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".
Jesus Do Your Hands Still Feel The Rain
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be as cold upon your forehead
As the tears that plough your beaten face again
Would the rain
Could your hands, your grubby hands
Pull your coat around your shoulder
Steel yourself against the weather of the dayCould your hands
Here I stand
Just the same
Jesus do these hands still feel the rain
Here we go, winter long
Like sun bleeds down the valley
Or a black and oily river moves so slow
Here we go
Here I stand
Just the same
Jesus do these hands still feel the rain
Here I stand
Just the same
Jesus do your hands still feel the rain
Deacon Blue’s song, “Jesus Do Your Hands Still Feel The Rain,” presents a poignant and introspective depiction of human suffering and the concept of faith, with the singer addressing Jesus and questioning whether He too feels the pain of the rain on his forehead and the tears that washes his beaten face again. The use of metaphors like the rain and the coat around the shoulder help to magnify the dual meaning of the lyrics, depicting the physical and emotional struggle that we experience as humans. The song captures the conflict that arises when faith is tested by trauma and hardship, alluding to the fact that even the Son of God experienced human pain and therefore understands our struggles.
The singer of this song calls upon Jesus, knowing well that He has the same experience as everyone else, despite being divine. Perhaps the singer is struggling with their faith and finding it difficult to reconcile their present situation with the idea of a benevolent God who can ease their pain. The repetition of the chorus where the singer asks Jesus if his hands still feel the rain conveys a sense of desperation and hopelessness, urging the listener to consider the importance of faith in the face of suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
Would the rain, the frozen rain
Do you understand the painfulness of the circumstances?
Be as cold upon your forehead
Can you endure the harshness?
As the tears that plough your beaten face again
Like it hurts to see the sorrow in the world?
Could your hands, your grubby hands
Do you have the ability to protect yourself?
Pull your coat around your shoulder
Can you find comfort amidst discomfort?
Steel yourself against the weather of the day
Can you stay strong in the face of adversity?
Here we go, winter long
The difficult times are coming and it's going to be a constant struggle
Like sun bleeds down the valley
As much as the sun shines and brings hope, darkness is still present
Or a black and oily river moves so slow
The world can sometimes feel like it's moving backwards, like a stagnant river
Here I stand
I am still here despite the difficulties
Just the same
Still holding on and staying strong
Jesus do these hands still feel the rain
Do you still feel the pain and suffering of the world in your hands?
Jesus do your hands still feel the rain
Do you still feel the pain and suffering of the world in your hands?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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