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".
Bethlehem's Gate
Deacon Blue Lyrics
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As purple as this
With a love so close
We longed to be missed
Summer `89
And everything stood
Sure and free and there
To be finishedI long to be there
As bright as the sky
At Bethlehem`s gate
September again
You come so quick
So sudden your strength
So strong your kiss
The world groans and strains
For the hope of a time
Like a prayer that
Is wished and willed
To exist
Like knocking so hard
And trying to get through
To Bethlehem`s gate
I`m chiding the heart
That the body will live
To question the power
And the gift of birth
To stand and grow and die
On the wasteland
That scorns the high temples
We build
And stand in the way
And darken the sky
At Bethlehem`s gate
And darken the sky
At Bethlehem`s gate
The lyrics of "Bethlehem's Gate" by Deacon Blue convey a strong sense of faith and hope. The song begins with a description of a night in the summer of 1989, which is vividly portrayed as "purple". The lyrics then describe a feeling of closeness to a loved one, and a longing to be missed. The imagery used in the lyrics is romantic and evocative, creating a sense of intimacy and connection.
The song then shifts to a more overtly religious focus, with the mention of Bethlehem's gate. The lyrics describe the coming of September, and the hope for a time of renewal and rebirth. The world is portrayed as groaning and straining for this hope, desperately seeking a new beginning. There is a sense of urgency and power in the lyrics that conveys a deep sense of faith and belief in the possibility of change.
The final verses of the song convey a sense of struggle and challenge in the face of the difficulties of life. The lyrics suggest that there is a need to stand up against the forces that would seek to darken the sky and prevent the possibility of renewal and rebirth. The imagery of standing in the way and chiding the heart conveys a sense of determination and strength in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a night
The beginning of a story or memory
As purple as this
A description of the color of the night, possibly representing a mood or feeling
With a love so close
Expressing nearness to someone or something important
We longed to be missed
Wanting to be recognized or remembered
Summer `89
A specific time and place where the story takes place
And everything stood
Describing a moment of stillness or pause
Sure and free and there
A sense of stability in the present moment
To be finished
A feeling of completeness or finality
I long to be there
Desire to return to a past moment or feeling
As bright as the sky
A vivid representation of a beautiful moment
At Bethlehem`s gate
A reference to the biblical city, possibly representing a place of meaning or significance
September again
A shift to a different time period
You come so quick
A sense of surprise or sudden change
So sudden your strength
Describing a powerful force that appears unexpectedly
So strong your kiss
A metaphor or symbol for a significant moment or relationship
The world groans and strains
A way of describing the stress and struggle of daily life
For the hope of a time
The desire for a better future
Like a prayer that
A comparison to a religious act, representing a deep desire or request
Is wished and willed
A sense of determination or intentionality
To exist
The ultimate goal of the hope or desire
Like knocking so hard
A metaphor for putting in significant effort or energy
And trying to get through
Suggesting a difficult or challenging situation
To Bethlehem`s gate
Returning to the biblical symbol of a meaningful place or moment
I`m chiding the heart
Self-reflection or criticism
That the body will live
Acknowledgment of physical existence and mortality
To question the power
A desire to understand or challenge authority
And the gift of birth
A reference to the miracle of life
To stand and grow and die
A representation of the human experience
On the wasteland
A metaphor for a difficult or challenging environment
That scorns the high temples
A critique of societal structures or beliefs
We build
Acknowledgment of human agency and responsibility
And stand in the way
A recognition of obstacles or challenges
And darken the sky
A metaphor for negative or oppressive forces
At Bethlehem`s gate
A final reference to the meaningful place or moment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: 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