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".
Only Tender Love
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of love and pain
Under the gentle arches we rode
The silver streets
Couldn`t see a difference between gold or
Wooden cross
Could never see where we`re falling
Came in to love
Then hounded by love
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Sent crashing to your knees
Only tender love
Understood the need you need with
Understood the time it took
To take you where nothing ever was
Never was there once nothing
And everything once was
Not dead but still and ready to be born anew
Looking back now it all
Seems so clear
Like staring so long unseeing for someone to light inside a
Darkened room
Then try your tender love
Push you back till there`s nowhere left
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
Nothing that will comfort you more
More than tender love
Understands the need you need with
Understand the time it takes to get home and have a love again
More than tender love
Understands the need you need with
Understand the time it takes
To get home and have a love
Then try your tender love
Push it till there`s nothing left
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
Nothing that will comfort you more
Then hounded by love
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Sent crashing to your knees
Then only tender love
Understood the need you need with
Understood the time it took
To take you where nothing ever was
The lyrics of Deacon Blue's song Only Tender Love depict the journey of love and pain a person experiences in life. The opening lines, "Way out there in the wilderness of love and pain," suggest that the path of love can be both beautiful and challenging - a journey through unfamiliar terrain. The metaphor of "gentle arches" and "silver streets" is used to describe the ups and downs of the journey, the highs and the lows that come with love. The reference to "gold or wooden cross" indicates that love is blind to material possessions or social status. Once one falls in love, they can't see where they're falling, they just know they're in love.
The chorus of the song stresses the importance of tender love, the kind of love that understands and accepts the deepest need of an individual, no matter how long it takes. The line "Only tender love understood the need you need with" emphasizes the unique understanding that true love brings; a comfort that cannot be found elsewhere. However, the second verse talks about the challenges of love. It depicts the moments where love can be suffocating, almost like being pushed in a corner till there's nowhere left to go. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, reaffirming the idea that in the end, only tender love can take you where nothing ever was.
Line by Line Meaning
Way out there in the wilderness
In the unknown and uncharted territory of your heart
Of love and pain
Experiencing the joys and sorrows of love
Under the gentle arches we rode
Navigating through the ups and downs of a relationship
The silver streets
The bright and hopeful path we were on
Couldn`t see a difference between gold or
Unable to distinguish between the value of things
Wooden cross
Even if it's something as plain as a wooden cross
Could never see where we`re falling
Unable to predict where the relationship is heading
Came in to love
Entered into the relationship with an open heart
Then hounded by love
Then pursued and tormented by the overwhelming power of love
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Pursued by the very thing that you wished for
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Trapped inside the emotional walls you tried to break through
Sent crashing to your knees
Reduced to a state of vulnerability and surrender
Only tender love
Only the gentle and compassionate aspects of love
Understood the need you need with
Understood your deepest desires and wants
Understood the time it took
Understood that it takes time to heal and recover
To take you where nothing ever was
To take you to a place where there was no pain, doubt, or fear
Never was there once nothing
There was never a time when there was nothing there
And everything once was
Everything that exists now was once created
Not dead but still and ready to be born anew
Not dead yet stagnant, but ready for new growth and change
Looking back now it all
Reflecting on the past
Seems so clear
Becomes evident and understandable
Like staring so long unseeing for someone to light inside a
Like searching for a long time, blindly, for someone to guide you
Darkened room
In a place where you couldn't see or perceive anything
Then try your tender love
Then attempt to rely on the kind and compassionate parts of love
Push you back till there`s nowhere left
Push you away until there's no room left in your heart for love
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
No place to escape the void of emptiness and loneliness
Nothing that will comfort you more
Nothing that will ease your pain and make you feel better
More than tender love
More than just the gentle and kind aspects of love
Understands the need you need with
Comprehends the specific desires and wants that you have
Understand the time it takes to get home and have a love again
Understand that it takes time to heal and recover before being able to love again
Then try your tender love
Then attempt to rely on the kind and compassionate parts of love
Push it till there`s nothing left
Push it to the brink until there's no more love left to give or receive
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
No place to escape the void of emptiness and loneliness
Nothing that will comfort you more
Nothing that will ease your pain and make you feel better
Then hounded by love
Pursued and tormented by the overwhelming power of love
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Pursued by the very thing that you wished for
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Trapped inside the emotional walls you tried to break through
Sent crashing to your knees
Reduced to a state of vulnerability and surrender
Then only tender love
Only the gentle and compassionate aspects of love
Understood the need you need with
Understood your deepest desires and wants
Understood the time it took
Understood that it takes time to heal and recover
To take you where nothing ever was
To take you to a place where there was no pain, doubt, or fear
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickstocks3986
Way out there in the wilderness
Of love 💓 and pain
Under the gentle arches we rode
The silver streets
Couldn’t see a difference between gold or
Wooden cross
Could never see where we’re falling
Came into love 💓
Then hounded by love 💕
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Sent crashing to your knees
Only tender love 💓
Understood the need you need with
Understood the time it took
To take you where nothing ever was
Never was there once nothing
And everything once was
Not dead 💀 but still and ready to be born anew
Looking back now it all
Seems so clear
Like staring so long unseeing for someone to light 💡 inside a
Darkened room
Then try your tender love 💕
Push you back till there’s nowhere left
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
Nothing that will comfort you more
More than tender love 💕
Understands the need you need with
Understand the time it takes to get home 🏠 and have a love 💓 again
More than tender love 💕
Understands the need you need with
Understand the time it takes
To get home 🏠 and have a love 💓
Then try your tender love 💓
Push it till there’s nothing left
Nowhere to feel nothing anymore
Nothing that will comfort you more
The hounded by love 💓
Hounded by the very thing you dreamed up
Chased inside the walls you tried to breach
Sent crashing to your knees
Then only tender love 💔
Understood the need you need with
Understood the time it took
To take you where nothing ever was
@rachel2005lucy
What a song their best by far! Often on repeat for me!
@enoughalready3657
2024 Still sounds great🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@Rachael121
You're just out for a peaceful mountain road walk and here come Deacon Blue walking towards you! Fantastic song ❤
@mikepaolo3169
Seriously reminds me of INXS this track with the way Michael Hutchence would act (if you get my drift)
@michelleelfazzate178
My favourite band when I was a teenager and I'm now 50 still brilliant ❤ this song is just amazing on repeat
@dalecollins2085
The best song they have ever written........
@gmshadowtraders
Dale Collins It's really good but I think Your Town is their best track
@George292Rainbow
Your Town, Dignity, Let Your Hearts Be Troubled, but yes I also love it too alot...
@Tomgood1984
Your town... powerful song, should be played for this time were in.
@nategood505
With you....such a colossal belter. 😍😎