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".
Born Again
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the whole world in my hand
So iā²ll do what i used to do
Spend my days loving you
Ooh babe feel like i'm born again
Wander round the whole town
Stay out all night time
Maybe someday i will see
Ooh babe feel lime iā²m born again
How does it feel
(Feels good)
How lucky must i be
As blind as bat
Now i see
You came you cheated on me
?????
Stuck by me and you stayed around much longer
Sing a new song
I got an old phone
Man comes up everytime my momma told her
Feel like a new man
With the whole world in my hand
So i do what i used to do
I pend my days loving you
Ooh babe feel like i'm born again
The Deacon Blue's song "Born Again" is a song that reeks of joy, renewal, and a sense of newness. The song is basically a love song, one in which the persona, who feels invincible, expresses his deep love for his partner. The singer feels like he is born again, which is a metaphor for the renewal of his feelings for his partner. The persona expresses his newfound love for his partner by saying that he would spend his days loving her, echoing the depth of his love for her.
The song's verses notably discuss the persona's wandering and spending time in town. However, the chorus gives a sense of meaning to the randomness of his wanderings. It's a new beginning that he is experiencing, and he feels invincible. The persona declares that he has the whole world in his hand, and he will do what he used to do, which is to love his partner with the same fervor that he had when he first fell in love with her. The song is about feeling renewed rather than letting go of something old. It is a song about starting again and cherishing the moment. The line "How lucky must I be, As blind as a bat now I see" affirms this.
Line by Line Meaning
Feel like a new man
I feel completely different and renewed
With the whole world in my hand
I feel a sense of control and power over my life
So i'll do what i used to do
I will return to my previous actions and habits
Spend my days loving you
My main activity and priority is showing affection to you
Ooh babe feel like i'm born again
The love and connection we share has given me a new sense of purpose and vitality
Wander round the whole town
I roam aimlessly throughout the city
Stay out all night time
I remain outside until late hours
But you come home loving me
You show me affection despite my absence
Maybe someday i will see
Perhaps one day I will realize what you mean to me
Ooh babe feel like i'm born again
The love and connection we share has given me a new sense of purpose and vitality
How does it feel
What is your experience like
(Feels good)
It feels positive and enjoyable
How lucky must i be
I am fortunate to have you
As blind as bat
I was previously unaware
Now i see
Now I have a clear understanding
You came you cheated on me
You committed infidelity in our relationship
?????
Presumably, our relationship underwent a difficult time period, but you chose to stay with me
Sing a new song
I want to create and express a fresh perspective
I got an old phone
Even though I don't have any flashy or current technology, I can still be content
Man comes up everytime my momma told her
I remember a piece of advice from my mother whenever a certain individual comes to my mind
Ooh babe feel like i'm born again
The love and connection we share has given me a new sense of purpose and vitality
Writer(s): David Porter, Isaac Hayes
Contributed by Riley R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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