Knighthood ''Bang Goes the Knighthood'' is the tenth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 31 May 2010 by Divine Comedy Records. Track listing Personnel Personnel adapted from liner notes included in ''Venus, Cupi ...
'', was released in May 2010. In April 2012 Hannon's first opera commission, ''Sevastopol'', was performed by the Royal Opera House. It was part of a program called OperaShots, which invites musicians not typically working within the opera medium to create an opera. ''Sevastopol'' was based upon
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's '' Sevastopol Sketches''. Hannon's second opera (book by Frank Alva Buecheler, English by Tim Clarke) for which he wrote music, ''In May'', premiered in May 2013 in Lancaster and was shown in 2014 with overwhelming success e.g. in Glasgow and Brighton. The world premiere of ''To Our Fathers in Distress'', in the words of the composer "a kind of oratorio" for chorus, strings and organ, was performed on 22 March 2014 at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
in London. It was inspired by Hannon's father, the Rt Rev Brian Hannon, who had suffered from
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
before his death in 2022.


Personal life

Since 2009, Hannon's partner is Irish musician
Cathy Davey Catherine "Cathy" Davey (born 1979) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She has released one extended play, "Come Over" (2004), and four albums, '' Something Ilk'' (2004), ''Tales of Silversleeve'' (2007), '' The Nameless'' (2010) and ''New Forest'' ...
. The couple live in
County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
. He was previously married to Orla Little, with whom he has a daughter, Willow Hannon. With Davey, Hannon is a patron of the Irish animal charity My Lovely Horse Rescue, named after the ''Father Ted'' Eurovision song for which he wrote the music. Politically, Hannon describes himself as being "a thoroughly leftie, ''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
''-reading chap, but of the
champagne socialist Champagne socialist is a political term commonly used in the United Kingdom. It is a popular epithet that implies a degree of hypocrisy, and it is closely related to the concept of the liberal elite. The phrase is used to describe self-identifi ...
variety".


Discography


The Divine Comedy

*'' Fanfare for the Comic Muse'' (1990) *''
Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...
'' (1993) *''
Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
'' (1994) *''
Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
'' (1996) *''
A Short Album About Love ''A Short Album About Love'' is the fifth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1997 by Setanta Records. It was recorded on 20 October 1996 at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London. Release and reception "Everybody Kn ...
'' (1997) *''
Fin de Siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...
'' (1998) *'' A Secret History... The Best of the Divine Comedy'' (1999) *''
Regeneration Regeneration may refer to: Science and technology * Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs * Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis ...
'' (2001) *'' Absent Friends'' (2004) *''
Victory for the Comic Muse ''Victory for the Comic Muse'' is the ninth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2006 by EMI. The title derives from the E.M. Forster book ''A Room with a View'' ("I have won a great victory for the comic muse") ...
'' (2006) *''
Bang Goes the Knighthood ''Bang Goes the Knighthood'' is the tenth studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 31 May 2010 by Divine Comedy Records. Track listing Personnel Personnel adapted from liner notes included in ''Venus, Cupi ...
'' (2010) *''
Foreverland ''Foreverland'' is the eleventh studio album by Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 2 September 2016 by Divine Comedy Records. Accolades Track listing Personnel Personnel per liner notes included in ''Venus, Folly, Cup ...
'' (2016) *''
Office Politics Workplace politics is the process and behavior that in human interactions involves power and authority. It is also a tool to assess the operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. It is also known as office politics and ...
'' (2019) *''Venus, Cupid, Folly & Time'' (2020)


