Orange (song)

"Orange" is a song performed by Irish comedian David O'Doherty. It was released on CD in February 2007 as part of his attempts to have a "minor" hit single, preferably reaching number 27 in the charts. The exploits of O'Doherty trying to have this hit were featured in an episode of his television series, The Modest Adventures of David O'Doherty.

Background and Recording

The song was written and recorded by David O'Doherty onto standard CD-R discs using his own laptop. His phone number was written on the back of the single's homemade artwork so that if purchasers could not get the disc to play, they could contact him and he would play the song over the phone.

Release and Promotion

Fewer than 312 singles were produced, as this was the approximate number of sales needed to enter the Irish Singles Chart top 30. The physical single is now a rare collector's item. The song received limited radio airplay due to profanity in the lyrics toward the end. O'Doherty performed the song live at various radio stations, including Rick O'Shea's 2FM show, to promote it. The single was launched at the Oxfam branch on Parliament Street in Dublin, though it could not be purchased at the launch as it would not register in the Singles chart. The CD was available only at Tower Records and Road Records, both in Dublin.

Song Content

The song features a bouncy beat with a calmly sung verse and a drumming chorus. It tells the story of a man who works in a photocopy shop and makes his own badges, who has had no luck with women. A woman who was fired from a pizza parlour for being a militant vegetarian (she tried to make all pizzas vegetarian) also never gets asked out. She is a fan of Garfield and brings a poster into the photocopy shop, where she and the man strike up a conversation and arrange a date. However, she arrives wearing badly applied fake tan, making her "orange" in colour. The man is put off, but she leaves him first when he orders bacon snacks, which conflicts with her vegetarian beliefs. The lyrics reference orange-themed items including Garfield, Fanta, Tonka Trucks, and the Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Music Video

The music video acts out the song's story, interspersed with scenes of O'Doherty singing in a white suit on a beach. The part of the man is played by Irish comedian Bernard O'Shea.

Chart Performance

The song reached number 30 on the Irish Singles Chart. O'Doherty had hoped it would reach number 27, but that position was held by Jibbs's "Chain Hang Low". The song is considered a cult hit among O'Doherty's fans.

Personnel