De Burgh was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles John Davison, MBE, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, an Irish secretary. His maternal grandfather was Sir Eric de Burgh, a British Army officer who had been Chief of the General Staff in India during the Second World War. He took his mother's name, "de Burgh", when he began performing. His father had substantial farming interests, and Chris spent much of his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Zaire, as he, his mother and brother accompanied Colonel Davison on his diplomatic and engineering work.
The Davisons finally settled in Bargy Castle, County Wexford, Ireland, which was somewhat dilapidated at the time. It was a twelfth-century castle which Eric de Burgh bought in the 1960s. He converted it into a hotel, and the young Chris sang for the guests there.
After attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire, England, de Burgh went on to graduate from Trinity College, Dublin, with a Master of Arts degree in French, English and History.
Chris de Burgh signed his first contract with A&M Records in 1974, and supported Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour, building himself a small fan base. His début album, Far Beyond These Castle Walls, was a folk-tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of the Moody Blues. It failed to chart upon its release in late 1974. A few months later, he released a single called "Turning Round" from the album, released outside the UK and Ireland as "Flying". It failed to make an impression in the UK, but it stayed on top of the Brazilian charts for 17 weeks. This became a familiar pattern for the singer/songwriter, as every one of his 1970s albums failed to chart in the UK or US while they racked up big sales in continental European and South American countries.
In 1975 his second album, Spanish Train and Other Stories, was released. Whilst (again) not a huge commercial success, the album and tour expanded the fan base, with de Burgh starting to attract a cult following. Along with the epic title track, other fan favourite tracks from the album included "Patricia The Stripper" and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (the latter released the following year as a single).
1977's third album, At the End of a Perfect Day, whilst well received and featuring both former Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks and later Fairport drummer Gerry Conway, failed to push de Burgh's career significantly, leading to the release of his fourth album Crusader in 1979. Crusader took a more electric direction, including guitar contributions from Ian Bairnson (formerly of Pilot), bass player David Paton (also of Pilot), and drummer Stuart Elliott (formerly of both Cockney Rebel and of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel), all of whom were also working, at the time, with Kate Bush. The album also featured Sky keyboard player Francis Monkman and Mike Moran. Whilst it attracted a significant number of new fans, Crusader still failed to break through in the UK and US. 1980's Eastern Wind also failed to build further on the (still cult) following in the major territories.
In 1981 de Burgh had his first UK chart entry with Best Moves, a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine produced The Getaway, which reached number 30 in the UK charts and number 43 in the US, thanks to the eerie single "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK.
Chris de Burgh had an across-the-board success with the ballad "The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the single became a number one hit in the UK (number three in America) and its accompanying album, Into the Light, reached number two in the UK (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 Christmas song "A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the UK. Flying Colours, his follow-up to Into the Light, entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. De Burgh never hit the US charts again and his commercial fortunes began to slide slightly in Britain in the early 1990s, yet he retained a following around the world. This is mainly due to inactivity of his previous recording label A&M Records UK division in the U.S.
In 1997 de Burgh composed a song entitled "There's a New Star Up in Heaven Tonight", dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales. The song was released as a 100-copy limited edition and included on the compilations The Ultimate Collection (2000) and Now and Then (2009).
In 2007 a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However, the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country.
He was the first Western act to play in Lebanon after the Lebanese Civil War.
On 25 June 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Chris de Burgh among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Broken Wings
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm lost, and out at sea,
I thought these wings would hold me forever,
And on to eternity,
And far away I can hear your voice,
I can hear it in the silence of the morning,
But these broken wings have let me down,
They can't even carry me home.
In broken dreams that keep me from sleeping,
I remember all the things I said,
Well I've broken all the promises,
I said I would be keeping,
They're gone, like leaves they fell,
For it's so hard when you're far away,
All I needed was a shoulder I could cry on,
Now these broken dreams have woken me,
My love, will you carry me home.
Or will you treat me like some traveler,
On a dark and lonely road,
Who sees a light and a woman who will give him love,
Oh and just when she reaches the part,
When she's supposed to comfort his broken heart,
She turns away, and sends him traveling on, on,
Oh when I left I believed that nothing would go wrong,
I thought the whole world would be waiting for my story,
Take me back, my love, I need you now,
Come back and carry me home,
Take me back and heal theses broken wings,
Come back and carry me home.
