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 You Are Young
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd run and meet you and rush to see
Just over the wall where the clouds roll by
And age and chance and tears were far away
Oh if heaven wouldn't see
Light lovers so distantly
Then look today at this love so freeWhen you are young again
When you were young and your eyes are old
Then all your treasures my hand can stroke
And all your memories and your sorrows are loosed
And blown and left so your lips may be touched
Oh if heaven wouldn't see
Light lovers so distantly
Then look today at this love so free
When you are young again
In the song, "When You Are Young" by Deacon Blue, the lyrics describe a longing for the past when things were simpler and free of the burdens of time, age, and sorrow. The singer reminisces about meeting someone when they were both young and carefree, rushing to see each other just beyond the wall where they could watch the clouds roll by. The lyrics suggest that when one is young, heaven seems closer and love seems more pure because the obstacles of age and distance have not yet taken hold. The singer longs for the same feeling of liberation and joy that they experienced in their youth.
The second verse speaks directly to the person the singer once met when they were young. The imagery of "old eyes" suggests that the person is now older and perhaps less able to see the beauty of the world around them. The singer offers to stroke their treasures, memories, and sorrows, in an attempt to touch their lips and remind them of the love that they once shared. The lyrics suggest that even as time passes, it is possible to recapture the feelings of youth and the purity of love that comes with it.
Overall, the song "When You Are Young" speaks to the universal desire to recapture the innocence, joy, and freedom of youth. The lyrics are beautifully crafted, painting vivid images of love and nostalgia. The melody is hauntingly beautiful and full of longing, complementing the lyrics perfectly.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were young and your heart was free
When you were young and naive, and you still had hopes and dreams
I'd run and meet you and rush to see
I always rushed to see you because I was excited to be with you
Just over the wall where the clouds roll by
Our love was beyond the clouds
And age and chance and tears were far away
We could not have cared less about age, chance, and tears, because we had each other
Oh if heaven wouldn't see
If only heaven didn't have to judge us
Light lovers so distantly
If only our love wasn't judged from afar
Then look today at this love so free
If only people could see the freedom we have and not judge it
When you are young again
When you relive your younger days, you see the beauty in life again
When you were young and your eyes are old
When you grow older, but your heart and your love still feels young
Then all your treasures my hand can stroke
I will hold everything dear to you and keep them close to me
And all your memories and your sorrows are loosed
All your memories and sorrows can be let go, because I am here to comfort you
And blown and left so your lips may be touched
Your lips are yours to give, and I am here to kiss them
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