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.
By My Side
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all right I'm not lost,
I've got a reading on the Southern Cross,
And I've been listening to the radio,
For signs of new life,
Some people find the game too tough,
And there are those who've simply had enough,
I'm going the distance;
Whatever it takes, I have to fight,
To build a better world, and make it right,
And when I am alone, it's late at night,
I reach out and you're right here by my side;
When everything has gone,
You help me carry on,
You lift me up, you make me strong,
You give love to see me through,
Oo oo oo what would I do,
Without you by my side,
By my side,
And out here on the flight,
I'm on a wing and a prayer tonight,
The moon is showing me the way to go,
I'm flying forever.
I've got what it takes, to win the fight,
And build a better world, and make it right,
But when I am alone, it's late at night,
I reach out and you're here by my side,
When everything has gone,
You help me carry on,
You lift me up, you make me strong,
You give love to see me through,
Oo oo oo what would I do,
Without you by my side,
Always you're in my heart,
Always by my side,
Always you're in my life,
Always right here, and I love you now,
Always you're in my world,
Always I think what would I do without you, without you,
By my side,
Always you're in my heart
And I need you now
The lyrics of Chris de Burgh's song By My Side describe the singer's determination to persevere through life's challenges with the support of a loved one. The opening lines express the singer's confidence in their own direction, using the Southern Cross as a guiding star. The subsequent lines describe a world full of people who have given up on their dreams, but the singer has not, and will continue to pursue their ambitions "going the distance."
The second verse continues this theme of determination, describing the singer's commitment to building a better world no matter what it takes. However, as the lyrics progress, the singer reveals that although they have what it takes to keep fighting, they still need support from someone else to keep going. The chorus repeats the phrase "By My Side," which serves as a reminder that the support of a loved one is always there, even when everything else has gone.
The song ends with the singer expressing their abiding love for their supporter and their recognition of the profound impact that this person has on their life. Overall, the lyrics of the song deliver a powerful message of perseverance, love, and the importance of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all right I'm not lost,
I'm not lost, everything is okay.
I've got a reading on the Southern Cross,
I know where I am and where I'm going.
And I've been listening to the radio,
I've been searching for a sign of hope.
For signs of new life,
I'm seeking a new beginning.
Some people find the game too tough,
Some people give up when things get difficult.
And there are those who've simply had enough,
Others have lost their will to go on.
But I'm still here and I'm not giving up,
I'm still trying, I haven't given up.
I'm going the distance;
I'm determined to succeed.
Whatever it takes, I have to fight,
I'll do whatever I need to do to succeed.
To build a better world, and make it right,
I want to make the world a better place.
And when I am alone, it's late at night,
My doubts and fears haunt me when I'm alone at night.
I reach out and you're right here by my side;
You comfort me when I need it most.
When everything has gone,
When everything falls apart.
You help me carry on,
You give me the strength to keep going.
You lift me up, you make me strong,
You empower me and bring out my strength.
You give love to see me through,
Your love helps me overcome hardships.
Oo oo oo what would I do,
I don't know what I'd do.
Without you by my side,
If you weren't here to support me.
And out here on the flight,
In the midst of my journey.
I'm on a wing and a prayer tonight,
I'm taking a chance, hoping for the best.
The moon is showing me the way to go,
The moon is guiding my path.
I'm flying forever.
I'll keep going no matter what.
I've got what it takes, to win the fight,
I have what I need to succeed.
And build a better world, and make it right,
To make the world a better place.
But when I am alone, it's late at night,
My doubts and fears still haunt me at night.
I reach out and you're here by my side,
You're still here to support me.
Always you're in my heart,
You will always be in my heart.
Always by my side,
You'll always be there for me.
Always you're in my life,
You play a significant role in my life.
Always right here, and I love you now,
You are here for me now and I love you.
Always you're in my world,
You are part of my world.
Always I think what would I do without you, without you,
I can't imagine what it would be like without you.
By my side,
Supporting me all the way.
And I need you now
I still need your support and love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS, DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john silver
It's all right I'm not lost
I've got a reading on the Southern Cross
And I've been listening to the radio
For signs of new life
Some people find the game too tough
And there are those who've simply had enough
But I'm still here and I'm not giving up
I'm going the distance;
Whatever it takes ... I have to fight
To build a better world ... and make it right
And when I am alone ... it's late at night
I reach out and you're right here by my side;
When everything has gone
You help me carry on
You lift me up, you make me strong
You give love to see me through
Oo oo oo what would I do
Without you by my side
By my side
And out here on the flight
I'm on a wing and a prayer tonight
The moon is showing me the way to go
I'm flying forever
I've got what it takes ... to win the fight
And build a better world ... and make it right
But when I am alone ... it's late at night
I reach out and you're here by my side
When everything has gone
You help me carry on
You lift me up, you make me strong
You give love to see me through
Oo oo oo what would I do
Without you by my side
Always you're in my heart
Always by my side
Always you're in my life
Always right here, and I love you now
Always you're in my world
Always I think what would I do without you, without you
By my side
Always you're in my heart...
And I need you now...
john silver
It's all right I'm not lost
I've got a reading on the Southern Cross
And I've been listening to the radio
For signs of new life
Some people find the game too tough
And there are those who've simply had enough
But I'm still here and I'm not giving up
I'm going the distance;
Whatever it takes ... I have to fight
To build a better world ... and make it right
And when I am alone ... it's late at night
I reach out and you're right here by my side;
When everything has gone
You help me carry on
You lift me up, you make me strong
You give love to see me through
Oo oo oo what would I do
Without you by my side
By my side
And out here on the flight
I'm on a wing and a prayer tonight
The moon is showing me the way to go
I'm flying forever
I've got what it takes ... to win the fight
And build a better world ... and make it right
But when I am alone ... it's late at night
I reach out and you're here by my side
When everything has gone
You help me carry on
You lift me up, you make me strong
You give love to see me through
Oo oo oo what would I do
Without you by my side
Always you're in my heart
Always by my side
Always you're in my life
Always right here, and I love you now
Always you're in my world
Always I think what would I do without you, without you
By my side
Always you're in my heart...
And I need you now...
Peggy Elaine
Deeply positive and uplifting. Many hours of listening to you.
Beth Haines
Theres always room in my heart for you chris.
Paulina Correa
What would I do without you Chris in my life? You music is a legend for me and my kids
Cecilia Rodriguez A.
Me too
Nazanin Zaeimkohan
My best memories...
belgar70
cheers for these live performance videos you posted, hes on tv a lot thru the years in Europe but very rarely in the UK
Barbara Craveiro
Quem está a ver em 2022 ? Chris de Burgh está sempre em forma Parabéns
Nuala Murphy
Wonderful
Florence Molefi
nice song i like it so much.