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".
Walking Back Home
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are quiet over the hills tonight
And the cats' eyes and white lines
Are heading out for miles
The frost on the embankment
Keeps my feet on the road
But the tunes and beers
Are walking us back home
And we stopped any travellers
And wished them good new year
And we sang and we drunk
And we quarrelled and we cheered
And we felt the earth below
And we knew how good it was
Just walking back home
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
I left them at the circle
As the sun began to rise
And we walked the last few hundred yards
Back to my own house
I pulled my coat still closer
'Cause now I'm on my own
I've struck out for the first time
And now I'm walking back home
Warbeck sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
The Stacy's sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
Linda sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
The lyrics of Deacon Blue's song "Walking Back Home" describe a group of friends making their way home at night, and the emotions and experiences they have along the way. The first verse sets the scene, with the quiet of the sky and the road contrasted with the energy of the group, symbolised by the "tunes and beers" they carry with them. The second verse describes their interactions with others they meet on the road ("we stopped any travellers and wished them good new year"), as well as their own conflicting emotions ("we sang and we drunk and we quarrelled and we cheered"). The final verse focuses on the individual's experience of being alone after leaving their friends, with the repetition of "La La La" signifying a sense of comfort and familiarity.
The song's themes of friendship, community, and home resonate with many listeners, and the catchy melody and singalong chorus have made it a popular anthem. The lyrics also contain a number of poetic and evocative images, such as "cats' eyes and white lines", "the frost on the embankment", and "the earth below". These images help to create a vivid sense of place and atmosphere.
Overall, "Walking Back Home" is a song that celebrates the joys of companionship, music, and the simple pleasures of being alive. Its message is one of hope and camaraderie, and it speaks to the part of us that longs for connection and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
The stars and satellites
The sky is clear and free of any man-made interference
Are quiet over the hills tonight
The serene surroundings are devoid of any noise
And the cats' eyes and white lines
The reflective markers on the road guide us through the night
Are heading out for miles
The white lane markers go on for miles
The frost on the embankment
The ice on the roadside helps me stay on the path
Keeps my feet on the road
The slippery surface of the road is made safe by the frost
But the tunes and beers
But the happy music and drinks
Are walking us back home
Are taking us back to our warm and cozy homes
And we stopped any travellers
We stopped to wish any passerby a happy new year
And wished them good new year
We gave good tidings for the new year to all we met
And we sang and we drunk
We sang and drank together
And we quarrelled and we cheered
We argued and celebrated
And we felt the earth below
We felt the ground beneath our feet
And we knew how good it was
We understood how great it was
Just walking back home
To simply walk back home, was satisfying in itself
I left them at the circle
I departed from the group at the end of the journey
As the sun began to rise
The sun was starting to appear on the horizon
And we walked the last few hundred yards
We came within a few hundred yards from my house
Back to my own house
I returned home
I pulled my coat still closer
I wrapped myself tighter in my coat
'Cause now I'm on my own
Now that I am alone
I've struck out for the first time
I have ventured out on my own for the first time
And now I'm walking back home
And now I am making my way back home
Warbeck sang
Warbeck sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
N/A
The Stacy's sang
The Stacys sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
N/A
Linda sang
Linda sang
La La La La......La La La La......La La La La......La La La La
N/A
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ricky 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