The Script star Danny O’Donoghue reveals the 10 songs that tell his story

“When I sing Superheroes I always have Mam in mind”

DANIEL BY ELTON JOHN

I must have been about three at the most and I remember Daniel being played all the time by my dad Shay.

Because he was a musician he had a reel-to-reel machine and he used to play it to me at bedtime.

My dad would hear it going wrong and come up and find me half out of my cot reaching over and trying to wreck it!

I guess Elton John’s not a bad introduction to songwriting all those melodies, choruses and chord changes coming into your brain at an early age.

FIRE AND RAIN BY JAMES TAYLOR

I grew up loving James Taylor and it was the first time I remember thinking: “What’s that sound?”

It was an acoustic guitar being played incredibly well rather than what you get in Dublin a bunch of drunk people slamming off the instrument. It was unique and made me want to pick up a guitar.

I had five older brothers and sisters plus my mam and dad, so with eight in the house we had everything from Black Sabbath and Metallica to Take That and Roy Orbison playing during my childhood.

Orbison’s I Drove All Night was a particular favourite of my dad’s and I actually ended up writing songs with the guy who wrote it. What an amazing turn of events.

DAYDREAM BELIEVER BY THE MONKEES

Oh, this is embarrassing but Daydream Believer was the first song I ever bought. Actually, I bought it along with Take On Me by A-ha.

Like them, I ended up in a three-piece that’s done all right, but they were there first.

I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU BY BOYZ II MEN

Ah, now this was the music of my teenage romances! It was a No 1 for the group and it was the song that I used to listen out for at discos.

You’d be dancing all night and keeping your eyeballs peeled for any girls that looked like they were showing any kind of liking for you.

When that song came on you knew it was the start of the slow set and you’d make a beeline keeping your fingers crossed.

CRAZY WORLD BY ASLAN

They’re an Irish band and the song is like a national anthem back home.

The first time I was in Los Angeles, when I was 17 or 18, I decided to take a road trip to Las Vegas.

I remember us driving through the desert, feeling so young and so free no parents, no rules, nothing. That song was playing and we were singing it at the top of our lungs.

Every time I hear that it brings me straight back to that moment. The bumper sticker on the car said “Irish Power” and I had it tattooed on my arm.

NOW THAT I FOUND YOU BY BRITNEY SPEARS

Mark and I got a publishing deal on the back of a song we did for Justin Timberlake when we were in the States.

But one bit of songwriting really sticks in my head. We were in Australia and we got a call from Will.i.am one morning saying he needed songs for Britney’s album ASAP.

We were REALLY hungover but Mark had a bit of a backing track on the laptop and we worked on it that morning and sent it to Will who loved it. It made Britney’s album. Just shows what you can do with a hangover!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L2Up5OuMCVs

PIANO MAN BY BILLY JOEL

My dad was a piano player his whole life and that song always made me think of him. He died on Valentine’s Day 2008 of a massive aneurysm at just 63.

Before he passed away he mentioned he’d love to have some of the family sing that at his funeral. Once he passed that’s all I heard in my head, so I spent the whole week leading up to the funeral learning Piano Man.

He knew I was such a perfectionist. I guess even after he’d gone he reckoned that I’d want to do a good job and in some way that would take my mind off the pain of the week.

The family got round the piano to sing and it really brought us together. As hard as it was, we got through the performance and the funeral. That’s there with us forever whenever we hear that song.

SUPERHEROES BY THE SCRIPT

My mam Ailish was really ill (with an aneurysm) but has come through. We had already written Superheroes but, looking back, it was like I’d been writing it about her.

I’ve seen her come through fires, through really hard and bad times. It’s about people fighting for their place in life, fighting their corner. When I sing that now I always keep my mam in mind.

I GOTTA FEELING BY BLACK EYED PEAS

There are a lot of songs that come to mind from The Voice but the one I took away most was I Gotta Feeling.

It was the first time I had performed on stage with anyone other than The Script. All the coaches did it together as the opening song for the series.

I obviously love the Black Eyed Peas and Jessie J but to be there with Tom Jones! Playing piano beside a legend like that was such a magic moment.

IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW BY THE SCRIPT

There’s always one song on each album that sticks out, maybe because of the response or because it was hard to write.

The one I’m most proud of is If You Could See Me Now because of the subject matter. Both Mark and I lost parents during the recording of the first album and we speak about them on the track.

If I asked you to write a 16-bar verse about your dad you’d be hard pushed not to put in as many words as possible. So writing that about my dad made me so proud, emotionally.

I love Hall Of Fame too because of the mood of looking to the future. We’ll sing it at Croke Park in Dublin this June in front of 80,000 people.

We supported U2 there in our first year and I remember saying to the guys that this could be us one day.

We got our heads down over the past seven years and when we put the tickets on sale they sold out in two hours. It’s like the tables have turned.

I don’t care about what happens after, I’ll just think we’ve made it. I’ve got to pinch myself sometimes.

DANNY O’DONOGHUE is lead singer and songwriter with top band The Script. Dublin-born Danny, 34, was also a coach on the first two series of BBC1’s The Voice.

The band has had a string of hits including The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, Hall Of Fame and recently, Superheroes. Their new single is No Good In Goodbye from the album No Sound Without Silence.

The Script Danny’s bandmates are Mark Sheehan and Glen Power kick off their latest tour in Glasgow on February 19 and 20 at the SEE Hydro and then have dates in Aberdeen and Newcastle.

Details at thescriptmusic.com or tickets at ticketmaster.co.uk.