Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshir… Read Full Bio ↴Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a pop and rock and roll musician from Scotland, known for his particular success as a guitarist and singer-songwriter in the 70s and 80s. His stage name, "Midge", is a phonetic reversal of his real name, "Jim". Beginning his career in the pop rock band Slik, he would go on to play for power poppers Rich Kids and temporarily for Thin Lizzy.

Things kicked into high gear when he replaced John Foxx as the singer of the famous electronic music group Ultravox in 1979. Shortly afterwards, the New Wave band had a huge U.K. hit with "Vienna", and it became one of Britain's most popular groups for several years. As well, later that year, Ure also formed the band Visage. In 1980, Ure and Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott co-wrote Lynott's biggest solo hit, titled "Yellow Pearl". A re-recording of the song done in 1981 was used as the theme for 'Top of the Pops', a music-centered television series.

In 1984, Ure co-wrote, with Bob Geldof, the Band Aid hit, "Do They Know It's Christmas?". He was one of the few featured stars who did not sing solo on the recording. The following year, Ure scored his one and only solo U.K. number one single with "If I Was", a wistful track that's since been considered his 'signature song'. This was followed by an album titled 'The Gift'. With Ure's mind clearly on other matters, Ultravox took second place and soon dissolved.

Ure's solo career continued into the 90s with sporadic success. However, "Breathe" was an international hit single, helped by its inclusion in a TV advertising campaign for Swatch watches. Ultravox songs with his work remained popular among many electronic music fans.

Ure more recently organized the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof with the aim of pressuring G8 leaders into following his recipe for ending world poverty. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music and charity.

Ure has been married twice: to actress and writer Annabel Giles (with whom he has one daughter, Molly) and to Sheridan Ure (with whom he has three daughters, Kitty, Ruby and Flossie).

His daughter Molly has followed her father into the music industry, as the guitarist and vocalist of all-girl group The Faders.

Live Forever
Midge Ure Lyrics

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Hands upon a cross I see you pray
I can hear the words you cannot say
Free your mind and you will see
Live forever, come to me

Voices of the past will hunt you down
Give yourself to me and you'll be found
Free your mind and you will see

Love will come when your soul is free
Live forever, come to me
Come with me

There is no forgetting sorrow
There is no regretting love
All we really do is borrow
All the dreams we're dreaming of
We can never know tomorrow
There is only giving love today

Something flickers 'round your faithless eyes
Something deep inside that never dies
Free your mind and you will see
Love will come when your soul is free
Live forever, come to me

Live forever, come with me
With me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Midge Ure's "Live Forever" speak of finding solace and liberation through faith and love. The opening lines, "Hands upon a cross I see you pray, I can hear the words you cannot say," suggest that the singer is observing someone who is deep in prayer, yet struggling with inner turmoil or unspoken fears. The following lines, "Free your mind and you will see, Live forever, come to me," offer a message of hope and comfort, implying that by releasing one's burdens and embracing faith, one can attain eternal life and peace.

The second verse continues this theme, warning that "Voices of the past will hunt you down," and urging the listener to surrender themselves to the divine or to love in order to find redemption. The refrain, "Live forever, come to me," emphasizes the point that true, lasting happiness is found through faith and love.

The bridge, "There is no forgetting sorrow, there is no regretting love, all we really do is borrow all the dreams we're dreaming of," acknowledges the bittersweet nature of life, with its mixture of joy and pain. However, it concludes on a hopeful note, stating that "We can never know tomorrow, there is only giving love today."

Overall, "Live Forever" reflects on the power of faith and love to bring meaning and solace to life, despite its challenges and uncertainties.

Line by Line Meaning

Hands upon a cross I see you pray
I notice that you pray on the cross

I can hear the words you cannot say
I can sense the emotions you cannot express in words

Free your mind and you will see
You need to release your mind of worries to find clarity

Live forever, come to me
You can have eternal peace if you come towards me

Voices of the past will hunt you down
Your memories can haunt you

Give yourself to me and you'll be found
If you surrender, you'll find salvation

Love will come when your soul is free
You can find love when your spirit is liberated

Come with me
Join me as I offer a better way of life

There is no forgetting sorrow
Sorrowful experiences can never be erased from memory

There is no regretting love
You can never feel remorseful for loving someone