Sing it to me: Named after a hit song

Martha Brennan talks to three women whose parents found inspiration in the musical hits of their generation — including the daughter of one man who came up with her name at the Kinsale Jazz Festival

Sally Jean Bohan, Kinsale, Co Cork. 

We Irish love a good story, so it’s no surprise that many of us have names with some sort of tale behind them. Whether it’s a family heirloom, a special Gaelic meaning or, more common nowadays, a song.

Parents are stepping away from the days when children were named after saints, often turning to something more niche, like music, for inspiration.

While I’m one of the former, named after the saint of fertility, I’ve often found myself being sung to when meeting people for the first time.

Unbeknownst to my parents, ‘Martha’ was not only the name of a saint at my birth but also a Tom Waits song.

I know I'm not the only one who has been awkwardly serenaded by a stranger, with approximately 90,000 Cecilias, 66,500 Roxannes, and 250,000 Valeries walking around the US alone.

FATHER'S CHOICE

Sally-Jean Bohan’s father knew he had found the perfect name for his daughter after hearing ‘Mustang Sally’ during the Jazz Festival in Kinsale. Picture: Larry Cummins

Sally-Jean Bohan was on the hunt for the perfect prop for this article, but unfortunately, couldn’t find a Mustang in time for print.

“It would have been great, you could have got a snap of me on the bonnet,’ Sally-Jean laughs. “I still haven’t managed to sit in one yet."

 ‘Mustang Sally’ was first recorded by Mack Rice in 1965 and popularised by Wilson Pickett in 1966 and The Commitments in 1991. It’s long been a classic hit, covered by musicians all over and inspiring the names of racecars, horses, and of course, Sally-Jean.

“Initially, my dad wanted to call me Jean after a close friend,” she explains. “But my mom didn’t like the name on its own so they tried forever to think of a name to go with it,” Sally-Jean fondly remembers the story of her father Ger, a beloved Kinsale skipper whose trawler was tragically lost at sea in 2007, coming up with her unique name. It makes it even more special.

“It was the Jazz Festival here in Kinsale in 1995, and Dad was cycling down to the pier and ‘Mustang Sally’ was playing in Actons Hotel as he cycled by.” “He didn’t even make it to the pier, he turned around and cycled home and went into Mam saying ‘I have it, I have it! Her name is going to be Sally-Jean'.

“They loved music,” Sally-Jean says. “The radio would always be on and they’d be dancing around the kitchen. Mam would still have a sing-along whenever an oldie comes on.” 

She says that she never sees the need to use her last name when making bookings, as she doesn’t expect another Sally-Jean to call.

“I’ve never met another. People always ask me how I got the name, so it’s nice to have a story about it.”

Even though she was teased in school by classmates singing to her, Sally-Jean still enjoys when the iconic song is played on night out.  “I’ll always have a dance when I hear it," she says. 

 “I’d definitely like to have a story behind my own child’s name someday. I’m still waiting for that inspiration Dad had. I'll have to keep the radio on!”

LOVE STORY

Nikita McCarthy. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Like Sally Jean, Nikita McCarthy often finds herself getting serenaded by people her parents’ age, even at work.

“I used to work in my local Supervalu when I was growing up and people would see my nametag and come up to me and just start singing,” she laughs, recalling the inspiration behind her name, Elton John’s 1985 hit ‘Nikita’.

“The song came out the year I was born, late in October. I was born in December and it was a big hit around that Christmas season. Number two in the UK I think and number one here.” 

Nikita is well-versed (pun intended) in her Elton facts, and laughs about her knowledge of the song's statistics.

“Oh, I well know the story behind it,” she says. The ballad, set in the Cold War, is thought to be about a couple separated by the Berlin Wall.

It seems far removed from life in West Cork, where Nikita grew up, but the song had one of its best chart performances in Ireland.

“I was going to be named Sabrina, but one day my parents heard ‘Nikita’ on the radio and they were like ‘that’s the one,’” she says.

“I was delighted because the show 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' came out when I was growing up so I was glad to avoid any nicknames that could have come with that.” 

Nikita and her parents are still big fans of the tune, and while she does get serenaded, she’s happy that she wasn’t named after a more popular song.

“I can’t imagine being named Eileen - and [the song] being sung to constantly,” she says.

“It’s nice that there aren’t that many people with mine, but the other thing is that everyone remembers you,” she laughs. “I can’t get away with much.” 

IT JUST WORKED 

Rhiannon Shaw was named after a hit song written by Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.

Rhiannon Shaw has only ever met one other person who shares her name, inspired by the Fleetwood Mac hit.

“Mom loves Fleetwood,” she says. “My parents always said if they had a daughter they’d name her Rhiannon. They tried out different names when I was born but nothing else stuck. It just worked.”

The 21-year-old student says that she hated the song when she was younger, which is understandable for a child who might be scared of being ‘taken by the sky’ like the lyrical version of her name.

“Growing up, they’d always play it for me in the car but I didn’t understand the lyrics. I used to cringe,” Rhiannon says. “But now I love it, I probably play it more than they do.” ‘Rhiannon’, written by Stevie Nicks in 1975, is one of Rolling Stone’s top 500 songs of all time and the name surged in popularity when it came out. It was also one of the top 500 baby names in 1999 when the song was re-released, the year Rhiannon Shaw was born.

However, while the tune is one of the band’s most popular, not everyone in Rhiannon's circle of friends knows it.

“Sometimes I’ll say I’m named after the song when I meet people but they usually don’t know what I’m talking about, like my parents' friends would."

"Others will tell me there’s a song with the same name and I’m like ‘Yeah, I’ve heard’,” she laughs.

Rhiannon’s parents were also big fans of The Corrs, naming her sister after their 1995 version of ‘Erin Shore’. However, Erin doesn’t get connected to her namesake as often as Rhiannon.

“It took 20 years for me to meet another Rhiannon, a customer who came into work, and she had only ever met one other one besides me,” she says.

“I know so many Rachels, and others with lovely, but common, names. It’s cool to have something more unique.

“I got to see Fleetwood Mac with my mom when they came to Dublin last year and it was amazing. We got to sing Rhiannon together with them, which is a lovely memory. It’s such a special connection to have.”