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.
So Beautiful
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wondering if the world would be so beautiful,
If I had not looked into your eyes,
How did you know that I've been waiting?
I never knew the world would be so beautiful at all;
I'm spending all the days, dreaming of the nights we've had,
I never knew that love would be a miracle,
But now that I've found you I am flying,
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me,
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me;
And when we dance to the rhythm that is burning like a flame,
And when you touch me I can hardly move you take my breath away,
You give me all that I want to feel when we become as one,
And then you take me to the heaven of your heart;
Did nobody ever tell you, you're the best thing that has ever been;
Ah, you, ah, so beautiful, ah, so beautiful
I'm standing here tonight, thinking of the time we'll have,
I never knew that you would be so beautiful,
From the day you came into my life,
I just want to say, you make me happy,
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me,
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me;
So beautiful to me
So beautiful to me
So beautiful to me
To me;
I'm lying here tonight,
I'm dreaming here tonight,
I dance with you tonight
The song "So Beautiful" by Chris de Burgh is a romantic tribute to the beauty of love and the wonder it brings into people's lives. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and recollection as the singer reflects on the days he has spent with his beloved. He wonders if the world would still seem as beautiful if he had never met her and looked into her eyes. He expresses surprise that love could be such a miracle and compares his experience with previous relationships. However, now that he has found her, he acknowledges that his love for her is beyond anything he's ever known. The lyrics are full of tenderness as the singer acknowledges the joy and gratitude he feels towards his beloved.
The second verse continues the theme of amazement and surprise as the singer dreams of the nights he has spent with his beloved. He marvels that he never knew love could be so beautiful and describes the physical and emotional sensations that their intimacy brings. He acknowledges that she brings him to a state of complete happiness which he never thought possible. There is a sense of surrender and vulnerability as the singer acknowledges that his beloved has become essential to his happiness and well-being.
In the chorus, the singer expresses his gratitude and admiration for his beloved by stating that he never knew she'd be so beautiful. He acknowledges that she brings him joy and wonder simply by being present in his life. The bridge of the song is a romantic moment in which the singer describes the physical sensations of their connection. As they dance and touch, they create a sense of unity that takes them to the "heaven of [her] heart." Additionally, the final verse is a poignant message to his beloved in which he acknowledges that she is the source of his happiness and the reason he believes that the world is so beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lying here tonight, thinking of the days we've had,
I am reminiscing tonight about the moments we shared together.
Wondering if the world would be so beautiful,
I am wondering if the world would have been as beautiful as it is now if I hadn't met you.
If I had not looked into your eyes,
I believe that the beauty of the world is because of seeing the world through your eyes.
How did you know that I've been waiting?
You knew that I was looking and waiting for someone to love me unconditionally.
I never knew the world would be so beautiful at all;
I never knew that the world could be so beautiful until I met you.
I'm spending all the days, dreaming of the nights we've had,
During the daytime, I spend my time thinking about the intimate moments we share at night.
I never knew that love would be a miracle,
I used to think that love was just a myth, but you turned it into a miracle for me.
When I think of all the ones before,
When I look back on the past, I realize that I never truly experienced love like I do with you.
But now that I've found you I am flying,
Now that I have found you, I feel like I am soaring in the sky and nothing can stop me.
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me,
I never realized how beautiful and fulfilling love could be until I found you.
And when we dance to the rhythm that is burning like a flame,
When we dance together, it feels like everything around us is on fire with passion and love.
And when you touch me I can hardly move you take my breath away,
Your touch is so intense that it takes my breath away and I am left speechless.
You give me all that I want to feel when we become as one,
When we are together, it feels like we become one entity and you give me everything that I need to feel truly happy.
And then you take me to the heaven of your heart;
When I'm with you, I feel like I am in the heaven of your heart and it's the most amazing feeling.
Did nobody ever tell you, you're the best thing that has ever been;
I can't help but think that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and anyone who hasn't told you that is missing out.
Ah, you, ah, so beautiful, ah, so beautiful
You are so beautiful to me that I can't help but say it out loud over and over again.
I'm standing here tonight, thinking of the time we'll have,
I am thinking about the bright future that we will share together.
From the day you came into my life,
My life changed for the better when you came into it.
I just want to say, you make me happy,
I want you to know that being with you makes me the happiest person in the world.
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me,
I never realized how beautiful and special you were until I met you.
So beautiful to me
You are the most beautiful person in the world to me.
To me;
To me, you are everything and I am grateful to have you in my life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind