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.
borderline
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am waiting for a train
To take me to the border
And my loved one far away
I watched a bunch of soldiers heading for the war
I could hardly even bear to see them go
Rolling through the countryside
We're coming to the borderline
I'm ready with my lies
And in the early morning rain, I see her there
And I know I'll have to say goodbye again
And it's breaking my heart, I know what I must do
I hear my country call me, but I want to be with you
I'm taking my side, one of us will lose
Don't let go, I want to know
That you will wait for me until the day
There's no borderline, no borderline
Walking past the border guards
Reaching for her hand
Showing no emotion
I want to break into a run
But these are only boys, and I will never know
How men can see the wisdom in a war
And it's breaking my heart, I know what I must do
I hear my country call me, but I want to be with you
I'm taking my side, one of us will lose
Don't let go, I want to know
That you will wait for me until the day
There's no borderline, no borderline
No borderline, no borderline
Chris de Burgh's "Borderline" is a poignant ballad that tells the story of a soldier who is struggling to come to terms with leaving his loved one to go to war. The song starts with the soldier waiting for a train to take him to the border where he will have to say goodbye to his significant other who is far away. As he watches a group of soldiers heading to war, he can hardly bear to see them go. The soldier, trying to come to terms with his dilemma, is ready with his lies when he crosses the border.
As the journey progresses, he sees his loved one standing in the early morning rain knowing that he will have to say goodbye again, breaking his heart. He hears his country calling him, but he wants to be with the person he loves. The song portrays the internal battle that the soldier is fighting, leaving him to choose between his country and his love.
The soldier crosses the border guards, reaching for his loved one's hand, showing no emotion, and wanting to break into a run, but he knows he can't. He reflects on the war, and how men can see wisdom in it. The entire song, which is set to the backdrop of war, is ultimately a tug-of-war between love and duty.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm standing in the station
I'm at the train station, waiting to leave.
I am waiting for a train
I'm waiting for a train to take me to the border.
To take me to the border
I'm taking the train to the border of my country.
And my loved one far away
My love is far away on the other side of the border.
I watched a bunch of soldiers heading for the war
I saw soldiers leaving for the war and it was difficult to watch.
I could hardly even bear to see them go
It was so hard to watch them go.
Rolling through the countryside
The train is moving through the countryside.
Tears are in my eyes
I'm crying.
We're coming to the borderline
The train is nearing the border.
I'm ready with my lies
I'm prepared to deceive the border guards to be with my love.
And in the early morning rain, I see her there
When I arrive, I see my love in the rain.
And I know I'll have to say goodbye again
I know I'll have to leave my love again.
And it's breaking my heart, I know what I must do
I'm heartbroken, but I must go to war for my country.
I hear my country call me, but I want to be with you
I want to be with my love, but I must go to war for my country.
I'm taking my side, one of us will lose
I have to take a side, and either my love or my country will lose me.
Don't let go, I want to know
I want my love to wait for me.
That you will wait for me until the day
I want my love to wait for me until the day I return.
There's no borderline, no borderline
I want there to be no border keeping me away from my love.
Walking past the border guards
I'm walking past the guards who are enforcing the border.
Reaching for her hand
I'm reaching for my love's hand.
Showing no emotion
I'm trying not to show any emotion.
I want to break into a run
I want to run away with my love, but I can't.
But these are only boys, and I will never know
The border guards are just young boys, and I'll never know how they can enforce this war.
How men can see the wisdom in a war
I don't understand how men can think war is wise.
No borderline, no borderline
I long for the day when there will be no border keeping me away from my love.
No borderline, no borderline
I want to be with my love and not be separated by any borders.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@badams9854
A. M. Goudarzi +
Hello again friend
I ran across our earlier post & was able to connect with your Channel. Recently learned how.
Wow! Excellent posts! Thank you! I'll be spending time there. Impeccable taste in music and art!
I'd love to subscribe.
I noticed that you've used a Van Gough pic for your Moongate song.
If you haven't already, I recommend you viewing a video called:
"Don McLean - Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) with Lyrics"
3:59 run time & 11M views.
I think you'll like it. It's choreographed extremely well & it's right up your alley.
Something you may want to consider including in your channel?
Also, in reference to your selection of impressionistic art work, I own a Howard Behrens geclee called "Table For Two".
Behrens is regarded as #1 pallet knife artist in the USA. Powerful, rich, vivid colors difficult to obtained with a brush.
I simply HAD to have it. Beyond beautiful and words in my eyes.
Please Google it. I think you'll like it. It's similar to many of your pics.
You may find a need for it in your uploads.
I hope you get this. It's been a while & I don't know how to reach you directly.
God bless - Bruce
@victorioushitman3297
One of the most underrated star
@jaimecarlosdejesusjesus3927
Linda...linda , marcou minha juventude e , para mim e a canção mais bonita que já se fez .
@Woman2Watch
One of the most underrated singers.
@liveforlovexxx
for sure, <3
@ldolphin34
This man is so much more than just making records. There's something much deeper he can reach, that few other artists have.
@brucemckay1611
Well said, this man is a treasure for humankind
@milimiti6427
I just love this artist. My auntie gave my boy friend (then) and 2 albums of Chris De Burgh in 1989 and loved every piece so much that to date, we sing the songs with my kids on long car drives. He takes you on a journey. A real treasure. 👌👌
@davidgarrett0x
Yes you're right Mili this is my best track each time I'm about to face a mission
@meigyntay9226
Thank you, love the timbre in his voice....yes, there's no wisdom in any wars, only heartache.
@karinarechidi9981
it's impossible to listen to this song and not shed at least one tear..