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They've only just begun to crack the U.S. pop charts, but the Corrs are already international stars. Their third album, In Blue, spikes the bright sheen of radio-friendly pop and sweetly layered harmonies with a touch o' the Irish -- violin, tin whistles, and a drum called a bodhran. On the eve of the album's release, siblings Jim and Caroline Corr talked with Barnes & Noble.com's Pop editor, Lydia Vanderloo, about the stress of stardom and what they listen to on the tour bus.
Barnes & Noble.com: You've toured most of the world, and you've been No. 1 in several countries. Where do you find the most rabid fans?
Caroline Corr: Spain -- they went mad!
Jim Corr: And the Italians. We were accosted by Italians the other day. I had to try to save Andrea because she was getting mobbed. The fans tend to be a bit more fanatic in that part of the world.
B&N.com: When you tour the world, do you hear pop music from other countries that you might not have been exposed to when you're at home?
CC: Well, definitely, there's a continuity with the likes of 'N Sync, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. You hear them on both sides of the planet. At home, like here, we'll hear the Foo Fighters...
JC: ...and Collective Soul and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
B&N.com: What about in other countries in Europe when you're traveling or when you're in Asia?
JC: In Asia, people tend to listen to Michael Jackson and Madonna. And a lot of what you hear tends to be dominated by boy bands and girl bands as well.
B&N.com: Let's talk about your new album. My immediate favorite on the record was "Radio." It has a really good chorus to it, and because it's about the radio, it seems tailor-made for airplay. When you wrote it, did you think, Oh, this would be great for the radio?
CC: Well, I think to Sharon, it's not really about that. Well, I suppose it is partly, but it's more about those times when you're feeling moody.
B&N.com: So, it was more about the experience of having the radio there as a friend?
CC: Yeah. It was more about feeling lonely and having that.
B&N.com: When you're writing new songs, is it intentional or unintentional how much of a traditional Irish sound gets worked?
JC: When we are writing a song which tends to be predominantly pop, we'll try to write a melody of the land to suit the song, whether it's in the middle or top of the song or ingrained throughout the song. Sometimes, unfortunately, it's like trying to put a square peg into a round hole; it's just not going to fit.
B&N.com: And if it doesn't fit...
JC: We don't put it in. We'll just leave it as a good rock or good pop track.
B&N.com: The last song on the record, "Rebel Heart," is a very traditional-sounding instrumental piece.
CC: Well, Sharon wrote that a long time ago for a BBC series called Rebel Heart. We put forward this theme tune that Sharon had written, and they loved it and ended up building it more into a theme tune. So we thought, Let's put it on the record.
B&N.com: What about the song "Hurt." That seems like a very emotional song, a very serious and empathetic song. Is it about someone in particular, or is it about a fictional person?
CC: No. Andrea wrote it. I wrote it with her. I wrote the music, and she wrote the lyrics, so the lyrics are about her. It's quite personal to her, I think. You know, we've all been hurt before, and it's more uplifting toward the end than it feels because it's basically telling all the people that we've all been hurt before.
B&N.com: Is it harder or easier to write such an honest song?
JC: It's probably a lot easier. I mean, trying to contrive something that did not come naturally to you in terms of inspiration is difficult. You could be watching television and you could be seeing a certain event taking place which provokes emotions in you that you want to write about, but that's still from the heart. It's got to be from real-life experiences, and when we write we slightly embellish upon real-life experiences.
B&N.com: You covered Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" before, and that seems to get a lot of positive reaction from people. Do you do any other cover tunes?
JC: We've done...what's that Jimi Hendrix song? "Little Wing"! And...
CC: Phil Lynott's "Old Town."
JC: There's a beautiful Irish singer called Mary Black, who released a song called "No Frontiers," and we also do that live.
B&N.com: Have you recorded any of those?
CC: On an MTV Unplugged. It wasn't released here, but it was released in Europe.
B&N.com: When you're on the road, what kind of music do you like to take on the bus or listen to on your Walkman?
JC: Oh, dear God, the tour bus. We tend to listen to the Jerky Boys. It's not exactly music, but it keeps us in good humor. We all listen to different types of stuff. I listen to Craig David and Morcheeba at the moment.
CC: I've listened to a lot of Crowded House on the bus, but at the moment, I listen to Air. And Macy Gray.
B&N.com: What's your favorite Prince record?
CC: I love Lovesexy. And I love Purple Rain.
B&N.com: Have you seen the film Purple Rain?
CC: I have seen that one. That's a bit cheesy -- a bit of a cringe factor. But I love all those songs still.
B&N.com: Ireland is such a small country, and there aren't many Irish acts that go on to such international renown. U2 is obviously huge, but there haven't been that many. You must be quite revered in Ireland.
JC: I think we get a large amount of pride from people, which is great. It's wonderful to make people feel proud. But U2 are such a fantastic success.
B&N.com: And they've also called a lot of attention to political issues, things that they care about personally, and really speaking out.
CC: Definitely, they're good at that. But we're not that kind of band. We never have been.
B&N.com: Do you think you ever would be?
CC: No. There's enough people doing it.
JC: I wouldn't say no. We did get involved in putting on a charity concert for the people of [the Northern Irish town of] Omagh and that horrible bombing that happened. I don't think we're the type of band to go around preaching to people, particularly when our job is music. We're not politicians. But it's great to be able to use our so-called celebrity status to highlight awareness about certain issues.
B&N.com: So you prefer to respond to certain events through your actions rather than through your songs? Your songs tend to be more personal, about relationships, right?
CC: We've always written more pop songs, so we don't want to get too serious about life. Maybe they will at some stage, but you know...We're just more optimistic and more happy about life.
B&N.com: Is that something that you would like to leave your fans with when they listen to your records?
CC: We'd like them to feel uplifted.
JC: I was reading a magazine today, a survey of the most important things in people's life, you know, whether it's financial predicaments or career prospects. And love and relationships came first with most people. It is very much the priority for the majority of people on this planet, that's what they long for the most is a fulfilling relationship, so that's what we tend to write about.
September 12, 2000