Whiskey in the Jar

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Intro:
Whiskey in the jar is a traditional Irish song perhaps dating from as far back as 1650. It contains many popular themes found in that genre of song, drinking, sex and killing Englishmen. It was also one of the biggest rock songs ever.  

The scenes:

It’s 1972, eleven Israeli athletes are killed by Arab gunmen at the Munich Olympics. Bloody Sunday show the escalation of tensions between the IRA and the British government with the loss of innocent lives. The Watergate Scandal comes to light in the US.

In 1998 the Good Friday agreement puts an end to the sectarian violence in the north of Ireland. Bill Clinton denies having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, only to later admit that he did.

The Original:

The song Whiskey in the Jar was released by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy by their record label Decca. It topped the Irish charts and reached no. 6. In the U.K. The band itself disliked the decision to release it, feeling that it didn’t represent the band sound.
Eric Bell’s Guitar dominates this track, basically taking over the melodic duties that violins, tin whistles and uilleann pipes would have on a more traditional version. Phil Lynot’s characteristic husky voice delivers the lyrics with a passion that’s lacking on the Metallica version, but then this song has an emotional feeling to it for the Irish band that is probably absent for the American. 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyQ-tScuzwM

The Version:


Metallica’s version was off their cover album Garage Inc., which won a Grammy award for Best Hard Rock performance. It’s heavier than the original, with the bass featuring more prominently and distorted guitars replacing the acoustic rhythm guitar. James Heatfield’s characteristic snarl maybe 
feels detached, when compared to the original but fits the bands style better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsrvmNtWU4E

Conclusion:

Since I’m Irish, I can’t help but like the Thin Lizzy version more, but I recognize that the Metallica version obviously has its fans. The version also kind of cements Thin Lizzy’s reputation as a major influence on modern hard rock and metal despite not having a really huge commercial success.

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