"Wasn't That a Party" by The Rovers

Song#:  0506
Date:  02/21/1981
Debut:  81
Peak:  37
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Pop, Novelty



Pop Bits:  This Canadian group has their roots in Ireland with the Millar brothers being born in that country. Filling out the group with their cousin and a couple of others, The Irish Rovers played around Canada before heading to California to work in the area's folk scene. They signed with Decca and in 1968 found themselves with a big national hit from their second album. Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn" hit #7 and became the band's signature tune. But being a very specialized folk group, it would prove hard to follow up that massive hit. But although they didn't have a bunch of hit singles or albums, the group remained a very popular touring act throughout the 70s. As the 80s came along, the group tried to rebrand themselves and dropped "Irish" from their name to just become The Rovers. Their first album as such got them back on the pop chart with this Tom Paxton novelty-ish tune. It would be their final chart entry.

ReduxReview:  I still have "The Unicorn" on 45. I used to love that song as a kid. Now, it's kind of nostalgic, yet annoying. Much like this song. It's fun the first couple of times and if you hear it once every 5-10 years, that's great. But I can't imagine hearing this song all the time. It's fun in limited doses.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  In addition to being a popular live act, the group had their own long-running TV variety show in Canada. "The Irish Rovers Show" lasted seven years, but they would have two other shows in the 80s that kept them on TV.

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