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".
When Will You
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Same old house no ties
A little bit older but not so
Worldly wise
That i can't see
Your light's on me
Making me regretfully say
And underneath it all it wasn't true
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
Tiny steps
From ruthless legs
When you've been walking so long
Now don't you rest
From disharmony
From disunity
From anything that isn't you and me
The wonder of it all was you
And underneath it all it wasn't true
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
Tired of chasing old dreams
Tired of wasting days
Tired of waking mornings
Just to wait for you till late
Tired of searching high
Tired of getting low
Tired of listening hard
Just to wait for you to know that
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
The Deacon Blue song "When Will You" appears to be about a relationship that has ended, but one party still holds onto hope that they might reconcile. The opening lines describe the singer's discomfort with the fact that time seems to be passing by without any significant changes, as seen in the "same old house no ties" and "a little bit older but not so worldly wise" phrases. There's a sense of nostalgia and regret conveyed in the line "making me regretfully say" which perhaps reveals that the singer wishes they could have done something differently in the past to avoid this situation.
The chorus of the song seems to be the heart of the message, with the singer expressing their desire to have their beloved back into their lives. The repetition of "I want you in everything, in anything I do" suggests that the singer's love for their partner pervades all aspects of their life and that they cannot possibly envision a future without them. The next line "when will you make my phone ring" implies that the singer is waiting for the other party to make the first move in initiating a reconciliation. However, this hope is fleeting as the final line of the chorus "and tell me I can't give you anything, anything at all now" indicates that the reality of the situation is that the relationship is irreparably broken.
The second verse seems to be a plea to the other party to try and make things work between them, with the singer asking them to take "tiny steps from ruthless legs" and not to rest until they can overcome the issues that have caused their separation. The lines "from disharmony, from disunity, from anything that isn't you and me" suggest that the singer believes that if the two of them can find a way to overcome their differences, they will be able to put their relationship back on track. However, the final verse reveals that the singer has become tired of waiting for their beloved to come back to them, and the line "tired of listening hard just to wait for you to know" perhaps signifies that the singer feels like they have given all they can to this relationship and now they need to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Pale blue eyes
Starting verse. The singer notices someone with pale blue eyes.
Same old house no ties
The person the singer is addressing lives in the same house with no attachments.
A little bit older but not so worldly wise
The person being addressed is older but still naive to the world.
That I can't see your light's on me
The artist doesn't understand why this person is drawn to them.
Making me regretfully say
The artist feels bad for having to say what they're about to say.
The wonder of it all was you
The person the singer is addressing was once seen as a wonder.
And underneath it all it wasn't true
Whatever relationship the singer had with this person was not built on truth.
I want you in everything
The artist wants this person in every aspect of their life.
In anything I do
The artist wants this person to be involved in every decision they make.
When will you make my phone ring
The artist is waiting for this person to contact them.
And tell me I can't give you anything
The singer is anticipating being rejected by this person.
Anything at all now
The artist is okay with not being able to give anything.
Tiny steps
Starting verse. The singer is taking small steps forward.
From ruthless legs
The singer's steps are deliberate and determined.
When you've been walking so long
The singer has been on a long journey.
Now don't you rest
The artist keeps pushing forward and doesn't stop to rest.
From disharmony
The artist wants to leave behind anything that causes conflict.
From disunity
The singer wants to leave behind anything that causes division.
From anything that isn't you and me
The singer wants to leave behind anything that doesn't involve them and the person being addressed.
Tired of chasing old dreams
The artist is tired of pursuing things that are no longer relevant to them.
Tired of wasting days
The artist is tired of feeling like their time is being wasted.
Tired of waking mornings
The artist is tired of starting a new day without having made progress with the person they're addressing.
Just to wait for you till late
The singer is tired of waiting for this person to show up, even until late at night.
Tired of searching high
The artist is tired of looking for answers at a higher level.
Tired of getting low
The singer is tired of being let down and feeling low when it comes to this person.
Tired of listening hard
The singer is tired of trying so hard to understand this person.
Just to wait for you to know that
The singer is waiting for this person to understand their feelings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICKY ROSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@germann6431
Pale blue eyes
Same old house no ties
A little bit older but not so
Worldly wise
That i can't see
Your light's on me
Making me regretfully say
The wonder of it all was you
And underneath it all it wasn't true
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
Tiny steps
From ruthless legs
When you've been walking so long
Now don't you rest
From disharmony
From disunity
From anything that isn't you and me
The wonder of it all was you
And underneath it all it wasn't true
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
Tired of chasing old dreams
Tired of wasting days
Tired of waking mornings
Just to wait for you till late
Tired of searching high
Tired of getting low
Tired of listening hard
Just to wait for you to know that
I want you in everything
In everything
In anything i do
When will you make my phone ring
And tell me i can't give you anything
Anything at all now
Enjoy...Germann - Argentina
@redknight1825
I don't care what anyone else says but for me Deacon Blue had a completely original sound. Their songs were unique and timeless.
@reggie18b
I think that was their problem. People like to be able to pigeon-hole music.
@whitepearl8639
U say daa music is energy pure ????.
@peterconnolly2497
I went to see them last night, 31 years after I last saw them. Nothing has changed, still as good as ever, except my sore legs from dancing now.
@jakelille7893
What a voice he had
@joseluismorgade577
Completely agree with you, this song is unique and timeless
@juliavee889
One of the most underrated songs and groups of all time.Respect
@petergallagher7573
Always loved this.
@rebeccagamble8837
This song never fails to make me cry. I'm only 25 but my parents brought me up listening to deacon blue. Seen them live 4 times. This one just reminds me of how much I loved my parents growing up.
@Crackfox75
Rebecca Gamble its such a great song, try hipsway!