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.
Tender Hands
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling the heartache, wondering why,
I want a friend, I want a friend to lay down beside me,
I want a friend, I want her now, someone who knows what I mean,
When I say, that I need
Tender hands to hold me, I need tender hands tonight,
Will you lay them on my shoulders,
And I need tender hands to take me,
All the way to paradise, and then, when it's over,
I need tender hands to hold me through the night;
Touch me with your velvet mouth, I will give all the love that I have,
Under the moonlight, reaching your heart,
Where are you now, where are you now, come out of the shadows,
Where are you now, I want you now,
You know that I cannot always be strong, and I need
Tender hands to hold me, I need tender hands tonight,
Will you lay them on my shoulders,
Will you lay them on my eyes, and I need,
Tender hands to take me all the way to paradise,
And then, when it's over, I need tender hands,
To hold me through the night;
I am only a voice in a city of noise, can you hear me this time,
I see the storm grow, there's a light in the desert tonight;
And I need tender hands, give me tender hands,
Will you lay them on my shoulders, oh give me,
Tender hands to take me all the way to paradise,
And then, when it's over, I have tender hands,
To hold you through the night, darling,
My tender hands will hold you through the night;
I want your tender hands, you have tender hands,
I want those tender hands, tender hands
The song "Tender Hands" by Chris de Burgh is a heartfelt ballad about the longing for a compassionate and caring companion. The artist begins the song by expressing his feelings of loneliness and heartache, lamenting on his desire for a friend to lay down beside him. He then goes on to describe his need for the touch of "tender hands" to comfort and guide him through the dark and difficult times. He pleas for someone to lay their hands on his shoulders and eyes, and to take him all the way to paradise. He understands that he may not always be strong and needs the support of a caring partner.
He continues to express his thoughts and feelings of being a voice in a city of noise, where he may not be heard. He sees a storm growing, but there is a glimmer of hope in the desert. He concludes the song by reiterating his desire for tender hands and acknowledging that he also has tender hands to hold someone else through the night.
Overall, the song is a beautiful reflection on the importance of human connection and support during difficult times. It speaks to the universal human experience of longing for love and tenderness, and the comfort that can be found in the arms of a kind and understanding partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh how, at the journey's end, I lie in the heat of the night, Feeling the heartache, wondering why,
At the end of my journey, I'm lying alone in the hot night, feeling heartbroken and wondering why.
I want a friend, I want a friend to lay down beside me, I want a friend, I want her now, someone who knows what I mean, When I say, that I need
I'm craving a friend to lay down beside me right now, someone who understands what I mean when I say I need someone by my side.
Tender hands to hold me, I need tender hands tonight, Will you lay them on my shoulders, Will you lay them on my eyes, And I need tender hands to take me, All the way to paradise, and then, when it's over, I need tender hands to hold me through the night;
I'm yearning for someone to hold me with tenderness tonight, placing their hands on my shoulders and eyes. I need their tender hands to take me to paradise and support me through the night afterwards.
Touch me with your velvet mouth, I will give all the love that I have, Under the moonlight, reaching your heart, Where are you now, where are you now, come out of the shadows, Where are you now, I want you now, You know that I cannot always be strong, and I need
If you touch me with your soft lips, I'll give all the love in my heart under the moonlight. Where are you hiding? Please come to me now. You know I can't always be strong, and I need someone to lean on.
I am only a voice in a city of noise, can you hear me this time, I see the storm grow, there's a light in the desert tonight;
I feel insignificant in this loud and busy city. Can you hear me this time? I see the storm coming, but I also see a glimmer of hope in the dark desert.
And I need tender hands, give me tender hands, Will you lay them on my shoulders, oh give me, Tender hands to take me all the way to paradise, And then, when it's over, I have tender hands, To hold you through the night, darling, My tender hands will hold you through the night;
I desperately need someone's tender hands to take me to paradise and support me when it's over. And when the time comes, my own tender hands will hold my darling through the night.
I want your tender hands, you have tender hands, I want those tender hands, tender hands
I want your gentle and loving hands to hold me, and I know you possess those tender hands that I'm looking for.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind