Ah! Leah!

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"Ah! Leah!"
Ah Leah.jpg
Single by Donnie Iris
from the album Back on the Streets
B-side"Joking"
ReleasedOctober 1980
Recorded1980
GenreRock, new wave, power pop
Length3:41
LabelMidwest National
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mark Avsec
Donnie Iris singles chronology
"Ah! Leah!"
(1980) 		"I Can't Hear You"
(1981)

"Ah! Leah!" is a song by Mark Avsec and American rock musician Donnie Iris from the latter's 1980 album Back on the Streets. The song has been described as Iris's signature song[1]

Eight musicians appeared in early live performances of the song, including lead singer Iris, a drummer, three guitar players, a keyboard player and at least two backing vocalists, one female and one male.

The title of the song has been referred to in the form of puns on a few of Iris's later albums — the 2009 live album Ah! Live! and the 2010 Christmas album Ah! Leluiah!.

Composition[]

Iris said,

When Mark and I wrote that together in my basement, around the piano, Mark originally had the idea of an anti-war song. And in the background, we wanted to have a hook, or a chorus, or a tune, that sounded almost like a Gregorian chant. And somehow, Mark came up with 'ah, Leah' as just a chant. It wasn't a chick's name, or a certain person or individual in particular. I said, 'You know what, Mark? That's a chick's name.' So that's how we named it 'Ah, Leah.'

It just so happens that there was a girl by the name of Leah who had dated one of the guys in The Jaggerz years ago. She was a very pretty girl, and I had always loved her name. So, instead of an anti-war tune, which we messed around with but couldn't find anything in, it just turned into a love song. Isn't that weird?"[2]

Chart performance[]

It was released as a single in late 1980 and reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, 22 on the Cash Box Top 100 and 19 on the US Billboard Top Tracks chart, and was most popular in Canada, where it became a Top 10 hit.[3]

Album appearances[]

Cover versions[]

  • Electric Six covered the song on their cover-album Mimicry and Memories (2015).[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "The Popdose Guide to Donnie Iris and the Cruisers: It's a Rough World". Popdose. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. 10 September 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Top Singles". RPM. 21 March 1981. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 149. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 410.
  6. ^ "Top 100 1981-03-28". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Final track listing for Mimicry and Memories". Retrieved 29 March 2015.

External links[]



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