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 Storm
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moment is here, and it's time to say goodbye;
Words cannot tell of all you have done, and the love that you have shown me,
You're more than a friend, you have helped me to find myself;
There is a dream that you must follow,
And always listen to your heart, you'll be forever in my life
Reach out, wherever you are;
And I will fly through the raging storm,
I will rise where others fall,
I will be there where the eagles fly,
I will hear you when you call and I hate to see you go;
You gave me a life from ashes and dust, from a place where hope was dying,
The girl that you found has become a woman now;
There is a dream that you must follow,
I'll try to listen to my heart,
We'll meet again in some new tomorrow,
I'll find you wherever you are!
And I will fly through the raging storm,
I will rise where others fall,
I will be there where the eagles fly,
I will hear you when you call;
It's time to go, I want to stay, I'll miss you so
But I believe that we'll meet again someday;
We will be there where the eagles fly, I will hear you when you call,
'Cause I love you.
Chris de Burgh's "The Storm" tells the dramatic story of Elzevir and John, two men who were forced to be slaves far from their home after being sent from Holland's shore. Despite the sweet salt sea air and the bright sun, Elzevir and John found themselves in the midst of a storm at sea. The ship they were on encountered strong winds, high waves, and a twist of fate that led them to their end on Moonfleet Bay. The ship was lost in the storm, but they saw a light in the night, which turned out to be a candle that Grace had shone. The light led them to a boy who was drowning, and with the help of other sailors, they managed to save John's life. However, Elzevir gave his life away to save John, making him the only man to survive that day.
The lyrics of "The Storm" are rich in imagery and metaphors that bring the story to life. The sweet salt sea air and the bright sun symbolize the promise of a better life that Elzevir and John were looking for. The storm, on the other hand, represents the harsh reality of life, where anything can happen, and fate can turn against you any moment. The sailor's chant of "Hey boys and listen well" adds a sense of urgency and calls for attention to the unfolding events. The repetition of the line "What shall we do with the boy who's drowning?" emphasizes the chaos and confusion of the scene, as everyone tries to figure out how to save John.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the time had come for Elzevir and John,
Elzevir and John were sent from Holland's shore to be slaves far from home, ending their days in pain and misery.
Oh, how sweet the salt sea air,
The air was salty and sweet with the bright sun shining.
Oh, how bright the sun,
The sun shone brightly on the sea.
Oh, but little did they know of the storm that was to come,
They were unaware of the storm that was to hit them.
And the ship that would go down
The storm would sink the ship.
Hey boys and listen well and a story I will tell,
Listen well to the story that is about to be told.
Send for the prisoners down below, down below!
Bring the prisoners from below the deck.
Hey boys and wish 'em well and the fate that them befell,
Wish the prisoners well, but remember the unfortunate fate that befell them.
And pray that you will never see the day,
Hope that you will never face a similar perilous situation.
You'll fight for your life on Moonfleet Bay!
Moonfleet Bay is where they will have to fight for their lives.
Well the storm hit hard and the waves were high,
The storm was severe, and the waves were high.
It was every man for himself
Everyone had to fend for themselves in the storm.
By a twist of Fate t'was on Moonfleet Bay,
It was a twist of fate that the ship ended up sinking in Moonfleet Bay.
Where the ship would meet its end
The ship sank in Moonfleet Bay.
Oh, with a roar of wind and sail,
The wind and sail roared in the storm.
Oh, the ship was gone,
The ship disappeared in the storm.
Oh, in the night, they saw a light,
They saw a light in the darkness of the night.
Twas the candle Grace had shone,
The light was from the candle Grace had lit.
And her boy was coming home
Her son was coming home safe.
Hey boys the ship is down,
Let everyone know that the ship has sunk.
Every man must swim or drown,
Everyone has to swim to safety or risk drowning.
Head for the breakers on the shore, on the shore!
Swim towards the waves breaking on the shore.
Hey boys for Elzevir, he put John in Fortune's care,
Elzevir entrusted John's safety to Fortune.
For no man ever was there till that day,
No one had ever survived being saved from the sea at Moonfleet Bay before then.
Saved from the sea on Moonfleet Bay!
John was saved from the sea in Moonfleet Bay with the help of Fortune and Elzevir who lost his life saving John.
"What shall we do with the boy who's drowning?
What should be done with the boy who is in danger of drowning?
What shall we do with the boy who's drowning,
What actions should be taken for the boy who is in peril?
What shall we do with the boy who's drowning,
What decisions should be made regarding the boy who is drowning?
Early in the morning?"
This happens during the early hours of the morning.
"Throw him a rope and God go with him,
Throw a rope to help him and pray for God's protection.
Throw him a rope and God go with him,
Let God be with him as he is pulled to safety with the rope.
Throw him a rope and God go with him, early in the morning?"
Use a rope to rescue him, and may God watch over him during this early hour.
And Elzevir, he gave his life away,
Elzevir sacrificed his life in saving John.
For John was the only man that day,
John was the only one saved that day.
Saved from the sea on Moonfleet Bay!
John was saved from the sea at Moonfleet Bay by the selfless bravery of Elzevir and Fortune.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
odonus1
Vos videos sont toujours aussi magnifiques, un régal pour les yeux et les oreilles. Merci beaucoup
Jon Vuohisto
Super toll gemacht, deine Werke! Vielen Dank!
milena gianini
Ich liebe es ,❤chris you are the best ,hope see you again ,thanks❤❤❤
oceanic646
Tolle Bilder zu einem super Lied! Danke!
Eike Santi
Super schön - endlich verstehe ich den gesamten Text - Danke RavenLaurie :D
Martin knopp
Danke! !!!!!♥♥♥
endlich verstehe ich den ganzen Text ♥♥
Jochem Reitze
Erneut ein tolles Video, vielen Dank
Rainer Schaap
Einfach toll
Melinda's Candyworkshop
Very great and strong song💙
RavenLaurie
@oceanic646 Immer wieder gerne :)