Other contributions

*'' The Cake Sale'' (compilation) – "Aliens" *'' Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack'' (compilation) – "Song for Ten" (performer) *'' Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack'' (compilation) – "Love Don't Roam" (performer) *''
Amélie ''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume L ...
'' (compilation) – "Les Jours tristes" (instrumental version) (co-writer) *'' L'Absente by
Yann Tiersen Yann Tiersen (born 23 June 1970) is a French Breton musician and composer. His musical career is split between studio recordings, music collaborations and film soundtracks songwriting. His music incorporates a large variety of classical and c ...
'' – "Les Jours tristes" (English version) (co-writer and performer) *'' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Soundtrack'' (compilation) – "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" (performer) *'' Reload'' by Tom Jones – "All Mine" (as the Divine Comedy) (performer) *''
Pocket Symphony A pocket symphony is a song with extended form. The term was popularized by English journalist Derek Taylor, who used it to describe the Beach Boys' 1966 single "Good Vibrations". (The description of a "pocket" symphony had appeared in print s ...
'' by
Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
– "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" (writer and performer) *''
Songs from the Deep Forest ''Songs from the Deep Forest'' is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Duke Special. In May 2006, it was released as a limited edition set of six 7" vinyl discs and then re-released as a single CD in October of the same year. It was nomi ...
'' by
Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
– "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" (performer) *''
Hyacinths and Thistles ''Hyacinths and Thistles'' is the second studio album by the indie rock band The 6ths. It was released in 2000 on Merge Records. Track listing All tracks written by Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an Amer ...
'' by
the 6ths The 6ths is a band created by Stephin Merritt, also the primary songwriter and instrumentalist behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there ...
– "The Dead Only Quickly" (singer) *'' Eleven Modern Antiquities'' by Pugwash – "Take Me Away" (performer) *''
Punishing Kiss ''Punishing Kiss'' is a studio album by German singer Ute Lemper, released in 2000 by Decca Records. It is the product of a collaboration between Lemper and the Divine Comedy and includes songs by the latter artist, as well as Nick Cave, Elvis ...
'' by
Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...
– (multiple tracks) (performer and writer) *''Les piqûres d'araignée'' by
Vincent Delerm Vincent Delerm (born 31 August 1976) is a French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer. He is the son of the writer Philippe Delerm and illustrator Martine Delerm. His first album was released in 2002, the second, ''Kensington Square'', in ...
– "Favourite Song" (duet track) *''A Mãe'' by
Rodrigo Leão Rodrigo Costa Leão Muñoz Miguez (born 15 October 1964), known professionally as Rodrigo Leão, is a Portuguese musician and songwriter. He became known in the 1980s as a member of the Portuguese groups Sétima Legião and Madredeus. In the 1990s ...
– "Cathy" (performer) *''
God Help the Girl ''God Help the Girl'' is a 2009 album by Stuart Murdoch of the band Belle and Sebastian with female vocalists such as Catherine Ireton. God Help the Girl is also the name of the band and the accompanying film released in 2014. The songs are ...
'' by
God Help the Girl ''God Help the Girl'' is a 2009 album by Stuart Murdoch of the band Belle and Sebastian with female vocalists such as Catherine Ireton. God Help the Girl is also the name of the band and the accompanying film released in 2014. The songs are ...
– "Perfection as a Hipster"; Neil Hannon with Catherine Ireton (performer) *" No Regrets" by
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
– backing vocals with
Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...
of
Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
*''
The Silent World of Hector Mann ''The Silent World of Hector Mann'' is a 2010 album by Duke Special, featuring songs inspired by the fictional silent film star Hector Mann from Paul Auster's 2002 novel '' The Book of Illusions'', who starred in twelve films before disappearing. ...
'' by
Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
– "Wanda, Darling of the Jockey Club" *''Irrepetible'' by
Coque Malla Jorge "Coque" Malla (born 22 October 1969, in Madrid) is a Spanish musician and actor, frontman of the group Los Ronaldos (Founded in 1985). His mother was the actress Amparo Valle, who died on 29 September 2016. Filmography He starred in the 1 ...
– duets on "My Beautiful Monster" *''Adventure Man'' by Eg – "Pay Later" (co-writer and performer) *''Adventure Man'' by Eg – "If You Run" (co-writer and performer)


See also

*
The Duckworth Lewis Method The Duckworth Lewis Method are an Irish pop group formed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of Pugwash. The Duckworth Lewis Method is also the title of the group's first album, which was released on 3 July 2009, a few days b ...
* Tinsel and Marzipan


References


External links


Biography of Neil Hannon
– part o
the official Divine Comedy website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hannon, Neil 1970 births Living people Male singers from Northern Ireland Songwriters from Northern Ireland People educated at Portora Royal School Musicians from Derry (city) Baritones from Northern Ireland The Divine Comedy (band) members Pop singers from Northern Ireland RTÉ 2fm presenters Musical theatre composers from Northern Ireland Film score composers from Northern Ireland Singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland Composers for pipe organ British television composers Male film score composers Musicians from County Fermanagh