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.
Love's Got A Hold On Me
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought this could never be,
It's so amazing what I feel,
'Cause love, love's got a hold on me;
Up in the air walking down the street,
Smile like a fool at everyone I meet,
I wake in the night, I just can't sleep,
Too many heartaches, too many tears,
Too many women, too many years,
But I've got me a girl, who takes me high,
All the way to heaven day and night;
Love is a dance with a different beat,
And I can't stop my dancing feet,
I'm as high as I can be,
'Cause love, love's got a hold on me;
Too many heartaches, too many tears,
Too many women, too many years,
But I've got me a girl, who takes me high,
All the way to heaven day and night;
Love's got a hold, a hold on me,
Love's got a hold, a hold on me,
Love's got a hold, a hold on me;
I said love, love's got a hold, love's got a hold
Love's got a hold on me.
The opening verse of this song indicates that the singer has found something incredibly special - a love that he thought could never happen. The love he has found has filled him with an amazing feeling and has impacted him in a profound way. He sings about walking down the street with his head held high, brimming with confidence and affection that he can't keep contained. He even admits that he's having difficulty sleeping at night because this love has taken hold of him entirely.
The chorus repeats the notion that love has grabbed hold of him, but adds the sentiment that love is like a dance with a different beat - suggesting that it has changed the rhythm of his life in a positive way. He acknowledges that he's had his share of heartaches, but he's now found a woman who elevates him and takes him "all the way to heaven day and night." The repetition of the phrase "love's got a hold on me" indicates just how significant this newfound relationship is to him.
The song seems to be a celebration of finding a true and meaningful love that has transformed the singer's life. It's about the joy and convenience that come with such an experience. It seems to celebrate not only the impact the love has had on his life, but also the rebirth and rejuvenation it has brought him following a difficult past.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a light shining over me,
I feel illuminated and happy.
I thought this could never be,
I didn't think I could experience such happiness.
It's so amazing what I feel,
I am overwhelmed by how great I feel.
'Cause love, love's got a hold on me;
I am under the influence of love, which is controlling me.
Up in the air walking down the street,
I feel like I'm floating while walking down the street.
Smile like a fool at everyone I meet,
I am smiling incessantly to everyone I see, without realizing how silly I might look.
I wake in the night, I just can't sleep,
I stay up at night, unable to sleep due to the overwhelming feelings I experience.
'Cause love, love's got a hold on me;
My emotions are controlled by love.
Too many heartaches, too many tears,
I have had many negative experiences with relationships in the past.
Too many women, too many years,
I've dated in the past without finding true love until now.
But I've got me a girl, who takes me high,
I've found someone special who makes me feel happy and complete.
All the way to heaven day and night;
I feel like I am in heaven with her constantly.
Love is a dance with a different beat,
Love is a unique experience that is difficult to express with words.
And I can't stop my dancing feet,
I am unable to control my happiness and excitement.
I'm as high as I can be,
My happiness and joy are at their maximum.
'Cause love, love's got a hold on me;
I attribute this feeling of happiness and joy to being under the influence of love.
Love's got a hold, a hold on me,
I cannot escape the powerful feeling of love.
Love's got a hold, a hold on me,
My emotions are under the grip of love.
Love's got a hold, a hold on me;
I am powerless to resist the hold that love has on me.
I said love, love's got a hold, love's got a hold
I acknowledge that I am completely under the control of love.
Love's got a hold on me.
I am unable to resist love's control over me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALBERT LOUIS HAMMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
progtoeternity
This Way Up is a quite different album from Chris DeBurgh but nonetheless a well-crafted one. It deserves to be rediscovered. A few lost gems to be found on there.