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.

Vienna
Midge Ure Lyrics

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We walked in the cold air
Freezing breath on a window pane
Lying and waiting
The man in the dark in a picture frame

So mystic and soulful
A voice reaching out in a piercing cry
It stays with you until

The feeling has gone only you and I

It means nothing to me
This means nothing to me
Oh Vienna....
The music is weaving

Haunting those pizzicato strings
The rhythm is calling
Alone in the night as the daylight brings
A cool empty silence

The warmth of your hand and the cold grey sky
It fades to the distance
The image has gone only you and I
It means nothing to me

This means nothing to me
Oh Vienna....
This means nothing to me
This means nothing to me

Oh Vienna....
This means nothing to me

This means nothing to me
Oh Vienna....

Overall Meaning

Midge Ure's song "Vienna" depicts a sense of longing and detachment from reality, as well as a profound feeling of loneliness between two people. The song opens with a scene of two people walking in the cold air, with their breath freezing on the windowpane. They lie and wait, and the man in the dark picture frame is revealed, creating a haunting and soulful atmosphere. The singer then notes how the voice of the man in the picture frame reaches out in a piercing cry and lingers in their memory long after it's gone, creating an indelible connection between the two characters.

The lyrics reveal a sense of distance and detachment despite their closeness, as well as the duality of emotions - the warmth of the hand and the cold grey sky. The image eventually fades away, leaving the two characters alone and detached from the world around them. The chorus repeats repeatedly that "this means nothing to me" and "Oh Vienna," creating a sense of meaninglessness and detachment from reality.

Line by Line Meaning

We walked in the cold air
We strolled through chilly air together

Freezing breath on a window pane
Steam was on the windows due to our cold breath

Lying and waiting
Inactive, anticipating what's to come

The man in the dark in a picture frame
The enigmatic person in the picture is in a gloomy frame

So mystic and soulful
Very magical and emotional

A voice reaching out in a piercing cry
A powerful voice sending out a clear message

It stays with you until
It lingers with you until

The feeling has gone only you and I
We're the only ones who remember the feeling

It means nothing to me
It's irrelevant to me

This means nothing to me
This holds no significance for me

Oh Vienna....
Oh Vienna....