Chris de Burgh's "Broken Wings" is a poignant song that explores the themes of loneliness, betrayal, and broken promises. The chorus "These broken wings can take me no further," symbolizes the singer's struggle of being lost and out at sea, feeling like he's unable to have control over his life. The song is an expression of the singer's passion and desire for his lover to understand his pain and distress as he longs for her support and comfort.
The lyrics also reveal the singer's disappointment with his broken promises and shattered dreams, which keep him up at night. He's aware that he let his loved one down, which creates an emotional distance between them. He's pleading for her to take him back and fix his broken wings, but he's afraid of being disappointed again. The song's final lines also suggest that the singer feels like he's been left stranded by his lover, and he's afraid of being left alone with his broken wings.
Line by Line Meaning
These broken wings can take me no further,
My abilities and strength have been exhausted, I feel stranded and helpless.
I'm lost, and out at sea,
I am confused and adrift, my path is uncertain.
I thought these wings would hold me forever,
I believed that my abilities and resources were infinite and would never fail me.
And on to eternity,
I believed that my strength and success would extend infinitely into the future.
And far away I can hear your voice,
Even though I am physically distant from you, I can still feel a connection to you.
I can hear it in the silence of the morning,
Your voice is most apparent when there is peace and quiet around me.
But these broken wings have let me down,
Despite my expectations, my abilities and resources have failed me.
They can't even carry me home.
I feel powerless and unable to return to where I belong.
In broken dreams that keep me from sleeping,
My unfulfilled aspirations and regrets prevent me from finding rest and peace.
I remember all the things I said,
I reflect on my words and promises from the past.
Well I've broken all the promises,
I have failed to keep my commitments and obligations.
I said I would be keeping,
I made assurances to others that I was unable to fulfill.
They're gone, like leaves they fell,
My promises have dissipated and disappeared, much like leaves falling from a tree.
For it's so hard when you're far away,
I find it difficult to cope and manage when distant from my loved ones.
All I needed was a shoulder I could cry on,
I longed for someone to confide in and provide emotional support.
Now these broken dreams have woken me,
My failure to achieve my dreams and ambitions has caused me to face the harsh reality of my situation.
My love, will you carry me home.
I seek comfort and help from my loved one to overcome my difficulties.
Or will you treat me like some traveler,
I fear that my loved one may not show compassion and empathy towards me, but instead treat me as a stranger.
On a dark and lonely road,
These fears and worries add to the sense of isolation and despair that I feel.
Who sees a light and a woman who will give him love,
I long for hope and love to guide me out of the darkness.
Oh and just when she reaches the part,
When I finally find a glimmer of hope and help from someone else,
When she's supposed to comfort his broken heart,
When I expect the person to show empathy and kindness,
She turns away, and sends him traveling on, on,
They instead disappoint me and leave me to struggle on my own.
Oh when I left I believed that nothing would go wrong,
I had a naive and optimistic outlook, and did not anticipate facing difficulties or failures.
I thought the whole world would be waiting for my story,
I had arrogance and conceit, thinking that everyone would be interested and impressed by my achievements.
Take me back, my love, I need you now,
I realize that I cannot face my problems alone, and require the support and love of my partner.
Come back and carry me home,
I plead with my loved one to help me overcome my struggles and return to a place of safety and comfort.
Take me back and heal these broken wings,
I ask my partner to help me recover and regain my strength and abilities.
Come back and carry me home.
I continue to implore my loved one to support me and guide me to a better place.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BASTIAAN F. FRANK HARTHOORN, BOUDEWIJN V. BONEBAKKER, EDWARD R. ED WARBIE, JAN C. JAN CHRIS DE KOEIJER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Wheeler
Such a beautiful song with so much relevance, Chris had such a way of telling a story in song, amazing underrated artist ,one of the best
Michel Charette
Great album ... one of my favourites
Manyils64
i love this song. i can hear this song play in the background of my soul even when im working, this song takes me places.
progtoeternity
This live version is so superior to the original. Loaded with heartfelt emotions and acoustics that flows like a peaceful river.... A delight, an oasis in those troubled times
Marnie Parney
Oh, the memories. Singing along with the rest of you.
Paul Magandazi
So inspirational message.
John-Juan Martinez
Nice song
Nickey Walker
I'm in the middle of a break up and this gives me strength and courage Xxxx
Maddog Richards
Got the album, but I needed a quick fix...lol.. Thanks..
Typo's.. If I may...
For it's so hard when you're far away,
All I needed was a shoulder I could cry on,
Now these broken dreams have woken me,
Louise Ann
Oh just had to sing this through . Superb.