Song · Damien Rice
“The Blower's Daughter” by Damien Rice
From the album O (2002)
“The Blower's Daughter” by Damien Rice appears on 8 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2009 and 2025. It was first released in 2002 on the album O. Its best result is #46 on the WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,660 indie & aaa song of all time and #251 of the '00s.
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Damien Rice introduced himself with "The Blower's Daughter", his first single, issued through 14th Floor Records in 2001 ahead of his debut album, O. Rice wrote and produced it, and Lisa Hannigan's voice shadows his, turning a hushed folk confession into something closer to a conversation.
What it is actually about has stayed a puzzle, mostly because Rice gave few interviews explaining his words. One popular reading ties it to the daughter of a clarinet teacher; another leans on a made-up story he told at shows about chatting with a woman while working in a call center. Some listeners hear Hannigan herself in it, since she was his partner until 2007. The mystery suits the song, which aches without ever showing its hand.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 46 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2009 | 483 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2013 | 307 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2019 | 535 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2019 | 535 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2022 | 275 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 710 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 457 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
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