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.
Diamonds In The Dark
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it love that's making me weak, in the night,
And when she's next to me,
I just stumble on my words,
And all the things I want to say,
Come out wrong,
I am lost in a dream,
But I know this is more than it seems,
Someone put on a love song,
To bring her closer to me,
All I want is this diamond in the dark,
To begin what must be;
When she turns at her name, when she smiles,
When she smiles, I feel it again, in my heart,
Across the crowded room,
She is just a dance away,
And I can feel her like a fire that's burning strong,
She keeps looking at me,
And I know this was all meant to be,
And then it had to come;
Someone put on a love song,
To bring her closer to me,
All I want is this diamond in the dark,
To begin what must be,
All I want is this diamond in the dark,
To begin what must be,
All I want is this diamond in the dark, to begin what must be,
All I want is this diamond in the dark, to begin what must be.
The lyrics to Chris de Burgh's song "Diamond in the Dark" speak of a powerful love and attraction that the singer is experiencing. Despite feeling weak and stumbling over his words when he's around the person he loves, he knows that what he feels is real and he needs help expressing it. He asks for someone to put on a love song to draw this person closer to him so that he can begin the relationship they are meant to have. The singer feels a strong connection and sense of destiny with this person, whom he sees as a "diamond in the dark," needing only to be brought to light and appreciated.
The imagery of a "diamond in the dark" is powerful, as it suggests something precious and beautiful hidden or obscured from view. The singer recognizes the value of this person and knows that they are meant to be together, but needs assistance and a little push to make it happen. The idea of a love song as a catalyst for bringing two people together is also a romantic notion, emphasizing the power of music and its ability to bring people closer.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it real, what I feel, is it love,
I'm questioning the authenticity of my emotions and if it's really love that I'm feeling.
Is it love that's making me weak, in the night,
My feelings of love are overwhelming, causing me to feel weak and vulnerable.
And when she's next to me,
When I'm in her presence,
I just stumble on my words,
I become tongue-tied and have trouble expressing myself.
And all the things I want to say,
The things I want to express and share with her,
Come out wrong,
Don't come out as I intended them to.
I am lost in a dream,
I feel like I'm in a dream and it's hard to differentiate reality from my fantasy.
But I know this is more than it seems,
I know that my feelings for her are deeper than what I can understand.
I need a little help;
I need some assistance or support to express my love towards her.
Someone put on a love song,
I'm requesting someone to play a romantic song to help set the mood.
To bring her closer to me,
The song will hopefully help her come closer to me both physically and emotionally.
All I want is this diamond in the dark,
All I want is an opportunity to explore this unpolished and hidden gem I see in her.
To begin what must be;
It's the start of a relationship that must happen between us.
When she turns at her name, when she smiles,
When she responds to her name or smiles at me,
I feel it again, in my heart,
I feel the rush of emotions and love in my heart that confirms my feelings.
Across the crowded room,
Even in a crowd of people,
She is just a dance away,
She is so reachable and within my grasp.
And I can feel her like a fire that's burning strong,
I feel her presence and desire for her like a blazing fire.
She keeps looking at me,
She returns my gaze and looks back at me.
And I know this was all meant to be,
I feel like our connection and chemistry was predestined.
And then it had to come;
It was bound to happen and it finally did.
All I want is this diamond in the dark,
I want to pursue this hidden gem of love that I see in her.
To begin what must be,
It's crucial that we start our relationship and see what it leads to.
All I want is this diamond in the dark, to begin what must be,
I want to embark on this romantic journey with her as my partner.
All I want is this diamond in the dark, to begin what must be.
My sole desire is to start a relationship with this stunning yet mysterious woman.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRIS, DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind