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 dΓ©but 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.
Girl
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,
Still you don't regret a single day,
Ah, girl ... girl...
When I think of all the times I've tried so hard to leave her,
She will turn to me and start to cry,
After all there's time I don't know why,
Ah, girl ... girl...
She's the kind of girl who puts you down,
When friends are there, you feel a fool,
When you say she's looking good,
She acts as if it's understood,
She's cool, cool, cool, cool,
Ah, girl ... girl...
Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure,
Did she understand it when they said,
That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure,
Will she still believe him when he's dead?
Ah, girl ... girl...
The song "Girl" by Chris de Burgh tells a story about a girl who has a certain hold over the singer. He begins the song by asking if anyone will listen to his story about the girl who came to stay. He describes her as the kind of girl that you want so much that it makes you sorry, yet you don't regret a single day. This suggests that the singer has some mixed feelings about the girl, he is both attracted to her, but at the same time, he is not sure if he should be.
The chorus repeats the word "girl" over and again, emphasizing how central she is to the narrative. The singer admits that he has tried many times to leave her, but she always starts to cry and make promises to him that he believes. He doesn't know why he always ends up staying, but he does. The verse continues with the singer describing how the girl puts him down, and he feels foolish in front of his friends. When he compliments her looks, she acts like it's a given, and this makes the singer feel unimportant.
The final verse raises existential questions about the girl's life. The singer asks if she was told when she was young that pain leads to pleasure. This refers to the idea that hard work and sacrifice will pay off in the end. The singer wonders if the girl understands this, and if she still believes it even after the man who told her is dead. The song ends on this note, leaving the listener to wonder about the girl's backstory and motivations.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
Will anyone care to hear about the girl I met?
All about the girl who came to stay?
The story is about a girl who stayed around for a while.
She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,
She's the kind of girl who is irresistible but also makes you feel guilty for wanting her so much.
Still you don't regret a single day,
Despite the mixed feelings, you still don't regret any moment spent with her.
Ah, girl ... girl...
The chorus is a repeated expressing of the artist's affection for the girl.
When I think of all the times I've tried so hard to leave her,
The singer has attempted to leave the girl multiple times.
She will turn to me and start to cry,
The girl cries when the singer mentions leaving.
And she promises the earth to me and I believe her,
She makes grand promises to the artist, who believes her every word.
After all there's time I don't know why,
Sometimes the artist doesn't understand why he stays with her despite wanting to leave.
She's the kind of girl who puts you down,
The girl sometimes brings the artist down.
When friends are there, you feel a fool,
When she talks down to the singer in front of friends, he feels embarrassed.
When you say she's looking good,
Even when complimenting her appearance,
She acts as if it's understood,
She responds as if expecting to receive the compliment.
She's cool, cool, cool, cool,
She always keeps her cool.
Ah, girl ... girl...
The chorus is repeated again.
Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure,
The artist wonders if the girl was taught that pain and suffering can lead to happiness.
Did she understand it when they said,
He wonders if she comprehended the idea of pain being pleasurable.
That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure,
The line refers to the idea that hard work is necessary to earn free time, suggesting that the girl might believe in delayed gratification.
Will she still believe him when he's dead?
The singer questions if she will continue to hold onto beliefs after he is no longer able to verify them for her.
Ah, girl ... girl...
The chorus is repeated one last time.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLENN DANZIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PAULO RAPAZOTE
Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
All about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,
Still you don't regret a single day,
Ah, girl... girl...
When I think of all the times I've tried so hard to leave her,
She will turn to me and start to cry,
And she promises the earth to me and I believe her,
After all there's time I don't know why,
Ah, girl... girl...
She's the kind of girl who puts you down
when friends are there, you feel a fool,
When you say she's looking good,
She acts as if it's understood,
She's cool, cool, cool, cool,
Ah, girl... girl...
Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure
Did she understand it when they said,
That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure,
Will she still believe him when he's dead?
Ah, girl... girl...
DeniseInChains
soo beautiful <3
Mansour Mor
my favorite music
Juunishi
Haven't heard this song before. Thanks.
RubyGloria
I want, I need her,
Yes, I really love her.
She is so much to me this girl...
And when I'm away from her, I really miss her.
She is so much to me this girl...
demis pamelin
this gave me chills ,BEATLES nr 1,but this is nr 2 at least...
Jaskier007
Did anybody found some chords for this?
Amin Saremi
very touching
mali v
I love you Chris.π·πΉ
hichamochka
Great sad song!!
B Adams
Oldie, but goodie!