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.
The Devil's Eye
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see you, I am watching you, I've been planning this for years.
I have blacked out you television, every station in the world is mine,
And there are millions who are just like you as you sit there, paralyzed!
I have some orders which you will follow, and there's nothing you can do,
'Cause as you're looking at your T.V. screen, I am looking back at you...
Oh side by side,
We will cross that great divide,
Oh nothing's gonna save you now from the Devil's eye
Turn your dial to the number that is shining on your screen,
You will notice that everything is red, you won't need blue or green,
All around me, fire is burning, yes I'm calling you from Hell,
And all those people who haven't seen me yet, will soon be under my spell.
Something's happening, sounds like thunder, maybe the Lord is on His way,
He's still angry and He's after me since I cheated on the Spanish Train,
Oh yes He's coming, and He could stop me, but He'd better make it soon,
'Cause the last time that I won a world, I made it into a moon
Oh side by side,
We will cross that great divide,
'Cause nothing's gonna save you now from the Devil's eye;
Oh side by side,
Forever we will ride,
'Cause nothing's gonna save you now from the Devil's eye!
I can see you,
I can see you, I can see you
"The Devil's Eye" is a song by Chris de Burgh that depicts a dark and eerie invasion of privacy by an invisible force. The song's lyrics describe an individual who has taken control of every TV channel in the world and has millions of people paralyzed with fear. The singer is addressing listeners directly, asking if they can hear him and if they're paying attention. He tells them that they have no choice but to follow his orders because he's watching them through their television screens. The devilish narrator reminds listeners that they can't escape his grasp, and that they're totally at his mercy.
The singer then instructs listeners to turn their televisions to a specific channel. They'll see nothing but red, and the singer tells them that everything around him is on fire. He's calling people from Hell, and soon everyone will be under his control. In the bridge of the song, the singer suggests that the Lord is coming, but he doesn't seem worried. He recounts a previous time when he beat the Lord and, instead of taking another world, turned it into a moon. The final verse repeats the chorus, emphasizing the overwhelming power of the devil's eye.
The song is a dark and chilling warning about the dangers of power and control. The singer deliberately invades people's homes and minds through their televisions, trapping them in a world of his own making. Through the lyrics, Chris de Burgh warns of the power of unseen forces that seek to control us, and the need to be vigilant against them.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you hear me, are you listening, has your program disappeared?
I have taken control of your television and am communicating with you through it, and I want to know if you are paying attention.
I can see you, I am watching you, I've been planning this for years.
I have been spying on you and planning my takeover for a long time.
I have blacked out you television, every station in the world is mine,
I have taken over every television channel in the world and you are powerless to change the situation.
And there are millions who are just like you as you sit there, paralyzed!
Many people are affected by my control and are unable to break free from it.
I have some orders which you will follow, and there's nothing you can do,
I am giving you commands and you must obey since you are under my control.
'Cause as you're looking at your T.V. screen, I am looking back at you...
I am watching you through your television and you are being observed.
Oh side by side, We will cross that great divide, 'Cause nothing's gonna save you now from the Devil's eye!
I will take you with me into my reign of darkness and you cannot escape my influence.
Turn your dial to the number that is shining on your screen, You will notice that everything is red, you won't need blue or green,
I am directing you to tune your television to a specific channel, where everything is red and you can no longer choose what to watch.
All around me, fire is burning, yes I'm calling you from Hell,
I am calling to you from a place of evil, which is represented by fire and hellishness.
And all those people who haven't seen me yet, will soon be under my spell.
Others who have not yet fallen under my control will soon be subjugated and taken into my realm.
Something's happening, sounds like thunder, maybe the Lord is on His way,
A sign of a higher power is emerging, but I am not afraid of it.
He's still angry and He's after me since I cheated on the Spanish Train,
I have angered a higher being by taking something that was not rightfully mine, and there will be consequences.
Oh yes He's coming, and He could stop me, but He'd better make it soon,
The higher power may be on their way to stop me, but they must act quickly if they hope to succeed.
'Cause the last time that I won a world, I made it into a moon
I am not afraid of higher powers coming after me, as I have already conquered and shaped a world into my own image.
Oh side by side, Forever we will ride, 'Cause nothing's gonna save you now from the Devil's eye!
I will always have control over you and others, as there is no escape from my power.
I can see you, I can see you, I can see you
I have complete and constant surveillance over you and your actions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind