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".
Loaded
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You talk
You care about nothing
Sometimes you're feelin'
That life has treated you wrong
I've got a feeling
You know what the score is
Baby
But it's hard when you're sitting here
Surrounded by friends
I've got a love
That I'll cling on to
And I'll stay there
Stay there till the end
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
You walk and you talk
And you sing and you shout
And you justify
And you rant and you rave and you hope and you say
Nothing
And you eat and you drink and you dress and you live as if
No one else did baby
No one else like you
Lives out in this world
I've got a love
That I'll cling on to
And I'll stay there
Stay there till the end
'Cause one thing I know is
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
In Deacon Blue's song "Loaded", the lyrics offer insight into someone who feels lost and aimless in life. The song conveys the message that while the person may seem carefree and happy, their behavior is simply a facade as a result of being "loaded" or heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The singer acknowledges that they too have felt lost, but they have found an answer – their love, which they will hold onto until the end. The singer does not judge the other person for their questionable behavior, but rather sympathizes with them and recognizes that things are different for them when they are loaded.
The imagery used in this song is powerful in conveying the message. The lines "You walk and you talk, and you sing and you shout, and you justify about anything" suggest a level of recklessness and carelessness that comes with being under the influence. The line "You eat and you drink and you dress and you live as if no one else did baby, no one else like you lives out in this world" amplifies the sense of isolation and detachment, as though the person is living in their own world, separate from everyone else. By repeating the phrase "I have found an answer", the singer emphasizes the contrast between their own sense of purpose and happiness compared to the other person who is loaded.
Overall, "Loaded" is a poignant song that delves into themes of purpose, identity, and addiction. It offers a glimpse of the struggles that come with feeling lost and disconnected, and the difficult journey of finding a way back to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
You sigh and you walk
You move through life in a frustrated and aimless way
You talk
You say things without really meaning them
You care about nothing
You have no real interests or passions
Sometimes you're feelin'
That life has treated you wrong
You feel like the world has been unfair to you at times
I've got a feeling
You know what the score is
I sense that you understand the reality of the situation
Baby
But it's hard when you're sitting here
Surrounded by friends
It's difficult to face reality when you're constantly surrounded by people who don't understand
I've got a love
That I'll cling on to
And I'll stay there
Stay there till the end
I have a love that I am committed to, and I will stay true to that love until the end of my life
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I have found a solution to my problems, but you don't seem to care because you're intoxicated and your perspective is distorted
You walk and you talk
And you sing and you shout
And you justify
About anything
And you rant and you rave and you hope and you say
Nothing
And you eat and you drink and you dress and you live as if
No one else did baby
No one else like you
Lives out in this world
You live your life in a selfish and self-absorbed way, justifying your actions and ignoring the needs of others
I've got a love
That I'll cling on to
And I'll stay there
Stay there till the end
'Cause one thing I know is
I will hold on to my love and remain committed until the very end because that is what I believe in
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
I have discovered the answer to my problems, but you are too intoxicated to care and just laugh it off
I
Have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I have found a way to solve my problems, but you're too drunk to comprehend how things have changed
I have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
And things are different from there
I have found a solution to my problems and I don't believe you don't care, but you're too drunk to see how things have changed
I have found
An answer
I don't think you don't care
Just you laugh
'Cause you're loaded
I have come up with a solution to my problems, but I don't believe you don't care - you're just laughing because you're drunk
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRAEME KELLING, JIM PRIME, RICKY ROSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@evertonluke1166
As far as live performances go, this one is absolutely terrific. Lorraine's vocals stand out especially.
@nickson70
I remember having the privilege to be working at one of their sound checks in Liverpool Summer Pops about 18 years ago. I got to talk to Ricky and Lorraine and they were such a nice couple, and didn't act like stars at all. Ricky asked me to sit down, and then asked what I thought they sounded like - I'll never forget that, Deacon Blue asking me what I though they sounded like! Just to confirm, they sounded amazing - always have. Raintown is one of the best albums ever.
@georgelorimer6335
Beautiful. Humble musicians ❤
@neutralfashion
Oh what has happened to music? We were truly blessed in the 80s and 90s and before. 😢 this song and performance gives me goosebumps. ❤
@GGGritzer
You really gotta see them, live! 1990 and 2022. Both concerts were AMAZING!
@neutralfashion
@@GGGritzer I have seen them live twice. They were amazing
@eightiesmusic1984
@@neutralfashionI assume you know the concert this is from is on DVD. It was fil med over two nights at the end of 1989. It is astonishingly good and so moving even all these years later. I saw them for the first time at de Montfort Hall, Leicester in the summer of 1989, the first and only time I was on the guest list for anything! They had just knocked Madonna off the top of the album charts with When The World Knows Your Name. Lucky enough to see them a few more times since.
@neutralfashion
@@eightiesmusic1984 yes I had this video. Amazing
@rheuelpangilinan134
Lisa
@richardrichardson3567
Raintown one of the best albums ever made !