This predominantly Glaswegian act became one of the top-selling UK bands of the late 1980s/early 1990s. The group's members were Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewan Vernal and Graeme Kelling.
Ross, a former school teacher originally from Dundee, was the group's frontman, penning the vast majority of Deacon Blue's songs. He married female vocalist Lorraine McIntosh in the later years of the band's career. McIntosh, born May 1964 in Glasgow joined the band in 1987 as a vocalist.
The band's first album, Raintown, produced by Jon Kelly and released in 1987, is regarded by many as the band's finest effort, spawning the singles "Dignity", "Chocolate Girl" and "Loaded". Many consider Raintown to be a concept album, since nearly all the songs contribute to the overall theme of being stuck in a dead-end life in a deprived city longing for something better. The city that the album's title refers to is Glasgow, and the memorable cover art of the album is a shot of the River Clyde's docks taken on a miserable day from Kelvingrove Park.
The second album, 1988's When The World Knows Your Name, was the band's most commercially successful, with the mega-selling singles "Real Gone Kid", "Wages Day" and "Fergus Sings The Blues". However, music critics began deriding the band at this stage for pursuing commercial success over artistic quality, citing the earlier achievements of Raintown.
Jon Kelly returned to the producer's chair in 1991 for Fellow Hoodlums, and the album was met with more critical success, but by now the group's honeymoon period was over and their success started to wane. This album was followed up with Whatever You Say, Say Nothing in 1993, a much more experimental album which gained praise from the critics, but was a commercial failure.
The band released a Greatest Hits compilation the following year.
With Vipond's decision to quit the group in favour for a career in television, Deacon Blue split up in 1994.
Five years later, the band held an unexpected reunion gig in 1999, and this led on to a new album, Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis.
The band released another album, Homesick, in 2001.
Though Graeme Kelling died from cancer in 2004, the band has vowed to continue in his absence.
The year 2006 saw Deacon Blue returning to the studio to record three new tracks for a Singles album - including the track "Bigger than Dynamite".
The band performed at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, as the pre-match entertainment for the Rugby League Super League Grand Final on the 14 October, and continued on to a full UK tour in November.
The album The Hipsters was released in 2012.
http://www.deaconblue.com/, followed by A New House, Believers, City of Love and Riding On The Tide Of Love.
In 2023 the band released a greatest hits set titled "All The Old 45's" along with a box set of all their albums titled "You Can Have It All".
Beautiful Stranger
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you made me what I am
And I fall to pieces
Johnny Cash in black singin'
Undertand your man from
St. Quentin crossing to Tarbert to Gigha
Oh lonesome me howled box car willieComing out of Tobermory to the sound
In the morning
Patsy Clines on the air say's I've loved and lost again
From now on all of my friends are gonna be strangers
So I fell in love with a beautiful stranger
It's just an arrangement
I'll leave the first light of day
This one goes out
To my beautiful stranger
I slipped so quietly away
By the window where she stands
She counts the beads in her hand
And knows it wasn't God who planned to make
Honky tonk angels
She makes the bed all alone but a house
Without love is not a home plays on the radio
She says why can't he be you I hear
You've gone from Brown to blue
Since the holiday for two
But I don't need to know that right now
I love you so much it hurts he cursed
As his truck tyres lurched down the
Old dirt track road again
She fell in love with a beautiful stranger
There's no arrangement
He leaves the first light of day
This one goes out to the beautiful stranger
Time slips so easily away
Time slips so easily away
Time slips so easily away
The lyrics to Deacon Blue's song Beautiful Stranger are a tale of a fleeting love affair, with the singer reflecting on the journey that brought him to this point. He recalls seven long days spent driving a lorry, a journey that he attributes to the person who made him who he is today. He speaks of the music that accompanied him on the journey, mentioning Johnny Cash's 'Understand Your Man' and Patsy Cline's 'I've Loved and Lost Again'. The lyrics are a tribute to the power of music to heal and comfort, to bring solace during the difficult times.
The singer then falls in love with a beautiful stranger, but acknowledges that it is just an arrangement and he will leave at first light. The woman he is with counts the beads in her hand and reflects on the fact that it wasn't God who planned to make 'Honky Tonk Angels'. She makes the bed alone, knowing that a house without love is not a home, and plays the radio. The song 'Why Can't He Be You' plays, and she laments the fact that her lover is leaving. He professes his love for her and curses as he drives away, knowing that time slips so easily away.
The lyrics to Beautiful Stranger are a beautiful homage to the transience of love, the fleeting nature of our connections with others. It is a powerful reflection on the power of music to heal and to console, to accompany us on our journeys through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Seven lonely days in a fifty ton lorry
I have been feeling lonely for a long time and have traveled a great distance in a big vehicle.
I know you made me what I am
I recognize that you have played a significant role in shaping who I have become.
And I fall to pieces
I am feeling emotionally distraught and am struggling to keep it together.
Johnny Cash in black singin', Understand your man from St. Quentin crossing to Tarbert to Gigha
I'm listening to Johnny Cash sing 'Understand Your Man' while driving through different places in Scotland (St. Quentin, Tarbert, Gigha).
Oh lonesome me howled box car willie, Coming out of Tobermory to the sound, In the morning
I am feeling really lonely and am listening to Box Car Willie while driving out of Tobermory early in the morning.
Patsy Clines on the air say's I've loved and lost again
I am listening to Patsy Cline on the radio, who is singing about lost love.
From now on all of my friends are gonna be strangers
I am so hurt by my past experiences with people that I don't want to trust anyone anymore.
So I fell in love with a beautiful stranger, It's just an arrangement, I'll leave the first light of day
I have developed feelings for someone I barely know, but our relationship is only temporary and I plan to leave early in the morning.
This one goes out, To my beautiful stranger, I slipped so quietly away
I'm thinking of the person I fell in love with and left unnoticed, and I hope they hear this message and know what it means.
By the window where she stands, She counts the beads in her hand, And knows it wasn't God who planned to make, Honky tonk angels
Meanwhile, the woman I left behind is reflecting on her past and thinking about the men she chose to be in relationships with.
She makes the bed all alone but a house, Without love is not a home plays on the radio
She feels very lonely living on her own, and the song 'Without Love Is Not a Home' by B.B. King is playing on the radio to remind her of that.
She says why can't he be you I hear, You've gone from Brown to blue, Since the holiday for two, But I don't need to know that right now
She is thinking about me and wondering why things didn't work out, but also acknowledges that it's not the right time to confront me about it.
I love you so much it hurts he cursed, As his truck tyres lurched down the, Old dirt track road again
Despite leaving her, I secretly love her so much that it's painful to think about, and I try to shake off these feelings by driving away on a bumpy road.
She fell in love with a beautiful stranger, There's no arrangement, He leaves the first light of day, This one goes out to the beautiful stranger, Time slips so easily away, Time slips so easily away, Time slips so easily away
The woman now finds herself in a similar situation to me: she fell for someone she barely knew and he left without warning. Time passes quickly and before she knows it, he is gone - just like I am.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIM PRIME, RICKY ROSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nigel Smith
on Long Window To Love
This whole explanation is completely wrong. The song is about the Labour Party not winning a general election