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".
This Changing Light
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long before the summer
You were then a student
And we were dark as angels
We were in the east
Working to the west
The west was looking south
And the south she had no pityBut last night I dreamed
And you were always
In it
There were
Hopes and plans and schemes
And the town was full of winners
Oh brother
Oh sister
This changing light
Has lighted things so
Differently
Has lighted things so
Differently
I wrote this once before
And we were all then working
We thought we`d stop the flow
Of a cruel and heartless woman
If I`d known this then
What would these wings have done
They`d have beat and flapped and flown
And not done and not done
But last night I dreamed
And you were always
In it
There were
Hopes and plans and schemesAnd the town was full of winners
Oh brother
Oh sister
This changing light
Has lighted things so
Differently
Has lighted things so
Differently
Oh brother
Oh sister
This changing light
Oh brother
Oh sister
This changing light
Oh brother
Oh sister
This changing light
Has lighted things so
Differently
Lighted things so
Differently
So differently
I wrote it on my hand
I kept it in the dark
I never ran it through my hair
I stuffed it in my pocket
I wrote this on a journey
All the way from Spain
Where our fellows fought
And never came back again
To this changing light
To this changing light
Dark dark
Changing light
Dark dark dark dark
Light
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1989
To this changing light
To this changing light
Changing light
To this changing light
"This Changing Light" by Deacon Blue is a song about nostalgia and reflection. The lyrics suggest that the singer is remembering a time in the past when they and their companions were young and struggling, before they had made something of themselves. The east-west-south imagery suggests a journey, perhaps one that they took together, encountering setbacks and cruel people along the way. The repeating line "this changing light" seems to indicate that the singer is seeing their past in a new way, perhaps with a greater appreciation for the journey they took and the friends who were with them.
The lines "We thought we'd stop the flow / Of a cruel and heartless woman" suggest that the singer and their companions may have been activists or idealists of some kind, trying to change an oppressive or corrupt system. The dream sequence, in which the singer sees their friends again and the town is "full of winners," suggests that they may have achieved some measure of success in their work or in their personal lives. The song seems to be saying that even though the past was difficult and imperfect, it still holds value and can be remembered in a positive light.
Line by Line Meaning
I wrote this once before
I've written these thoughts before
Long before the summer
A long time ago
You were then a student
At that time, you were younger and still learning
And we were dark as angels
We were trying to do something good, despite our flaws
We were in the east
We were starting out, at the beginning of our journey
Working to the west
We were progressing towards our goals
The west was looking south
Our destination was in the south, ahead of us
And the south she had no pity
Our journey wasn't easy, and there were obstacles along the way
But last night I dreamed
Recently, I had a dream
And you were always
You were a constant presence in my dream
In it
Throughout the dream, you appeared in various scenarios
There were hopes and plans and schemes
In my dream, there were aspirations and goals, and strategies to achieve them
And the town was full of winners
The people around us were successful and happy
Oh brother
A phrase used to express compassion or understanding
Oh sister
A phrase used to express compassion or understanding
This changing light
This ever-evolving, different situation
Has lighted things so differently
Has changed the way things appear, and our perspective on them
I wrote this once before
This is a recurring thought or feeling for me
And we were all then working
At that time, we were all striving for a common goal
We thought we'd stop the flow
We believed we could prevent something negative from happening
Of a cruel and heartless woman
Someone or something that was causing harm or pain
If I'd known this then
If I had the knowledge or experience at that time
What would these wings have done
What action would I have taken to avoid this situation
They'd have beat and flapped and flown
I would have taken drastic action to avoid the problem
And not done and not done
I wouldn't have been passive or complacent
To this changing light
To this ever-evolving situation
Oh brother
A phrase used to express compassion or understanding
Oh sister
A phrase used to express compassion or understanding
Dark dark
Tense or ominous
To this changing light
To this ever-evolving situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICKY ROSS, JIM PRIME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alanmcnamara4180
I was at this concert. ❤❤❤
@pauljackson8354
When The World Knows Your Name is 30 years old and a masterpiece.
@gburny
Can remember purchasing it on cassette whilst in my early teens great album great band
@karlmoore7406
Jolly boys outing
@paulwinn2142
Ultimate band, The South showed no pity on any city north of Watford Gap!,inc Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow.
@rogerhaley324
one of the best.moving 80.ss ha ha .wrote this song for charity all the way from spain
@HaroldGoodfortune
Phenomenal chorus. The rest is Awright too😇
@waynesewell8100
One of Deacon's little Gems...
@eightiesmusic1984
No holds barred take down of the inequities of Thatcherism by Deacon Blue in their absolute prime. This changing light was the cold winds of the destructive effects of neo liberalism through the decade that changed society irrevocably, and not for the better. Ricky Ross has something of the preacher about him and great stage presence- it shows in the brilliance of this gig, undimmed nearly thirty years after it was filmed. Heartbreakingly beautiful concert.
@craigcullen28
80's music.. Well put mate 👏👏👍👍