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".
Even Higher Ground
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I could only take your hand
We're so close to sleep
And so far from deliverance
Once in every lifetime
Love comes down
Even higher ground
Even higher ground
Would not make you fall
Even higher ground
Would not make you stumble
Would not make you fall
Oh you came tumbling in
Like a river to the valley
Which will not be rolling green again
It's washed everything away
Well it stretches out so beautifully
Shows the heavens up above
Even higher ground
Would not make you stumble
Even higher ground
Would not make you fall
Even higher ground
Would not make you stumble
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
I couldn't love you better
If I'd loved you all my life
You threw out all the questions
With one big breath - welcome to the world
Even higher ground
Would not make you stumble
Even higher ground
Would not make you fall
Even higher ground
Would not make you stumble
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
Would not make you fall
The song "Even Higher Ground" by Deacon Blue is a touching ballad about the power of love to transcend even the most difficult of circumstances. The opening lines express a deep desire to reach out and connect with someone, to provide comfort and support in a time of need. The sense of closeness is juxtaposed with a feeling of distance, as if the singer is standing on the threshold between this world and the next, waiting for the moment of deliverance. This theme is echoed in the chorus, which speaks of reaching even higher ground without stumbling or falling, suggesting that love can provide a way to navigate even the most perilous of paths.
The second verse shifts the focus to the object of the singer's affection, who is described as a force of nature, like a river that has washed away everything in its path. This image hints at a sense of loss or change, but is tempered by the beauty of the landscape, which stretches out before the singer, reaching up towards the heavens. The final verse brings the focus back to the power of love, which is described as a unifying force that transcends time and space. The sense of closeness and connection that was hinted at in the opening lines is now expressed in full, with the singer affirming that they could not love the other person more if they had loved them all their life.
Overall, "Even Higher Ground" is a beautifully crafted song that explores themes of love, loss, and transcendence. It offers a sense of hope and comfort in difficult times, reminding us that even when the ground beneath our feet seems unstable, we can find a way to navigate it with the power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I could almost weep
I feel so much emotion that it brings me close to tears.
If I could only take your hand
If I could physically connect with you, I would feel even more emotionally connected.
We're so close to sleep
We are so close to leaving this life and moving on to the next.
And so far from deliverance
But we are still far from being saved or finding true liberation.
Once in every lifetime
True love rarely comes around more than once in a person's life.
Love comes down
When true love appears, it feels like it has come down from heaven or a higher power.
Even higher ground
Going to a higher level of existence or enlightenment.
Would not make you stumble
Even if we achieve a higher state of being, we will not struggle or be held back.
Would not make you fall
We will not make any mistakes or suffer any negative consequences.
Oh you came tumbling in
You came into my life suddenly and completely.
Like a river to the valley
You flowed into my life, bringing fresh life and nourishment, like a river into a dry valley.
Which will not be rolling green again
But your arrival also brought change and destruction, as some things cannot be reclaimed or regained.
It's washed everything away
Your presence has completely changed everything in my life.
Well it stretches out so beautifully
But despite the upheaval, the future seems to stretch out ahead of us full of possibilities and hope.
Shows the heavens up above
Our future feels so grand and full of potential that it seems to connect with and reflect the divine above.
I couldn't love you better
I love you to the fullest extent possible.
If I'd loved you all my life
If I had known you my entire life, I could not love you any more than I already do.
You threw out all the questions
Your love answered and resolved all doubts and uncertainties I had about life.
With one big breath - welcome to the world
Your love gave me a reason to keep living and embracing this world fully.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GARY CLARK, 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