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.
I Had The Love In My Eyes
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
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And I'll show you a lucky man;
I loved her too well and I just couldn't tell,
She was holding another hand,
And when she said that she would leave in the morning,
I broke down and cried,
'cause I had the love in my eyes, I just didn't see it,
Such a surprise, I just don't believe it,
I had the love in my eyes
Day after day, in so many ways,
I gave her the best of me,
But she wanted more, and she opened the door,
Well I hope that you find what you need;
And all the time I thought that she was beside me,
She was drifting away,
But I had the love in my eyes, I just didn't see it,
Such a surprise, I just don't believe it,
Somebody took her away, oh I was blind,
I had the love in my eyes,
I had the love in my eyes
The lyrics of Chris de Burgh's song I Had The Love In My Eyes speak about a man who was so deeply in love with a woman that he failed to notice the signs of her slipping away from him. He sings about how he was unable to see that she was holding another man's hand and had made up her mind to leave him. Despite giving her his all, he was not enough for her and she opted to leave him for someone else. The extent of his love for her blinded him from realizing that their relationship was falling apart. The man is heartbroken and filled with regret as he reflects on his failure to see the signs that were right in front of him.
The song highlights the complexities of love and relationships. It shows how love, though a powerful and life-changing emotion, can sometimes cloud our judgment and prevent us from seeing things that are right in front of us. It also touches on the pain and heartbreak that comes with losing someone you love, especially when you realize that it could have been prevented if you had been more observant. The song serves as a reminder to appreciate the love we have in our lives and to not take it for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
Show me a man secure in his love,
If I see a man confident in his love, he is lucky
And I'll show you a lucky man;
That man who is confident in his love is lucky
I loved her too well and I just couldn't tell,
I loved her too much, and I failed to see
She was holding another hand,
She was holding somebody else's hand
And when she said that she would leave in the morning,
When she told me she would leave the next day
I broke down and cried,
I burst into tears
'cause I had the love in my eyes, I just didn't see it,
I was blinded by my love for her, and I failed to see the signs
Such a surprise, I just don't believe it,
It was unexpected, and I still can't believe it
Somebody took her away, oh I was blind,
Someone else took her away, and I failed to see it coming
Day after day, in so many ways,
Everyday, I showed her love in various ways
I gave her the best of me,
I gave her my all
But she wanted more, and she opened the door,
She desired more, and she left me for it
Well, I hope that you find what you need;
I wish her the best in finding what she desires
And all the time I thought that she was beside me,
Thinking she was always with me
She was drifting away,
She was slowly losing interest
But I had the love in my eyes, I just didn't see it,
Blinded by my love for her, I missed the signs
Such a surprise, I just don't believe it,
It was unexpected and hard to accept
Somebody took her away, oh I was blind,
I was unaware someone else would take her away
I had the love in my eyes
My love for her was strong, but I failed to see the truth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind