“Soul grabs you by the balls and lifts you above the shite. We’re playing Dublin soul!”

Thus begin the opening scenes of the 1991 movie “The Commitments,” based on the 1987 novel of the same name. Set in 1980s Dublin, they are rollicking accounts about the unlikely start of a fictional Irish soul band. Both book and film found enduring success. What is it about “The Commitments” that has stood the test of time? 

Author Roddy Doyle was a high school teacher when he wrote this short novel. It was the first of three books in his “Barrytown” trilogy, named for their downtrodden fictional setting. “The Commitments” contained little in the way of a traditional narrative, relying instead on the author’s ability to employ dialogue between characters to tell its story. The book launched a tremendous literary career for Doyle, winner of the 1993 Booker Prize for “Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.” 

Most books about bands are largely nonfiction, either biographies, recollections of the antics of rock bands or scholarly works on the cultural importance of a genre. Recommendations and examples of nonfiction are “Unknown Pleasures” written by Peter Hook of Joy Division, “Hammer of the Gods,” a seminal work on the rock ‘n roll lifestyle featuring Led Zeppelin, and “Dancing in the Street,” written about Motown’s role during the Civil Rights movement in America.

Doyle breaks the mold with “The Commitments,” combining contemporary dialogue, fiction, an existing genre of music, a large cast of characters and a great deal of comedy. It’s incredible that his first literary work succeeds on the level that it does, because it’s no mean feat to make up a believable (and hilarious) story about starting a soul band in economically grim 1980s Dublin. It’s a work of fiction about a young man with a vision and the short-lived recreation of a real musical genre in this unlikely setting. 

Movies about bands are virtually a genre unto themselves, ranging from fictional period pieces such as “Almost Famous,” to tributes like “24 Hour Party People” and biopics a la “The Doors.” Most feature soundtracks, and the music is as much of an attraction as the story being told. “The Commitments” is no exception, as the soundtrack is absolutely killer and the band is for real. “Daisy Jones & the Six,” based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, represents the most recent attempt to find this level of success using a similar template.

Why did the author choose soul—music created by Black Americans—as the preferred genre? The main character Jimmy’s heroes are Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and James Brown. Explaining his choice to potential bandmates, Jimmy frames it as a cultural response, saying “The Irish are the Negroes of Europe. An’ the Dubliners are the Negroes of Ireland. And the Northsiders are the Negroes of Dublin.” On the surface it may seem like dubious logic, but for people who’ve been far from the top since birth it rings true.

The dialogue is very much that of the Irish working class (“if we had any work” wryly notes one of the budding musicians). Doyle based his dialogue on the speech of his students, lending authenticity as well as some befuddlement for non-Irish natives. The overarching theme of “The Commitments” is a universal one, of people reaching for something better, to be noticed by others, to be able to say “I’m not a tosser. I’m not a loser” to the world. To matter is Everyman’s dream.

Compare this to the narrative of “Daisy Jones,” featuring white American suburbanites who live comfortable lives before launching an attempt at stardom. It’s a tale of fame for fame’s sake, and all its trappings. The narrative is shallow and little more than a fictional recreation of the tribulations of Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham.

The bands’ performances in “The Commitments” are superb and contribute a great deal to its success. Director Alan Parker (“Mississippi Burning,” “Midnight Express”) used a new method for filming these sequences, playing the background tracks loudly while shooting the live vocals. This eliminated the need for lip syncing and wearing hearing aids for the musicians. This method highlighted the vocals, particularly those of the female background singers and the band’s lead vocalist (an incredible 16- year-old Andrew Strong). These performances are the highlights of the film.

There’s infighting, jealousy, ambition, and all the usual human failings that combine to make success only a temporary event for the Commitments. Some characters continue with music, some find success, but most fade back into everyday life. All will be able to look back on a time when they were noticed, when they stood out, when they were “lifted above the shite.”

For the rest of us, “The Commitments” are timeless.

About the writer

Lori DuVall-Jackson is a Buffalo resident and graduate of Canisius University. Her passions include crime, music, and wildlife conservation. Her columns are published monthly in the My View section of the Buffalo News. Past work includes editorial credit for her contributions to “Charles Burchfield’s Journals-The Poetry of Place,” published by SUNY Press.