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".
Beautifully Still
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From your wheel of fire
Let me only fly
On your wings of desire
What happened to that ride
On your chariot of gold
It had only lasted minutes
From the centuries you hold
What happened to the reign
The reign of love?
Where have all the angels gone
Now the sun's not up above?
You lie so beautifully still
I can't see you move
I want us to be closer
In fifty years or more
Getting young not older
Like we were here before
But your quarters are all sullied
Your alter boys asleep
Your priests have drunk the wine
You meant us all to keep
What happened to the reign
The reign of love?
Where have all the angels gone
Now the sun's not up above?
You lie so beautifully still
I can't see you move
What happened to the reign
The reign of love?
Where have all the angels gone
Now the sun's not up above?
You lie so beautifully still
I can't see you move
I'm not saying your dead
I just think you've changed
You lie so beautifully still
I can't see you move
The lyrics of Deacon Blue's "Beautifully Still" is packed with multiple layers of meanings that can be interpreted in different ways. The first stanza is addressing someone who is controlling the future from a "wheel of fire" and the singer desires to fly on "wings of desire". Hence, the opening verse sets the tone for the entire song that appears to be a plea for guidance and protection. The second line intensifies this idea by including the metaphor of wings, adding a biblical connotation of saving grace. The line "What happened to that ride, On your chariot of gold" is probably referencing the Greek mythology where the god Apollo rode his chariot of gold across the sky at dawn as he was the sun god. The singer laments the fact that the ride was of short duration, which seemed to have lasted only for minutes when it spanned centuries.
The chorus is particularly striking because it centers around a recurring theme of the song, the "reign of love". The singer is probably reflecting on how the times have changed so much and the world is no longer the same. The world has been deprived of love, which made the singer question the whereabouts of the angels who provided the light (heat?) for love to flourish. The line "You lie so beautifully still, I can't see you move" could be viewed as having multiple layers of meanings too. One possible interpretation is that the singer is addressing a loved one who has probably fallen ill, in a comatose state, or maybe just metaphorically dead. This is further backed up by the lines "I'm not saying your dead, I just think you've changed", implying that the person is not physically dead, but they are still alive, but not as active as they used to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Send me down my future
Requesting to see what the future holds
From your wheel of fire
Asking for insight from a divine or powerful source
Let me only fly
Asking to only be led in a positive direction
On your wings of desire
Desiring to be guided by pure intentions
What happened to that ride
Questioning what happened to a previous experience
On your chariot of gold
Referring to a previous experience that was precious and valuable
It had only lasted minutes
The previous experience was fleeting and short-lived
From the centuries you hold
The source of the experience has been around for centuries
Where have all the angels gone
Questioning where important or positive entities have disappeared to
Now the sun's not up above
Feeling lost or abandoned without guidance and light
You lie so beautifully still
A reference to a religious statue, questioning its purpose
I can't see you move
It seems like this religious icon is static and not fulfilling its purpose
I want us to be closer
Desiring a closer relationship with a divine entity
In fifty years or more
Wanting this relationship to last for a long time
Getting young not older
Desiring to feel youthful and full of life
Like we were here before
Wanting to feel a connection to a previous time or experience
But your quarters are all sullied
A reference to corruption or impurity within a religious organization
Your alter boys asleep
Questioning the dedication and commitment of religious followers
Your priests have drunk the wine
Suggesting unethical behavior from religious leaders
You meant us all to keep
Disappointed that the religious community has not lived up to its intended standards
I'm not saying your dead
Clarification that this is not meant to be taken literally
I just think you've changed
Recognizing that the religious community has evolved and may not be the same as it once was
You lie so beautifully still
Reiterating the previous statement about the inactive nature of religious icons
I can't see you move
Further emphasizing that this religious icon does not seem to be fulfilling its purpose
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: 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