February 23, 1973: (L to R) Thin Lizzy singer Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, and guitarist Eric Bell.Getty Images
Thin Lizzy has released an official music video for their take on the classic Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar," which they recorded back in 1972.
The music video for "Whiskey in the Jar" was published on YouTube by Thin Lizzy on May 24 after an exclusive premiere at Desertfest London on May 18.
According to Thin Lizzy, their single "Whiskey in the Jar" started out with frontman Phil Lynott "messing around" in rehearsal.
Lynott, who was born in England and raised in Dublin, began busking the centuries-old Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar," which had enjoyed a renewed interest in recent years after being recorded by The Dubliners.
The band's then-manager remarked upon the rendition and insisted that the band recorded it - against the band's gut instincts.
In November 1972, "Whiskey in the Jar" was released as a single with an arrangement by band members Lynott, Eric Bell, and Brian Downey. It topped the Irish charts and rose to number six in the UK. After a two-year struggle for recognition, Thin Lizzy had finally scored a breakthrough hit.
However, "Whiskey in the Jar" still didn't "sit well" with Thin Lizzy. Despite the success of the single, the band decided to leave it off of their next album "Vagabonds of the Western World."
Nevertheless, Thin Lizzy's version of "Whiskey in the Jar" remains one of the band's most popular songs. The song, in arrangements influenced by the Thin Lizzy version, has gone on to be covered by artists such as U2, Metallica, Belle & Sebastian, The Pogues, Pulp, Bryan Adams, Gary Moore, and Simple Minds.
In 2023, "Whiskey in the Jar" was featured on the deluxe re-issue of "Vagabonds of the Western World."
The official music video for "Whiskey in the Jar" was produced by Dave Hudson of Forward Slash Studios and features animation by Harry French.