"The Unicorn" is a song written by Shel Silverstein and was first released in 1962 on his album Inside Folk Songs.
Background
The lyrics to the song also appear, printed as a poem, in Shel Silverstein's book Where the Sidewalk Ends. In the original version of the song, The Irish Rovers speak half of the lyrics, as well as the part of the 4th Chorus. The final line of the 5th verse is spoken freely without the music: "And that's why you'll never see a Unicorn to this very day". On the remakes most of the song is sung, again except for the final line, which is spoken freely without the music. It can still be heard regularly in Irish Pubs.
"The Unicorn"was made very popular by The Irish Rovers in 1968. It remains one of the best-known songs in the Irish Rovers' long career. It sold 8 million copies worldwide and in their native Ireland, the song peaked at #5 on the Irish Singles Chart.. Elsewhere, "The Unicorn" peaked at #4 in Canada, and in the US, reached #2 on the US Adult Contemporary Chart, and #7 on the Hot 100,
His songbook, "Dirty Feet", includes a discography saying that, along with The Irish Rovers and Silverstein's versions, "The Unicorn" had been recorded by
Bill Anderson
Shay Duffin
Robert Goulet
Bob Turner
Uncle Bill".
Will Millar of The Irish Rovers recorded another, earlier version of the song with the St. Michaels Kids.. In 1981 Millar opened an Irish pub in Toronto under the name The Unicorn. Sister pubs were also opened, including one at the site of Expo 86 where the Irish Rovers recorded a live version of the song.
In 1968 the song was covered by Irish trio The Bachelors.
Also in 1968, a French version, La Licorne, was recorded by Les Compagnons de la Chanson, and Also recorded once French by Canadian girl group Les Coquettes that same year, and a German version, Bunte Papagaien und ein grünes Krokodil, was recorded by Andy Fisher.
In 1986, the song was covered by the Kidsongs Kids in their Kidsongs video "Good Night, Sleep Tight" and the sad part was left out.
In 2006, Massachusetts folk singersThe Nields covered the song on their record "All Together Singing In The Kitchen," a CD geared towards their youngest fans.
Famous Australian children's band The Wiggles covered the song with Irish singer Morgan Crowley on their 2009 album The Wiggles Go Bananas!
Description
According to the song, the unicorn was not a fantasy, but a creature that literally missed the boat by not boarding the Ark in time to be saved from the Great Flood described in the Bible. They are said to be the loveliest of all animals but also silly.
Addendum
Andrew McKee later wrote new lyrics for Brobdingnagian Bards' album Songs of Ireland explaining that unicorns were magical creatures, and as the Great Flood was in progress, they grew wings and acquired the power to fly above the waters. He concluded the rewritten refrain by writing that to find them, one should seek out, in James M. Barrie's words from Peter Pan that explained how to reach Never-Never Land, "the second star to the right and straight on until morning."
