Having completed his third full decade as a recording artist and announcing the treasure trove that is Charmed Life - The Best Of The Divine Comedy out February 4th 2022 - Neil Hannon releases the highly anticipated new single ‘The Best Mistakes' - listen here.
Led by uplifting strings that open up the new offering into an explosion of raw, honest joy, ‘The Best Mistakes’ sees Neil at his finest, a timely reminder of his songwriting legacy, further cementing him as a musical great.
“I began writing The Best Mistakes around 2007/8”, says Neil. “I got stuck after the first chorus and put it to one side. It wasn’t until I was putting together this compilation that the concept of ‘my best mistakes’ suddenly made sense. Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other.”
The video for The Best Mistakes, directed by long term collaborator Raphaël Neal, finds Neil in retrospective mode casting a reflective gaze over his career. Raphaël says: “It was Neil's idea to have moments from his career projected onto him. Going through 30 years of imagery was really moving - so rich in colors, costumes, stories. We were witnessing an artist's journey. The song is about looking behind with kindness, remembering the highs and the lows, but also pays tribute to being at peace with the present. As Neil says in the lyrics, "if I had to choose between then and now I’d choose now."
A 24 track career-spanning roster of hit singles and fan favourites, compiled by Neil and remastered at Abbey Road Studios, Charmed Life includes monumental tracks ‘National Express’, ‘Something For The Weekend’, ‘Songs of Love’, ‘Our Mutual Friend’, ‘A Lady of A Certain Age’, ‘To The Rescue’ and ‘Norman and Norma’ - as well as ‘The Best Mistakes.’
The Best Of will arrive as a 24 track standard 2CD; double heavyweight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with download card; limited edition double heavyweight colour vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with download card; and as a limited edition 3CD edition containing the 24 track Best Of as well as “Super Extra Bonus Album” - a collection of new and unreleased recordings.
In 1990 musical history was made when a 20 year old Neil Hannon signed his first record deal and began releasing one glorious album after another under the name The Divine Comedy. Twelve magnificent albums and hundreds of spellbinding shows later, Neil Hannon is now, without doubt, a national treasure and one of the finest singer songwriters of his generation.
Neil Hannon is also writing original songs for the film ‘Wonka’, starring Timothée Chalamet, set to open in theaters March 17th, 2023.
The Divine Comedy will be touring in Spring 2022.
Charmed Life - The Best Of Divine Comedy Tracklisting
- Charmed Life
- National Express
- Norman And Norma
- Something For The Weekend
- Songs Of Love
- The Best Mistakes
- At The Indie Disco
- Bad Ambassador
- A Lady Of A Certain Age
- Becoming More Like Alfie
- Come Home Billy Bird
- Have You Ever Been In Love
- Our Mutual Friend
- Generation Sex
- How Can You Leave Me On My Own
- Perfect Lovesong
- Your Daddy’s Car
- You'll Never Work In This Town Again
- Absent Friends
- Everybody Knows (Except You)
- The Certainty Of Chance
- Sunrise
- To The Rescue
- Tonight We Fly
Bonus (Deluxe 3CD / Deluxe Digital / LP download card)
- I’ll Take What I Can Get
- Don’t Make Me Go Outside
- Who Do You Think You Are
- The Adventurous Type
- When When When
- Home For The Holidays
- Te Amo España
- Perfect Lovesong 2021
- Simple Pleasures
- Those Pesky Kids