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.
Patricia
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And beseeching me to come and keep the score
And Maud saya "Oh Lord! I'm so terribly bored!"
I really can't stand it anymore
I'm going out to dinner, with a gorgeous singer
To a little place I've found down by the quay
Her name is Patricia, she calls herself Delicia
She says God made her a sinner just to keep fat men thinner
As they tumble down in heaps before her feet
They hang around in groups like battle-weary troops
One can often see them queue right down the street
You see Patricia, or Delicia, not only is a singer
She also removes all her clothing
For Patricia is the best stripper in town
And with a swing of her hips she started to strip
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers
And with a lick of her lips she undid all the clips
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor
The police were banging on the door
On a Saturday night, in nineteen twenty-four
Take it away boys!
But poor Patricia was arrested and everyone detested
The manner in which she was exposed
And later on in court, well, everybody thought
A summer run in jail would be proposed
But the judge said, "Patricia
Or may I say, Delicia
The facts of this case lie before me
Case dismissed, this girl was in her working clothes!"
And with a swing of her hips, she started to strip
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers
And with a lick of her lips she undid all her clips
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor
The police were yelling out for more!
On a Saturday night in nineteen twenty-four
On a Saturday night in nineteen twenty-four
The song "Patricia the Stripper" by Chris de Burgh tells the story of a woman named Patricia, who is a singer and a stripper. The lyrics depict a scene where the singer is fed up with the tedious routine of playing tennis with her friend Dennis and trying to entertain her companions. She decides to take a break and enjoys a dinner with a singer named Patricia, who is a stripper in a nearby place. Patricia is described as a gorgeous woman who is not only a singer but also the best stripper in town.
The lyrics describe Patricia as a sinfully beautiful woman who God created to keep fat men thin. She attracts many men who queue down the street to watch her perform. The audience applauds Patricia as she skillfully removes her clothing articles one by one until she is entirely nude. However, the police raid the venue and arrest Patricia for her provocative performance. The court eventually dismisses the case, stating that Patricia was wearing her working clothes, and she was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Line by Line Meaning
Dennis is a menace with his "anyone for tennis?"
Dennis is bothering me to play tennis and I can't stand it.
And beseeching me to come and keep the score
He's asking me to keep score if I play tennis with him.
And Maud saya "Oh Lord! I'm so terribly bored!"
My friend Maud is very bored and she can't take it anymore.
I really can't stand it anymore
I can't deal with the boredom and I need to get out.
I'm going out to dinner, with a gorgeous singer
I have a date with a beautiful singer.
To a little place I've found down by the quay
We're going to a small restaurant by the water.
Her name is Patricia, she calls herself Delicia
Her name is Patricia, but she goes by the stage name Delicia.
And the reason isn't very hard to see
It's obvious why I'm going out with her.
She says God made her a sinner just to keep fat men thinner
She jokes that she was made to be a stripper so that overweight men could lose weight watching her.
As they tumble down in heaps before her feet
Men are so captivated by her that they faint at her feet.
They hang around in groups like battle-weary troops
Men line up to see her perform like soldiers after a battle.
One can often see them queue right down the street
The line of men waiting to see her can be seen from far away.
You see Patricia, or Delicia, not only is a singer
She's not just a singer, she's also a stripper.
She also removes all her clothing
She takes off all her clothes during her performances.
For Patricia is the best stripper in town
She's considered the top performer among all the strippers in town.
And with a swing of her hips she started to strip
She began her performance by moving her hips in a seductive way.
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers
The audience cheered loudly as she took off her underwear.
And with a lick of her lips she undid all the clips
She sensually licked her lips while removing her clips.
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared
She tossed her clothing in the air for all to see and the audience was mesmerized.
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor
Once she was completely naked, the police started banging on the door.
The police were banging on the door
The police were trying to enter and arrest her for public indecency.
But poor Patricia was arrested and everyone detested
She was arrested and everyone felt sorry for her.
The manner in which she was exposed
She was arrested because she had exposed herself in public.
And later on in court, well, everybody thought
During her trial, everyone assumed she would be sentenced to jail.
A summer run in jail would be proposed
It was expected that she would have to spend the summer in jail.
But the judge said, "Patricia
But to everyone's surprise, the judge said...
Or may I say, Delicia
The judge used her stage name in a joking way.
The facts of this case lie before me
The judge had all the information he needed to make his decision.
Case dismissed, this girl was in her working clothes!"
The judge dismissed the case because she was just doing her job as a stripper.
And with a swing of her hips, she started to strip
After the trial, she continued to perform and started stripping again.
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers
Just like before, the audience loved her performance and applauded loudly.
And with a lick of her lips she undid all the clips
She continued to use her seductive movements and undid her clips with a sensual lick of her lips.
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared
Her performance was just as mesmerizing as before and everyone in the audience couldn't take their eyes off her.
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor
She finished her performance and once again, the police were demanding to arrest her.
The police were yelling out for more!
The police wanted to see more, which was unusual for law enforcement officers in those days.
On a Saturday night in nineteen twenty-four
This all happened on a Saturday night in the year 1924.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Chris de Burgh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@seamusodowd1556
My Mum is 92 and she is currently in hospital, she's used to sing this song at family party's
She is of that generation that made their own entertainment at family events . Everyone was expected to sing, but no one would comment if the person wasn't a good singer.
On fact quite the opposite. Anyway my Mum is of course a Patricia.
It is tough to see her this way I'm hospital, however finding this songs last night when I was walking the dog, reminded me of all the good times when she was younger, and I am sure I will listen to this a number of times over the coming weeks.
@ethanthoburn8118
First time I heard this was at a funeral of a lady named Patricia! Great sense of humour
@janicehalligan7559
Thank you for sharing that delicious bit of fun from a woman I'd have enjoyed meeting by sounds of it :)
@anonymouspeacefulperson6199
George funeral 🤷🙊
@cherylmcmonnies9691
How absolutely fabulous ☺️ she sounds like quite the woman 🥰
@klowreezy
First time was in the car with my mom and she blasted it
@wrestlingconnoisseur
First time I heard this was when I was out camping with friends.
@Sykoze
Saw him in concert last year, every time he took a suggestion from the audience, the whole crowd cheered "Patricia the Stripper". He finally did it at the end of the set. The whole crowd was up singing along. It was quite the experience.
@davidharkin8554
In 1924?..... 😀
@petermcnallt12pm
On a Saturday night...?