"Old Town" is a song by

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

frontman

Philip Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...

, released as a single from his 1982 solo album, ''

The Philip Lynott Album ''The Philip Lynott Album'' is the second and final solo album by Irish rock singer Philip Lynott, released in 1982. Not included on the album was the B-side to the "Together" single, "Somebody Else's Dream" and the B-side to the "Old Town" si ...

''. The lyrics describe the end of a romance. In the music video, Lynott can be seen on the

Ha'penny Bridge The Ha'penny Bridge ( ; , or ''Droichead na Life''), known later for a time as the ''Penny Ha'penny Bridge'', and officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in May 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Made of cast i ...

in Dublin, as well as several other locations around the city centre including the Long Hall pub on

South Great George's Street South Great George's Street () is a street in south-central Dublin, Ireland. History Early history and naming The area is associated with Early Scandinavian Dublin. Four burials excavated near South Great George's Street were also associa ...

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre — the other being Henry Street. It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the low ...

and Ringsend Pier. The song features keyboardist

Darren Wharton Darren Leigh Wharton (born 25 December 1961) is a British keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He has fronted his own band, Dare, since 1985, but first came to attention as a member of Thin Lizzy. In 2023, Wharton launched a second band alongside ...

, a member of Thin Lizzy, on piano.

Chart performance

Track listings

The Corrs version

The Corrs The Corrs are an Irish family band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim (guitar, piano, keyboards, v ...

covered ''Old Town'' during their

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

performance in 1999, and later recorded a studio version for their 2005 album ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

''. The live version was released as a single under the title ''Old Town (This Boy Is Cracking Up)'' in 2000 in Singapore, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The 2005 studio recording was later released as a double A-side single alongside "

Heart Like a Wheel ''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and re ...

" and was included in the 2006 compilation album '' Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection''. The band also performed the song during their In Blue Tour. The

piccolo trumpet The piccolo trumpet is the smallest member of the trumpet family, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B picco ...

solo in the song was played by Ronan Dooney.

Chart performance

Track listings

References

{{Authority control 1982 singles 2000 singles Songs written by Phil Lynott Phil Lynott songs The Corrs songs Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom 1982 songs Songs written by Jimmy Bain Vertigo Records singles 1980s in Irish music