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 Girl With April In Her Eyes
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For his world was still covered in snow,
But the spring had not been, for he was wicked and mean,
In his winter-fields nothing would grow;
And when a traveler called seeking help at the door,
Only food and a bed for the night,
He ordered his slave to turn her away,
The girl with April in her eyes
Through the winter's night, the wild wind and the snow,
Hi, on and on she rides,
Someone help the girl with April in her eyes
She rode through the night till she came to the light,
Of a humble man's home in the woods,
He brought her inside, by the firelight she died,
And he buried her gently and good;
Oh the morning was bright, all the world was snow-white,
But when he came to the place where she lay,
His field was ablaze with flowers on the grave,
Of the girl with April in her eyes
Oh, on and on she goes,
Through the winter's night, the wild wind and the snow,
Hi, on and on she flies,
She is gone, the girl with April in her eyes
The lyrics of Chris de Burgh’s “The Girl With April In Her Eyes” tell the story of a king who calls for spring in the depths of winter. However, the king’s request is futile as nothing will grow in his winter-fields due to his wickedness and cruelty. When a traveler comes to his door seeking help, the king orders his slave to turn her away. The traveler is described as “the girl with April in her eyes”, an image that connotes hope, renewal and springtime. The girl sets out on her own, braving the harsh winter weather on a journey through the snow. She eventually finds refuge in the home of a humble man who takes her in and cares for her. Sadly, the girl ultimately dies and the man tenderly buries her. When he returns to the grave the next morning, he finds that it has miraculously blossomed into a field of flowers, a sign of the girl’s life force and her unfulfilled potential.
The overall message of the song is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of greed and the importance of kindness and compassion. The king’s selfishness is contrasted with the humility and goodness of the man who takes in the traveler. The girl’s journey also serves to illustrate the idea that life is a journey, and that even in the midst of hardship and struggle, there is always the possibility of renewal and growth. In this sense, “The Girl With April In Her Eyes” can be seen as a reminder to embrace the beauty of life and to look for the potential of every moment, even in the midst of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
There once was a king, who called for the spring,
There was a king who desired the arrival of spring in his kingdom.
For his world was still covered in snow,
The king's kingdom was still covered in snow, and he wanted it to be over.
But the spring had not been, for he was wicked and mean,
Spring had not yet arrived in his kingdom since the king was wicked and cruel to people.
In his winter-fields nothing would grow;
As a result of the king's behavior, nothing could grow in his kingdom's winter fields.
And when a traveler called seeking help at the door,
One day, a traveler called and asked the king for help.
Only food and a bed for the night,
The traveler required nothing more than food and a place to sleep for that night.
He ordered his slave to turn her away,
The king ordered his slave to dismiss the traveler and refuse her assistance.
The girl with April in her eyes
This traveler was referred to as the girl with April in her eyes by the king.
Oh, on and on she goes,
Through the winter's night, the wild wind, and the snow,
The traveler moves on through the winter night, facing wild wind and snow.
Hi, on and on she rides,
The traveler rides continuously.
Someone help the girl with April in her eyes
A plea is made for someone to aid the girl with April in her eyes.
She rode through the night till she came to the light,
She rode throughout the night till she came to a light.
Of a humble man's home in the woods,
The light was emanating from a humble man's house situated in the woods.
He brought her inside, by the firelight she died,
The man brought her inside, but she died by the firelight.
And he buried her gently and good;
The man respectfully buried her.
Oh the morning was bright, all the world was snow-white,
The morning was bright and sunny, and it had snowed overnight.
But when he came to the place where she lay,
He went to the burial spot.
His field was ablaze with flowers on the grave,
To his surprise, flowers were blooming on top of her grave.
Of the girl with April in her eyes
This serves as a reminder of the girl with April in her eyes.
Oh, on and on she goes,
Through the winter's night, the wild wind and the snow,
Continually, the girl treks on through the adverse winter night of wild wind and snow.
Hi, on and on she flies,
She's traveling farther and farther away.
She is gone, the girl with April in her eyes
The girl has passed away forever, but her memory lives on through her spirit, which symbolizes spring.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind