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.
Remembrance Day
Midge Ure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two men before my eyes, Isaw
One man all dressed in truth
The other man was dressed in lies
One man held green and gold
The other man blue, white and red
And they smiled as they held guns to our heads
While I was standing I saw
Watch as the rain begins to fall
Like tears from heaven on us all
To clean the sins we've made
And wash them away, wash them away
While I was standing I saw
Two countries go to war, I saw
Faces of children wondering
What their friends were fighting for
A crowd of people stood in silence
On Remembrance Day and I cried
As they blew them all away
While I was standing I saw
Two men before my eyes
Watch as the rain begins to fall
Like tears from heaven on us all
To clean the sins we've made
And wash them away, wash them away
While I was standing I saw
Two men with one God to share
Both wanting peace by war
Both want to win by prayer
How long before they find
This holy war a heinous sin
And they find that there's nothing left to win
Drums: Mark Brzezicki
Bass guitar: Mick Karn
Additional keyboards: Robbie Kilgore
Midge Ure's song Remembrance Day is a powerful commentary on the senseless wars and conflicts that people engage in. The lyrics talk about a narrator witnessing two men standing before them, one dressed in truth and the other in lies. One held green and gold, while the other had blue, white and red, and they both held guns to people's heads. The song paints a vivid picture of the devastation and destruction that war brings upon people's lives.
The lyrics go on to describe how the rain falls like tears from heaven, washing away the sins that people have committed. The singer then witnesses two countries going to war, with children wondering why their friends were fighting. The crowd stands in silence on Remembrance Day, and the singer cries as they blow them all away. The final stanza talks about two men with one God to share, both wanting peace but engaging in war. The song ends with a poignant question, asking how long it will take for people to realize that war is a heinous sin, and that there is nothing left to win.
Line by Line Meaning
While I was standing I saw
As I stood quietly observing my surroundings,
Two men before my eyes, Isaw
I noticed two men standing in front of me
One man all dressed in truth
The first man was honest and sincere
The other man was dressed in lies
The second man was deceitful and untruthful
One man held green and gold
The honest man held symbols of prosperity and positivity
The other man blue, white and red
The dishonest man held symbols associated with power and conflict
And they smiled as they held guns to our heads
Both men held weapons threatening danger, yet remained pleased in their actions
Watch as the rain begins to fall
I observed the rain starting to drop from the sky
Like tears from heaven on us all
The rainfall appeared like a symbol of grief and sorrow being shared by everyone
To clean the sins we've made
The rain appeared as if it were washing away our wrongdoing
And wash them away, wash them away
Resulting in us being free from our troubles and pain
Two countries go to war, I saw
I observed two nations engaging in a military conflict
Faces of children wondering
The innocent children looked on with confusion and perplexity
What their friends were fighting for
They didn't understand the motives behind their friend's hazardous actions
A crowd of people stood in silence
A gathering of individuals stood silently together
On Remembrance Day and I cried
On a day presumed for remembrance, I couldn't help but shed tears
As they blew them all away
As the military forces harmed and killed those involved
Two men with one God to share
Two individuals who believed in the same higher power
Both wanting peace by war
Despite their religious similarity, both craved peace through conflict
Both want to win by prayer
Both desired to succeed through religion's divine intervention
How long before they find
I wondered how long it would be until
This holy war a heinous sin
It became clear that this holy war is a terrible atrocity
And they find that there's nothing left to win
As they continue fighting, they realize there is no reward in the end
Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.