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)
Steel River
Chris Rea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see it all like it was yesterday
The ships and bridges they were all delivered
From Sydney harbour to the Cisco bay
And I met my love down on steel river
We served our dreams and spent our childhood days
In rainy streets we'd kiss away the shivers
Dancing to Motown
Making love with Carole King record playing
And oh how I loved you
Say goodbye steel river
Ten thousand bombers hit the steel river
And many died to keep her running free
And she survived but now she's gone forever
Her burning heart is just a memory
And I ran away from life on steel river
Luck or not I gladly took the break
The odds were low the chances nearly zero
A chance it was I had to take
Say goodbye steel river
They say that salmon swim in steel river
They say it's good to see them back again
I know it hurts to see what really happened
I know one salmon ain't no good to them
They were born and raised to serve their steel mother
It was they taught and all they ever knew
And they believed that she would keep their children
Even though not a single word was true
Say goodbye steel river
The song "Steel River" by Chris Rea tells the story of his childhood and young adulthood in his hometown, where the steel industry was a major part of life. Rea begins with a nostalgic tone, describing how he was born and raised on steel river and how he can still vividly remember the ships and bridges being delivered. He reminisces about his youthful love, and how they would dance to Motown and make love while listening to Carole King records. However, the song takes a darker turn when Rea brings up the bombing of steel river in World War II, and how many people died to keep the industry running free. In the end, Rea leaves steel river, acknowledging the hardships that he faced while living there.
The lyrics serve as a poetic and emotional tribute to a bygone era of industry and working-class communities. The use of motifs such as "steel river," "rainy streets," and "Motown" add depth and meaning to Rea's storytelling. The juxtaposition of love and war, hope and despair, make the song a powerful commentary on the human costs of industrialization.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born and raised on steel river
I grew up in the town that thrived due to the industries based around the steel river.
I see it all like it was yesterday
I still have a fresh memory of everything that happened back then.
The ships and bridges they were all delivered
The steel river was the lifeline delivering everything from constructions to raw materials.
From Sydney harbour to the Cisco bay
The steel river was a significant delivery route from Sydney harbour to the Cisco bay.
And I met my love down on steel river
I met my significant other in the town that revolves around steel river.
We served our dreams and spent our childhood days
We spent our best days chasing our dreams in the steel river town.
In rainy streets we'd kiss away the shivers
In the rainy weather, we would express our love to avoid feeling cold and shivers.
And hide from fear inside the latest craze
We'd take shelter from our fears in the newest and latest trends.
Dancing to Motown
We'd enjoy shaking a leg to the rhythm of Motown music.
Making love with Carole King record playing
We'd enjoy quality intimate moments while listening to our favorite Carole King records.
And oh how I loved you
I had a passionate love for the person I met in the steel river town.
Say goodbye steel river
I bid farewell to the town that I lived in for so long.
Ten thousand bombers hit the steel river
During the war, steel river was a significant target of bombing raid with ten thousand bombs.
And many died to keep her running free
Many people lost their lives while trying to keep the steel river industries running.
And she survived but now she's gone forever
Although the steel river industries did survive the war, they disappeared anyway.
Her burning heart is just a memory
The once thriving steel river now exists only in people's memories.
And I ran away from life on steel river
I decided to escape from the struggles and the monotony of life in the steel river town.
Luck or not I gladly took the break
Whether it was merely luck or fate, I was happy to get a break from steel river town life.
The odds were low the chances nearly zero
I knew the odds weren't in my favor, but I still took the risk.
A chance it was I had to take
I had no choice but to seize the opportunity that presented itself.
They say that salmon swim in steel river
There is a belief that salmon can swim once again in the steel river.
They say it's good to see them back again
Many view it as an encouraging sign that the salmon has come back to steel river.
I know it hurts to see what really happened
Despite the rejoicing of salmon's return, it's hard to ignore how devastatingly industrialization affected the river.
I know one salmon ain't no good to them
I realized that the return of one salmon may not do anything substantial to heal the problems caused by industrialization.
They were born and raised to serve their steel mother
The people of the steel river town were brought up and trained to serve the town's mighty steel industries.
It was they taught and all they ever knew
They were taught only to live and work to keep the steel river town functioning, and it was all they ever knew.
And they believed that she would keep their children
The people trusted the steel river to provide the livelihood for present and future generations.
Even though not a single word was true
The true reality was that the steel river industries failed to deliver the promises made to the people.
Say goodbye steel river
One final time, I bid farewell to the town that I grew up in, worked in and loved.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTON REA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samrichardson280
A song for the whole of Middlesbrough and Teesside to cherish. This is our history ❤️
@brentblasi7899
You know what I like about Chris Rea, he writes and plays music for us.
@alexanderreno3812
One of the most beautiful songs ever made.
@markgreen7378
Another great Yorkshireman from Middlesbrough like Cloughy.
@markgrant9815
A privilege to have grown up with these songs. A Gateshead lad who happened to work alongside Chris cousin, The man's songs legendary and to write about the place you were born with such passion! fantastic. The shipyards all over England and Scotland that had the hearts ripped out of them by a narrow minded government, leaving proud, skilled, working men and women abandoned as they did with the Pits unforgettable. You so called leaders of this land could never write a song with such passion about the working class ! Remember it was those people who made Britain great once upon a time.
@stevebroomfield4000
Mark Grant Well said!
@jrichard711
The same is true on our side of the pond, brother.
@nicholasgrant2532
Mark Grant my personal favourite. Utterly brilliant 👍👍
@deanobmx
Those people that went on strike every other week, yes thank god those days are over.....
@hagar6359
Same here mate, I am originally from there too. I saw much of the heavy engineering industry go to waste. And NOT because of unions. I've been listening to Chris since the mid 70s on Radio Tees to start with - Mark Page. OMG I can still remember that lol