"Ah! Leah!"
Single by Donnie Iris
from the album Back on the Streets
B-side"Joking"
ReleasedOctober 1980
Recorded1980
GenreRock, new wave, power pop
Length3:41
LabelMidwest National, MCA Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mark Avsec
Donnie Iris singles chronology
"Ah! Leah!"
(1980)		 "I Can't Hear You"
(1981)

"Ah! Leah!" is a song by Mark Avsec and American rock musician Donnie Iris from the latter's 1980 album Back on the Streets. The song has been described as Iris's signature song,[1] as well the unofficial anthem of the city of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as a whole.[2]

Eight musicians appeared in early live performances of the song, including lead singer Iris, a drummer, three guitar players, a keyboard player and at least two backing vocalists, one female and one male.

The title of the song has been referred to in the form of puns on a few of Iris's later albums—the 2009 live album Ah! Live! and the 2010 Christmas album Ah! Leluiah!.

Composition

Iris said,

When Mark and I wrote that together in my basement, around the piano, Mark originally had the idea of an anti-war song. And in the background, we wanted to have a hook, or a chorus, or a tune, that sounded almost like a Gregorian chant. And somehow, Mark came up with 'ah, Leah' as just a chant. It wasn't a chick's name, or a certain person or individual in particular. I said, 'You know what, Mark? That's a chick's name.' So that's how we named it 'Ah, Leah.'

It just so happens that there was a girl by the name of Leah who had dated one of the guys in The Jaggerz years ago. She was a very pretty girl, and I had always loved her name. So, instead of an anti-war tune, which we messed around with but couldn't find anything in, it just turned into a love song. Isn't that weird?"[3]

A 2008 report by The Beaver County Times revealed that the Leah in question was Leah Frankford of Chippewa Township, Pennsylvania near Iris's hometown of Ellwood City. Frankford had moved to Florida just before The Jaggerz hit it big, and got confirmation from Iris himself after Iris's girlfriend by chance became friends with Frankford's daughter through Iris's mortgage business. Frankford had moved back to Beaver County by the time the song came out, and always noticed many girls at her two daughters softball games also named Leah.[2]

Chart performance

It was released as a single in late 1980 and reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, 22 on the Cash Box Top 100 and 19 on the US Billboard Top Tracks chart, and was most popular in Canada, where it became a Top 10 hit.[4]

The song has become the unofficial anthem of the city of Pittsburgh and remains a staple on local radio stations alongside Iris's other hit songs such as The Rapper and Love is Like a Rock.[2] It has also made appearances involving Pittsburgh's sports teams, including by the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park and used as bumper music by NBC whenever the Pittsburgh Steelers play on NBC Sunday Night Football.

Album appearances

Cover versions

  • Electric Six covered the song on their cover-album Mimicry and Memories (2015).[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Popdose Guide to Donnie Iris and the Cruisers: It's a Rough World". Popdose. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ah-ha! It's Leah!".
  3. ↑ Wiser, Carl (10 September 2006). "Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Top Singles". RPM. 21 March 1981. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 149. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 410.
  7. ↑ "Top 100 1981-03-28". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "Final track listing for Mimicry and Memories". Retrieved 29 March 2015.



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