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".
I Am Born
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will look for something that will keep it turning
Everyone's got to keep the will
Every boy every girl
I'm no different why the other day
I saw death like an ocean that could wash us away
The only comfort that I got was this
I am born
Aliver than the raging sea
Stranger than the strangest beasts
Than ever can be
After midnight and the night is black
You lie awake and the fear comes back
That your breath will stop
And this world will carry on
But I am born
Once there was nothing here
Not even the smell of fear
Nothing at all
Until you are born
Gasping out and in to open air
Taking hold of the atmosphere
And loving being born
Deacon Blue's song "I Am Born" is a reflective piece that contemplates the fragility of human life and the inevitability of death. The lyrics suggest that all people in the world have a responsibility to find something to keep them going, and to continue to try and persevere in order to survive. The song speaks to the universal struggle of life, the ups and downs, and the moments of clarity that allow us to find purpose.
The opening lyrics suggest that people everywhere are searching for something to keep life moving forward. The idea of "keeping the will" is a powerful reminder that humans are driven to survive, to push themselves beyond their limits, despite the challenges and obstacles that exist. Every boy and girl is included in this search, indicating that this is not just a struggle for adults, but for all people in the world.
The second verse focuses on the singer's own fears regarding death, emphasizing the idea of mortality that underlies the entire song. The realization that life can be washed away like an ocean is a striking image that underscores the transience of human existence. Yet, the singer finds comfort in the fact that he has experienced love and has found meaning in his life.
The third verse adds another layer to the song's themes, suggesting that humans are both insignificant in the grand scheme of things, yet also uniquely important. The line "once there was nothing here" suggests that the world existed for eons before humans emerged, yet the act of being born is still a remarkable one. The singer describes this act as "gasping out and in to open air," emphasizing the raw and primal nature of life.
Overall, "I Am Born" is a poignant meditation on what it means to be human, with all the joys and sorrows that come with that experience.
Line by Line Meaning
All the people in all the world
Everyone in the world is searching for something to keep their world spinning.
Will look for something that will keep it turning
People will search for something that will keep their world spinning.
Everyone's got to keep the will
Every individual must keep the will to survive.
Every boy every girl
This is true for both males and females.
I'm no different why the other day
I am not different, just the other day I experienced something similar.
I saw death like an ocean that could wash us away
I saw death as an unstoppable force that could wipe us out.
The only comfort that I got was this
The only comfort I could find in this was the fact that:
I once was unlovely and now I'm kissed
I was once unloved but now I receive love.
I am born
I have been brought into existence.
Aliver than the raging sea
I am more alive and full of energy than a fiercely stormy sea.
Stranger than the strangest beasts
I am more unique and peculiar than the most mysterious beasts.
Than ever can be
More than anything imaginable.
After midnight and the night is black
Late night when darkness prevails,
You lie awake and the fear comes back
You have trouble sleeping as your fears resurface.
That your breath will stop
The fear that you will stop breathing.
And this world will carry on
And the world will go on without you.
Once there was nothing here
There was a time when there was nothing.
Not even the smell of fear
There was no scent of fear in the air.
Nothing at all
Simply nothing existed.
Until you are born
Until you come into existence.
Gasping out and in to open air
Taking breaths in the fresh air of the world.
Taking hold of the atmosphere
Holding the air close to you to fill yourself with life.
And loving being born
And finding joy in simply being alive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 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