Irish singer-songwriter Davie Furey’s new single, “History,” is an anthemic slice of Celtic-folk-infused, synth-bolstered jangle pop begging to echo off arena walls. It’s a sound as big as its carpe-diem call to action:
Stand up straight with your eyes wide open … If you’re not with me get outta the way … Now’s not the time for hard luck stories, now’s not the time for former glories … It’s our time, to make a bit of history
Initially, Furey says, the song was written for his friend, Irish boxer Michael Conlan—the fiery former olympian who just challenged for the WBA world featherweight title.
“While I was working on ‘History,’ Michael was in my head,” Furey says. “To have him fighting for the world-championship belt, I thought it was something to be proud of. But as songs often do, it evolved into something much broader than that. It came to represent the last two years, which have, of course, been difficult—covid has changed us, changed our attitudes. A lot of people were on their own during the pandemic, and when you’re alone you have a lot of time to think. People picked up new hobbies. They reconnected with their families, their pets and nature. Whether that persists as we get back into the normality of life, I don’t know. But for a lot of people, the experience changed the course of their lives. And that’s what ‘History’ reflects upon—the restoration of our lives.”
Furey’s new single brims with immediacy and urgency for a reason. The lyrics and melody hit him like lightning, and within two days of writing the song, he was at JAM Studios in Kells, County Meath, laying it down with producer-engineer Martin Quinn.
Furey and Quinn have a solid history themselves at this point. They worked together on Furey’s 2015 debut, Easy Come Easy Go, as well as his most recent record, 2021’s Haunted Streets.
Furey handles lead vocals, as well as electric and acoustic rhythm guitars on “History,” with Martin’s brother Andrew Quinn on drums (a “brilliant drummer,” Furey says). Everything else you hear on the track was played by multi-instrumentalist Martin.
Davie Furey’s new single, “History,” is out May 4th.
