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.
High on Emotion
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only she can see the way that I feel
Eyes are holding right across the room
High explosion coming out of the blue
Well here we go again
Living in a world that others cannot share
Yea here we go again
I am high on emotion, high again
High on emotion, your love will find the way
Oh my heart is burning like a fire
Closer now and she is breathing desire
Take my hand and give it all your light
Take command I am your rhythm tonight
Well here we go again
Living in a world that others cannot share
Yea here we go again
We are moving from a spark to a flame
I am high on emotion, high again
High on emotion, your love will find the way
I am high on emotion, high again
High on emotion, your love will find the way
High on emotion, high again
High on emotion, your love will find the way
High on emotion
High again
High on emotion
High again
High on emotion
High again
High on emotion
High again
The lyrics of Chris de Burgh’s “High on Emotion” talk about the feelings of love and passion shared between two people in a room. The singer’s heart is spinning like a wheel, implying the dizzying rush of emotions he feels, while only the woman he loves can see the way he feels. Their eyes are locked and they are sharing an intense moment that generates a high explosion out of nowhere or the “blue”.
The second verse of the song builds on the intensity of the moment. The two people are moving from a spark to a flame and their world is one that others cannot share. The singer’s heart is burning like a fire, and he is closer to the woman he loves, feeling all the passion and desire she breathes out. The refrain repeating “High on emotion, high again” reinforces the idea of someone drunk in love, high on the feelings generated between them.
Overall, the song is a fantastic musical representation of the raw emotions, excitement and powerful feelings experienced when we are in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my heart is spinning like a wheel
My heart is filled with a mix of emotions, which have made it spin like a wheel.
Only she can see the way that I feel
Only the person I love can understand the depth of my feelings.
Eyes are holding right across the room
Our eyes have locked from across the room, seemingly conveying a message of mutual attraction.
High explosion coming out of the blue
My emotions burst forth suddenly and forcefully, without warning or expectation.
Well here we go again
This isn't my first time experiencing these intense emotions, and it likely won't be my last.
Living in a world that others cannot share
These emotions are deeply personal, and other people may not be able to fully comprehend or empathize with them.
We are moving from a spark to a flame
Our initial attraction has grown into a passionate flame.
I am high on emotion, high again
I am consumed by these feelings and am experiencing a high that only they can bring.
High on emotion, your love will find the way
My intense feelings will guide me to the person I love, no matter what obstacles may arise.
Oh my heart is burning like a fire
My heart is full of passion and desire for the person I love, leaving it burning like a fire.
Closer now and she is breathing desire
We are physically closer now, and the intensity of our attraction is clear in her breathing and body language.
Take my hand and give it all your light
I am in need of guidance and support, and I am willing to give myself fully to the person who can provide it.
Take command I am your rhythm tonight
I am entrusting myself to the person I love, allowing them to lead and direct our physical and emotional connection.
High on emotion, high again
I am once again overwhelmed by the power of my emotions.
High on emotion, your love will find the way
Regardless of any obstacles that may arise, my passion for the person I love will guide me to them.
High on emotion, high again
My emotions continue to dominate my thoughts and feelings.
High on emotion, your love will find the way
The depth of my emotions will ensure that I am led to the person I love, no matter what challenges arise.
High on emotion
I am consumed by my feelings and they are my primary focus.
High again
My emotions have brought me to this point before and I am once again experiencing their full force.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mehr4305
Oh my heart is spinning like a wheel
Only she can see the way that I fell
Eyes are holding right across the room
High explosion coming out of the blue
Well here we go again
Living in a world that others cannot share
Yea here we go again
We are moving from a spark to a flame
I am high on emotion, high again
High on emotion, your love will find the way
Oh my heart is burning like a fire
Closer now and she is breathing desire
Take my hand and give it all your light
Take command I am your rhythm tonight
Well here we go again
Living in a world that others cannot share
Yea here we go again
We are…
Milosz Niziol
Since it is possible to be high on emulsion:
Oh my flat, it needs a change I feel
Look and see, the need of change is so real Paint the walls in every single room
Add some colours to the ceiling and loo
Now let's go get some paint
Spread it on the walls, not gonna stand and stare
And try not to make stains
Think the flat will soon cease to look so lame
Paint!
I am high on emulsion, high again
High on emulsion, my flat will stay this way
Smell the paint, I'm feeling higher and higher
It feels great, oh Lord I am just on fire
With the brush in my hand it just feels right Gonna be done by the end of the night
I'm running out of paint
But it still feels great and less I couldn't care Might need to shop again
And once done I guess I'll play some board games
I am high on emulsion...
Hammern28
This is one of those songs when played on the radio in the car, on my way back home from work, just kicks me in the head and makes me sing along. I miss the 80's where music had soul and guts!
Yvonne Marr
😍😍😍
Billy Whynot
Thats exactly what happened to me but on my way to work this morning !!! High on émotion all day long so I had to listen to it again this evening !!!
Robi Kairos
Agree,80' even Croatia my country (ex-Yugo),was Communists ,only not behind Iron Curtains, we listen same good Eng.,US,music . Today I'm happy if I heard 3 good songs in 1 year,no Commy anymore,we ade EU,but music is Shit😊👍
mike archibald
Tons of great music out there, just harder to find because its not on radio.
Eleftheria Eleftheria
One of the best 80's songs! Very powerful! Hello from Athens Greece!
Michelle Brewer
0
the mountain man
Επ τι λέει
Laura McDowell
Where are u? I am also in Athens, GR! Na thn xairomaste! This sacred magical city!
Giorgos_NoName Dogs
Very true......!!!! και αλήθεια λες....