Public Image Ltd. (PiL) are among those confirmed to take part in this year’s Eurosong competition, the national selection to represent Ireland at the 67th annual Eurovision Song Contest. Their song, ‘Hawaii’, the most personal piece of songwriting from John Lydon, and is accompanied by artwork by John himself.
‘Hawaii’, which is available to stream and download here, is a love letter to John’s wife of nearly 5 decades, Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s Disease.
‘Hawaii’ sees John reflecting on their lifetime well spent, and in particular, one of their happiest moments together in Hawaii. An emotional ballad, ‘The powerfully emotional ballad ‘Hawaii’ is as close as John will ever come to bearing his soul.
“It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most,” says John. “It’s also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all.”
The Irish National Final, Eurosong, will take place from 9:30pm GMT (4:30p ET/1:30p PT) on Friday, February 3, 2023 on Ireland’s The Late Late Show, and can be live streamed on RTE Player here.
Celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2018, Public Image Ltd. haven’t been going quite as long as John and Nora, however, the band is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time.
PiL’s music and vision has earned them 5 UK Top 20 singles and 5 UK Top 20 albums. With a shifting line-up and unique sound – fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub – Lydon guided the band from their debut album, ‘First Issue’, in 1978 through to 1992s, ‘That What Is Not’. The band took a 17-year hiatus before Lydon reactivated PiL in 2009, which saw them touring extensively worldwide and releasing two critically acclaimed albums, ‘This Is PiL’, in 2012, followed by their 10th studio album, ‘What The World Needs Now…’, in 2015, which peaked at number 29 in the official UK album charts and picked up fantastic acclaim from both press and public. That album was self-funded by PiL and released on their own label ‘PiL Official’ via Cargo UK Distribution.
John Lydon, Lu Edmonds (multi-instrumentalist, Guitars) Bruce Smith (Percussion, drums), and Scott Firth (Bass, multi-instrumentalist), continue as PiL, the longest stable line-up in the band’s history and continue to challenge and thrive.
‘Hawaii’ is available on all digital platforms now, and will be released on limited edition 7” vinyl later in the year. PiL will be releasing a new album this year, with details to be announced soon.
Find out more about Public Image Limited online on their official website, Twitter, and Instagram.
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