Before finding solo fame he was a member of blues-rock band Taste.
In 1972 he was voted Melody Maker's Top Musician of the Year, dethroning Eric Clapton.
Rory died of complications following a liver transplant in 1995. As the funeral cortege moved through the streets of Cork, his life and music was celebrated by the city's citizens. He is buried in St. Oliver's Cemetery just outside the city.
Generally regarded as one of the top ten guitarists ever, many of today's top musicians, including The Edge from U2, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Johnny Marr of the Smiths and Brian May of Queen cite Rory as an inspiration in their formative musical years. It is also well documented that the Rolling Stones auditioned Rory for the band as their permanent guitarist in the '70s but he refused on the basis that it was against all he believed in terms of his own name and style. Though Rory Gallagher never released a single, Rory Gallagher's albums have sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide.
A square in Cork City was named after him in 1997 and signature edition of his Fender Stratocaster guitar was released as well.
In 2002 he appeared on a Republic of Ireland postage stamp.
There is a Rory Gallagher Corner at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, Dublin.
On the 19th May 2006, a life-size bronze statue in the shape of his Stratocaster has been installed at this very corner. Some of those who attended the unveiling include The Edge of U2 and the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
There’s another artist with the same name:
(2) Rory Gallagher is a 21 year old Cardiff based Trance Producer/DJ hailing from London, U.K. He is also known as Rozza.
Whilst living in Ireland, Rory found himself instantly hooked to trance music after hearing Paul van Dyk's 'For an Angel' and the classic Ireland 'Euphoria' album back in 2003. After many years of absorbing to electronic music and developing a fine taste for it, he decided to try his hand at creating the music. In 2005, whilst learning the basics of production, Rozza decided that trance music was what he wanted to do and was constantly in his home studio, experimenting with fresh sounds and ideas.
Looking at the bigger picture, he decided to focus on production & sound engineering and as a result is now studying for a Music Technology degree.
In early 2007, after catching the attention of Adam White, Rozza was signed up to Emalodic (Adam White's label) and saw his debut single released. His first record, titled 'Discover', gained excellent reviews in the dance press and support from the biggest DJs the world-over.
Since then Rozza has had a number of successful releases on Alter Ego, Deepblue, Infrasonic & Emalodic amongst others, which have all had big support from key players in the scene.
Rozza has also been working with the likes of Adam White, which led to the massive ‘Love Angles’ and was heavily supported on Radio 1 and by Armin Van Burren. Recently he has worked with Danish producer Daniel Kandi on a remix of ‘The Path’.
On the DJ circuit Rozza has held a residency in Newport Wales, and has played at various nights in Thailand, Europe and around the UK.
Crest of a Wave
Rory Gallagher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If that's where you want to be,
But does the look on your face,
Mean you're really feeling happy?
Or do you feel like you're standing on a wooden leg,
Or a poor man much to proud to beg,
Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?
That it's time for you to pick up your grip... start walking,
'Cause they want to see your long ... legs flying,
Go to the place where the earth meets the sky and,
Don't stop to turn around and wave goodbye at all.
They won't be satisfied,
Till you're out of their sight,
But I wonder how will they feel,
With a deck of cards,
And you're not around to deal, yeah.
They won't be satisfied,
Till you're out of their sight,
But I wonder how will they feel,
With a deck of cards,
You're not around to deal?
You're not around to deal.
Well, they say it's a lie, a joke that you are living,
But you know one thing they don't, you won't give in.
'Cause you're like a cat, chasin' its tail,
Makes a million circles, but you're gonna fail,
Look down you just don't understand.
Well you can ride on the crest of a wave,
If that's where you want to be,
But does the look on your face,
Mean you're really feeling happy?
Well, do you feel like you're standing on a wooden leg,
A poor man much to proud to beg,
Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?
Well, do you feel like you're standing on a wooden leg,
Or a poor man much to proud to beg,
Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?
Read at all.
The lyrics of Rory Gallagher’s song ‘Crest of a Wave’ explore the idea of success and the cost of achieving it. The opening lines “Well you can ride on the crest of a wave, If that's where you want to be” suggest that the singer has made a choice to pursue success, but doubts the true meaning behind it. The following lines, “But does the look on your face, Mean you're really feeling happy?” suggest that success is not always an indication of happiness. The feeling of being on a “wooden leg” or being “a page from a book that can't be read at all” suggests that success may not always feel genuine, and may even be unsustainable.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that success may come at a cost, as the singer warns that those around them will not be satisfied until they are gone. The lines “But I wonder how will they feel, With a deck of cards, And you're not around to deal” suggest that the cost of success may also affect those around the individual who has achieved it. The second verse reinforces the idea that the pursuit of success may be futile, as the singer compares the individual to a cat chasing its tail, ultimately leading to failure. The repeated lines “Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?” at the end of the song drive home the idea that success may be meaningless if it is not true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you can ride on the crest of a wave,
You can be successful and popular.
If that's where you want to be,
But is that really where you want to be?
But does the look on your face,
Do you appear genuinely happy?
Mean you're really feeling happy?
Or are you just pretending?
Or do you feel like you're standing on a wooden leg,
Do you feel unstable and unsupported?
Or a poor man much too proud to beg,
Do you feel too proud to ask for help even if you need it?
Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?
Do you feel misunderstood or overlooked?
You gotta see by the way that they are talking,
You can tell what people are really thinking by the way they talk.
That it's time for you to pick up your grip... start walking,
People are telling you to move on or make a change.
'Cause they want to see your long ... legs flying,
They want to see you succeed and do well.
Go to the place where the earth meets the sky and,
Go to a place where you can achieve great things.
Don't stop to turn around and wave goodbye at all.
Don't look back or say goodbye to things that are holding you back.
They won't be satisfied,
They won't be happy.
Till you're out of their sight,
Until you are gone or have left.
But I wonder how will they feel,
I wonder how they will feel.
With a deck of cards,
With just a deck of cards (meaning they will have nothing).
And you're not around to deal, yeah.
Because you won't be there to help or provide for them.
Well, they say it's a lie, a joke that you are living,
People don't believe in you or doubt your success.
But you know one thing they don't, you won't give in.
But you know that you won't give up or back down.
'Cause you're like a cat, chasin' its tail,
You're working hard but not really getting anywhere.
Makes a million circles, but you're gonna fail,
Despite all your effort it seems like you are going to fail.
Look down you just don't understand.
You might not even understand what you're doing or why.
Well, do you feel like you're standing on a wooden leg,
Do you still feel unstable and unsupported?
A poor man much too proud to beg,
Do you still feel too proud to ask for help even if you need it?
Or a page from a book that can't be read at all?
Do you still feel misunderstood or overlooked?
Read at all.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RORY GALLAGHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind