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".
Let Your Hearts Be Troubled
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleep not too soft
Know your griefs have friends
Be still let grow your anger
Today will soon be here again
Tomorrow may take longer
Once upon a time a palace there was And it was in winter
Oh the dark was bitter
Men came that day to see a prince
To ask him for some sunlight
Well the prince called his toy soldiers out
Can't you hear the guns
See men falling low
Their eyes like tunnels where they fell
Through those tunnels we must go
Three men, Gordon, Budowski and Pitoku
Wanted to meet, but, what could they do?
For Japan, Jamaica and Poland you see
Are far, far apart way over the sea
So here's what they did, they got themselves dead
One by gun, one by rope, one by losing his head
And that's how they met
But wasn't that silly?
We learn from the story that freedom is falling
The opening lines of Deacon Blue's “Let Your Hearts Be Troubled” speak a message of solace amidst times of great distress. The singer reassures the listener to embrace their heartache and not seek solace in a state of slumber. Instead, he invites them to find comfort in the fact that their sorrows are shared by others. The song’s verses revolve around a tale of three men from different parts of the world who died fighting for freedom. The song urges its listeners to not forget the sacrifices made by the fallen soldiers and to appreciate the worth of freedom for which they fought and died. It is a powerful message of hope and resilience that speaks to the soul.
The song’s opening verse tells the listener to let their hearts be troubled, but to not succumb easily to their sorrows. These lyrics are meant to encourage people to be brave in the face of adversity, to be still and confront their feelings and ultimately to rise up again. In the second verse, the song tells the story of three unlikely heroes from different parts of the world - Japan, Jamaica, and Poland - who each died fighting for freedom. The singer draws upon the example of their sacrifice to encourage the listener to value and fight for their own freedom. The overall message of the song is one of unity and hope - no matter what the circumstances are, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Line by Line Meaning
Let your hearts be troubled
It's okay to feel upset or anxious
Sleep not too soft
Don't try to escape your troubles through sleep or distraction
Know your griefs have friends
Others have experienced similar pain and can offer support
Be still let grow your anger
Don't suppress your anger, but let it grow slowly so that you can channel it in a positive way
Today will soon be here again
Time moves on and difficult times will eventually pass
Tomorrow may take longer
But sometimes the healing process takes longer than expected
Once upon a time a palace there was
The song transitions to a new story, setting the stage for the themes explored in the rest of the song
And it was in winter
A time of cold and darkness, symbolizing hardship
Oh the dark was bitter
The darkness of winter was particularly harsh and difficult to bear
Men came that day to see a prince
The arrival of men suggests a desire for hope or change
To ask him for some sunlight
They hoped the prince could offer light or warmth to their cold and dark world
Well the prince called his toy soldiers out
The prince was unable to offer the sunlight they needed but instead offered a distraction or illusion in the form of toy soldiers
Can't you hear the guns
The song shifts to yet another story, this time featuring war and violence
See men falling low
The horrors of war are depicted through the image of men dying on the battlefield
Their eyes like tunnels where they fell
The intense pain and trauma experienced by these men is represented by the metaphor of their eyes as tunnels
Through those tunnels we must go
We must confront and process the pain and trauma we experience
Three men, Gordon, Budowski and Pitoku
The song begins yet another story, this one about three men from different parts of the world
Wanted to meet, but, what could they do?
Despite their differences and geographical distance, these men wanted to connect with one another
For Japan, Jamaica and Poland you see
The countries these men represent further emphasize their differences and the distance between them
Are far, far apart way over the sea
The physical distance between these places highlights how far apart these men are
So here's what they did, they got themselves dead
The song takes a sudden dark turn, suggesting that these men resorted to suicide to escape their pain and isolation
One by gun, one by rope, one by losing his head
The manner of their deaths further emphasizes the violent and gruesome nature of their suicides
And that's how they met, but wasn't that silly?
Their deaths brought them together, but at a great price
We learn from the story that freedom is falling
The song ends on a note of despair, suggesting that the pursuit of freedom can lead to destruction and death
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maiwennlevenez3949
Just my best song ever... get goose bumps when i listen to it... makes me cry too...
@chrismarrow5812
Beautiful, Ricky Ross and deacon blue write first class songs ❤
@leonduffy5964
Beautiful 😍
@ianaustin5541
Let your hearts be troubled
Sleep not too soft
Know your griefs have friends
Be still let grow your anger
Today will soon be here again
Tomorrow may take longer
Once upon a time a palace there was
And it was in winter
Oh the dark was bitter
Men came that day to see a prince
To ask him for some sunlight
Well the prince called his toy soldiers out
Can't you hear the guns
See men falling low
Their eyes like tunnels where they fell
Through those tunnels we must go
Three men, Gordon, Budowski and Pitoku
Wanted to meet, but, what could they do?
For Japan, Jamaica and Poland you see
Are far, far apart way over the sea
So here's what they did, they got themselves dead
One by gun, one by rope, one by losing his head
And that's how they met
But wasn't that silly?
We learn from the story that freedom is falling
@inaru2004
Forgive my ignorance, but what is the story behind this song ? Is it some scottish legend or something like that? I´ve always loved this song, ever since i discovered this song in "ohh las vegas", in 1990 .
@ianaustin5541
Same here🖐, I've always wondered......🙂
@arthurswart4436
It's loosely referring to the Red Sunday massacre in St Petersburg and the film Highlander.