Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues sing… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". The album, The Road to Hell (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, Auberge (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine", "On the Beach", "Let's Dance", "Driving Home for Christmas", "Working on It", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge" and "Julia". He also recorded a duet with Elton John, "If You Were Me". Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

He has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, earning him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, "Working On It" topped the Mainstream Rock chart. He has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea

Studio albums
Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (Magnet, 1978)
Deltics (Magnet, 1979)
Tennis (Magnet, 1980)
Chris Rea (Magnet, 1981)
Water Sign (Magnet, 1983)
Wired to the Moon (Magnet, 1984)
Shamrock Diaries (Magnet, 1985)
On the Beach (Magnet, 1986)
Dancing with Strangers (Magnet, 1987)
The Road to Hell (WEA, 1989)
Auberge (EastWest, 1991)
God's Great Banana Skin (EastWest, 1992)
Espresso Logic (EastWest, 1993)
La Passione (soundtrack, EastWest, 1996)
The Blue Cafe (EastWest, 1998)
The Road to Hell: Part 2 (EastWest, 1999)
King of the Beach (EastWest, 2000)
Dancing Down the Stony Road/Stony Road (Jazzee Blue, 2002
Blue Street (Five Guitars) (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
Hofner Blue Notes (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
The Blue Jukebox (Jazzee Blue, 2004)
Blue Guitars (Jazzee Blue, 2005)
The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (Jazzee Blue, 2008)
Santo Spirito Blues (Jazzee Blue, 2011)
Road Songs for Lovers (Jazzee Blue, 2017)
One Fine Day (Rhino, limited release, 2019)

Heading for the City
Chris Rea Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All my friends packing up,
Loading up their Volvo's
And their pick up trucks
Going down the road,
To try their luck
So spin that dream,
Go heading for the city
Roll that dice,

Say a prayer,
Light a candle for me
When you get there,
Win or lose,
We're heading for the city

Well I got a problem hear what I say
They're telling me I got to move away
I was happy here,
They tell me I can't stay
Now what's screaming rain is heading this way
For those who sleep and choose to stay
The game they didn't know
They had to play
So win or lose
We're heading for the city
So roll that dice
Say a prayer
Light a candle for me
When you get there,

Win or lose,
We're heading for the city

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chris Rea's song "Heading for the City" are full of hope, determination, and a sense of adventure. The opening verse describes the scene of people packing up and leaving their hometowns to go to the city in search of a better life. The imagery of friends leaving together in their vehicles, inspired by their dreams and hopes, paints a picture of a society of people who are not content with the status quo and are not afraid to pursue their dreams. This verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, and is a reminder to the listener to keep chasing their goals, regardless of the obstacles that may arise.

The second verse shifts the perspective to that of the singer facing a problem of his own. He is happy in his current location, but circumstances are forcing him to leave. The sense of displacement and being uprooted is palpable in the lyrics, as he faces the unknown future with a mixture of uncertainty and determination. The line "So win or lose, we're heading for the city" is a powerful declaration of the human spirit's innate desire to move forward and take the next step, despite not knowing what lies ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

All my friends packing up,
All of my companions are packing their belongings ready to go

Loading up their Volvo's
Putting all their things in their Volvo cars

And their pick up trucks
In addition to those who have Volvo were also those who have pickup vehicles

Going down the road,
Travelling on the path

To try their luck
To attempt to succeed

So spin that dream,
Dream big

Go heading for the city
Travel towards the metropolis

Roll that dice,
Take a gamble

Say a prayer,
Offer a prayer or request for assistance

Light a candle for me
Light a candle to represent me

When you get there,
Once you arrive in the city