08. The Undertones – It’s Going to Happen (1981) “It’s Going to Happen” deceives the listener, its blasts of robust horn and impish guitar, and overall lighthearted tone covering its somber subject matter—the 1981 hunger strikes—like an army-green balaclava. Angry with the British government’s cessation of Special Category Status, Irish republican prisoners at The Maze staged a hunger strike. Ten ultimately died from starvation, including Bobby Sands, who was elected as a Member of Parliament during his fast. “It’s Going to Happen” was a top-20 hit and nabbed the Derry punk act an appearance on “Top of the Pops.” Fittingly, it came the night Sands died; guitarist Damien O’Neill honored his memory by wearing a black armband. Of course, ever vigilant of Northern Irish sectarianism, O’Neill wondered afterwards if doing so alienated the group’s many Protestant supporters.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 18:11:54 +0000
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