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".
He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smiling like a college boy who's glad to be alive
But now he owns a factory and a store in Los Alamos
A wife called Beverly sells second hand Ford Motors
He may have taken pictures, been caught in Albuquerque
Flown in great artiste on a mushroom cloud
He may be a senator or a general or a turn key
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he may have been with Oppenheimer, shaken Einstein's hand
Did we have to drop the bomb? You bet, to save this land
He was only taking pictures around the critical mass
While the troops on Tinian island sang 'Follow the bouncing ball'
White Christmas
He may have been a nationalist, a physicist or a pacifist
But he's just taking pictures and he'll do it anyhow
Well, I have seen that movie of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
And I know he looks like Spencer Tracy Now
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
Tears falling down the streets
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
And he cries all night
Oh, he cries all night
The song "He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now" by Deacon Blue tells the story of a man who took pictures during World War II and was present during the creation of the atomic bomb. The song explores the aftermath of the war on this man's life, as he now owns a factory and store in Los Alamos and is married to a woman named Beverly who sells secondhand Ford motors. The lyrics suggest that despite the man's success in the years after the war, he is plagued by guilt and remorse for his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb.
The references to Spencer Tracy and the film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" suggest that the man's moral struggles have left him feeling as if he is leading a double life, with his public success contrasting with his private torment. The repeated refrain of "And he cries all night" emphasizes the deep sadness and pain that the man is experiencing.
The song is a commentary on the moral complexities of war and the long-lasting impact that such conflicts can have on those who are involved in them. It suggests that even those who played minor roles in historical events can be haunted by them for the rest of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a shadow on his photograph on Tinian '45
There's an ambiguous past that still haunts him from his time in Tinian Island in 1945.
Smiling like a college boy who's glad to be alive
He had a youthful exuberance in the past that is now lost.
But now he owns a factory and a store in Los Alamos
He now has a respectable business in Los Alamos that he runs.
A wife called Beverly sells second hand Ford Motors
His wife Beverly helps him sell second-hand Ford cars in the store.
He may have taken pictures, been caught in Albuquerque
He may have lived through some unpleasant experiences despite being a photographer.
Flown in great artiste on a mushroom cloud
He has witnessed unsettling things like bombs exploding in the past.
He may be a senator or a general or a turn key
He could have held prominent positions of power in the past.
But I know he looks like Spencer Tracy now
Despite his past life, now he looks like an aged, worn-out man, just like Spencer Tracy.
And he cries all night
He's filled with deep regret and sorrow over his past experiences.
Tears falling down the streets
His cries are so intense that tears cascade down the streets.
And he may have been with Oppenheimer, shaken Einstein's hand
He could have rubbed shoulders with famous scientists like Oppenheimer and Einstein.
Did we have to drop the bomb? You bet, to save this land
He believes that the bombing was necessary to protect his country.
He was only taking pictures around the critical mass
He was just documenting events around the critical mass and was not a part of any decision-making process.
While the troops on Tinian island sang 'Follow the bouncing ball'
The troops in Tinian Island were maybe oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
White Christmas
The troops in Tinian Island might have sung the song White Christmas as part of their merrymaking.
He may have been a nationalist, a physicist or a pacifist
He could have held different beliefs and ideologies in the past.
But he's just taking pictures and he'll do it anyhow
His job as a photographer remains regardless of his beliefs and ideologies.
Well, I have seen that movie of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
The singer thinks that the man's personality might have changed over the years.
And he cries all night
The man is overwhelmed with emotion and sorrow that he cries throughout the night.
Oh, he cries all night
The man's sorrow and regret is so intense that he can't stop crying all night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROSS, Ricky Ross
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@speck650
Here in 2023
@frederickliston568
One of, if not. THE ONE. Of the most underrated bands, of all time..!! Great tunes, great lyrics, great songs & albums. And a fantastic group, to see live. Which I have, given myself the chance to do....!!!! On many occasions. They are absolutely, Fantastic.... Cheers
@devotedrecords8038
Sad and beautiful ❤😢
@danielstanwyck2812
What a sweet surprise. I was just checking out to see what movies of Spencer Tracy's are on youtube and this song showed up. Haven't heard of this song or Deacon Blue. Lovely song for a great actor. Don't get all the references but no matter - you needn't in order to appreciate the beauty of it.
@davidglen4532
https://open.spotify.com/track/52a5lNMpFJtH3HJTsFv4jU?si=A53hXJxGRyq4uYNRyUb_tQ
@001bushwacker
Beautiful
@lakefire9985
this song is amazing made me cry first time i heard it
@raulraul4273
raintown is an amazing album.
@peterthe3rdbanks287
One of the first albums I bought, definitely the best ones I'd owned at that time
@peterthe3rdbanks287
@@Anonymous-Joker74 definitely up there. Good win for you boys last week vs Spurs. Not the best result today tho. I'm a Hibs fan and when we played you pre season (albeit missing Saka and a few others) I thought they're in for a long season, although Arteta seems to be turning around recently. I like him as a manager I hope he gets time.