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.

Tumbling Down
Midge Ure Lyrics

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Hands touching hands
Through a curtain that no longer stands
Sister and brother embracing each other
It's tumbling down, ohhh

Light from both sides
Is changing political tides
It's turning from clashes to keepsakes and ashes

It's tumbling down

Watch as we waltz in the sand
On this no-man's land
See our world turn around
Watch it come tumbling down

And through it all
The watchtowers and garrisons fall
Machine guns and fire, the tanks and barbed wire
Come tumbling down

And in the end
Watch as we spend
These moments together, while notions forever
Come tumbling down

Watch as we waltz in the sand
On this no-man's land
See our world turn around
Watch it come tumbling down, ohhh

Mmmmmmh...
Mmmmmmh...

Machine guns and fire

This concrete messiah
Comes tumbling down

Overall Meaning

The song "Tumbling Down" by Midge Ure describes the fall of a wall that has divided families and countries for years. The chorus of the song, "Watch as we waltz in the sand on this no-man's land, see our world turn around, watch it come tumbling down" expresses the joy and relief that people feel now that the wall is gone. Hands touching hands through a curtain that no longer stands, shows the unification of people on both sides. Sister and brother embracing each other signifies the reunion of families that were torn apart by the wall.

The lyrics also reflect on the political changes that are happening in the world. Light from both sides is changing political tides, turning clashes into keepsakes and ashes. The watchtowers, garrisons, and machine guns fall, and the tanks and barbed wire come tumbling down. The concrete messiah that has been worshiped and feared, also comes tumbling down. The song emphasizes the significance of the moment when people come together to tear down barriers that have separated them.

Line by Line Meaning

Hands touching hands
People coming together

Through a curtain that no longer stands
Breaking down of barriers

Sister and brother embracing each other
Family reuniting after a long separation

It's tumbling down, ohhh
A reference to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall

Light from both sides
Understanding from different perspectives

Is changing political tides
Shifting of the political landscape

It's turning from clashes to keepsakes and ashes
From conflict to memories

It's tumbling down
A symbol of change and progress

Watch as we waltz in the sand
Celebrating freedom and peace

On this no-man's land
A place of conflict and division

See our world turn around
Signifying a paradigm shift