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".
Ronnie Spector
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I call up my friends on my long ,long list
I said I've got a reason just to get to the coast
I'll stand on the streets where all the books were wrote
I remember words
That ran around my head
And made no sense at allAnd rained right off my tongue
Like mother, love and Ronnie Spector
I'm in an old Humber
That takes a long, long road
And remembering the smell
Of summer on the parcel shelf
And opening up the quarter light
And holding out a scythe
That levels out the landscape
As a car, car travels
I remember words
That ran around my head
And made no sense at all
And rained right off my tongue
Like mother, love and Ronnie Spector
If these things don't get me
Then walking in the rain will.
The lyrics to Deacon Blue's song "Ronnie Spector" encapsulate a journey, both physically and mentally, as the singer recalls memories from the past while driving to the coast. The opening lines, "I take off my glasses and I pull on my shirt / I call up my friends on my long, long list," suggest a sense of urgency and excitement, accentuated with "I've got a reason just to get to the coast." The singer wants to be where "all the books were wrote" - perhaps indicating a place of historical significance or personal importance.
As the journey commences, the singer reminisces about "words that ran around my head / and made no sense at all / and rained right off my tongue / like mother, love and Ronnie Spector." These lyrics suggest that the singer is sorting through past memories that he never fully understood, and is now able to articulate them clearly. The reference to Ronnie Spector, lead singer of The Ronettes, may symbolize a time of pure enjoyment, as The Ronettes were an integral part of the 1960s music scene.
The final lines of the song, "If these things don't get me / then walking in the rain will" paint a picture of the singer's willingness to confront whatever comes his way. The journey, both physical and emotional, is a cathartic one, and the singer is ready to face his next challenge with courage.
Line by Line Meaning
I take off my glasses and I pull on my shirt
I am getting ready for a journey.
I call up my friends on my long, long list
I inform my friends that I have a reason to travel and I plan to visit the coast.
I said I've got a reason just to get to the coast
I express to my friends that I have a compelling reason to head to the coast.
I'll stand on the streets where all the books were wrote
I make plans to visit the streets where books were written.
I remember words
That ran around my head
And made no sense at all
And rained right off my tongue
Like mother, love and Ronnie Spector
I recollect words that seemed meaningless yet found their way into my thoughts and language, including 'mother,' 'love,' and 'Ronnie Spector.'
I'm in an old Humber
That takes a long, long road
And remembering the smell
Of summer on the parcel shelf
And opening up the quarter light
And holding out a scythe
That levels out the landscape
As a car, car travels
I am driving a vintage car on a lengthy journey and reminiscing about the scent of summer on the car's parcel shelf. I open a window and extend a scythe, which appears to flatten the landscape as the car moves along.
If these things don't get me
Then walking in the rain will.
If the journey and reminiscing do not impact me, a simple walk in the rain will.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KELLING, PRIME, ROSS
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