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".
Mexico Rain
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Travelled through the setting sun I hear those blue lights come I come gladly
Jesus weeps does no-one sleep here anymore?
Just a dime and a half and I'm in oblivion
(oh I'll be sure)
Get it together in a room with a T.V. on
(the world gets better)I'm on a terrace with a bet on the obvious
(it's gonna shine some more)
Then the thunder struck and the lightning flashed
(oh well that mexico rain)
Jenny's in the jail for telling tales for gold and silver pieces
And the whole world's reading braille like slow snails till the story turns stale and ceases
I'm not coming back down here anymore
Just a dime and a half and I'm in oblivion
(oh I'll be sure)
Get it together in a room with a T.V. on
(the world gets better)
I'm on a terrace with a bet on the obvious
(ithe sun is gonna shine)
Then the thunder struck and the lightning flashed
He put it all on a certain return
Then lost a dollar fifty on mexico rain
The song "Mexico Rain" by Deacon Blue is a poetic and layered exploration of seeking happiness and finding oneself. The opening line "I have come five thousand miles and tried to find the ways to be happy" sets the tone for the song's introspective musings. The singer has travelled far to find happiness but is still searching for answers. The haunting refrain of "Jesus weeps does no-one sleep here anymore?" adds a layer of melancholy and contemplation to the lyrics. The reference to Jesus weeping suggests a sense of disillusionment and perhaps even a feeling of hopelessness.
The song then moves into a more surreal verse, where the singer seems to be experiencing a kind of dissociative state. The line "Just a dime and a half and I'm in oblivion" suggests a detachment from reality, followed by the image of trying to "get it together in a room with a T.V. on." The lyrics then shift to a more hopeful tone, with the singer betting on the obvious, believing that the sun is going to shine once again. However, the line "Then the thunder struck and the lightning flashed" interrupts this sense of optimism and introduces the metaphorical "Mexico rain" that ultimately brings disappointment.
The second half of the song brings in another character, Jenny, who is "in jail for telling tales for gold and silver pieces." The cryptic line "And the whole world's reading braille like slow snails till the story turns stale and ceases" suggests a sense of helplessness and futility, as though the characters in the song are all stuck in a cycle of despair. The song then ends with the singer declaring that they will not be coming back to this place of disillusionment and seeking refuge instead in the beauty of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
I have come five thousand miles and tried to find the ways to be happy
After travelling a far distance, I tried to find happiness
Travelled through the setting sun I hear those blue lights come I come gladly
I travelled while the sun set and heard police sirens with a positive attitude
Jesus weeps does no-one sleep here anymore?
I question whether anyone still sleeps because it seems like Jesus is crying
Just a dime and a half and I'm in oblivion (oh I'll be sure)
I can escape reality for very cheap and I know it for certain
Get it together in a room with a T.V. on (the world gets better)
When I organize my thoughts in front of a TV, the world seems like a better place
I'm on a terrace with a bet on the obvious (it's gonna shine some more)
I'm on a patio anticipating the sun to continue shining
Then the thunder struck and the lightning flashed (oh well that mexico rain)
Unexpected Mexico rain pours down after thunder and lightning
Jenny's in the jail for telling tales for gold and silver pieces
Someone named Jenny is in jail for selling stories for money
And the whole world's reading braille like slow snails till the story turns stale and ceases
The world reads stories sluggishly until they lose interest and the story ends
I'm not coming back down here anymore
I won't return to this place
He put it all on a certain return
A man bet everything he had
Then lost a dollar fifty on mexico rain
He lost $1.50 on Mexico rain
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