The music of The Blue Nile is built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works have featured acoustic guitar more prominently. Despite the "coldness" often associated with the use of such electronic instruments, The Blue Nile has managed to create music that is deeply emotional, and a lot of this has to do with the plaintive vocals of lead singer Paul Buchanan, whom critics have often compared to Peter Gabriel. The lyrics are often stream-of-consciousness descriptions of feelings and environments, which heighten the drama of the compositions, which are as much soundscapes as they are songs.
The band was formed when friends Buchanan and Paul Joseph Moore met Robert Bell shortly after graduating from the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s. Their debut album A Walk Across the Rooftops was the result of a request from the Linn Company to test a newly built recording studio!
The rare, later albums - which include acclaimed titles like Hats (1989) - have been released by the Scottish high end hifi company Linn and feature exceptional sound and production values.
A Walk Across the Rooftops
The Blue Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I follow a broken Thread
Of white rags falling slowly down
Flags caught on the fences
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
I walk across the rooftops
The jangle of Saint Steven's bells
Incommunicado
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
The traffic lights are changing
The black and white horizon
I leave the quiet redstone
And walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
On graduation day
To look for independence, yeah
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
The lights are always changing
The black and white horizon
I leave the redstone building
And walk across the rooftops, yeah
I walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
The Blue Nile's song A Walk Across the Rooftops is a deeply emotional and atmospheric song about being in love and searching for independence. The opening lines of the song, "I walk across the rooftops, I follow a broken thread, of white rags falling slowly down, flags caught on the fences" create a vivid image of a lonely figure walking across the tops of buildings, following something intangible. The use of the colors white and black and the image of flags caught on fences suggest a cityscape, perhaps a place that is in turmoil or undergoing changes.
Throughout the song, the singer declares their love for someone, repeating the refrain "I am in love, I am in love with you" several times. The imagery and use of repetition create a sense of longing and desperation, as if the singer is trying to hold on to something or someone that is slipping away from them. The mention of graduation day and searching for independence suggests that perhaps the singer is young and trying to find their place in the world.
The use of sound in the song also adds to its emotional impact. The jangle of Saint Steven's bells and the telephones ringing all night create a sense of chaos and confusion that echoes the singer's state of mind. The slow tempo of the song and the repetition of certain phrases also create a sense of melancholy and introspection that is further emphasized by the lyrics.
Overall, A Walk Across the Rooftops is a powerful and evocative song that explores the themes of love, loss, and the search for identity in a world that is constantly changing.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk across the rooftops
I am walking on the rooftops of buildings
I follow a broken Thread
I am following something that is not fully intact
Of white rags falling slowly down
I see white pieces of cloth slowly falling down from above
Flags caught on the fences
I see flags hanging on fences
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am deeply in love with someone
The jangle of Saint Steven's bells
I hear the sound of bells from Saint Steven's church
The telephones that ring all night
I hear phones ringing continuously throughout the night
Incommunicado
I am unable to communicate with someone
The traffic lights are changing
I notice the lights of the traffic signals changing
The black and white horizon
I see the horizon in shades of black and white
I leave the quiet redstone
I am moving away from a peaceful red building
And walk across the rooftops
I continue to walk on the building roofs
On graduation day
I am on the day of my graduation
To look for independence, yeah
I am searching for independence
The lights are always changing
I observe the lights constantly varying
I leave the redstone building
I am departing from the red building
And walk across the rooftops, yeah
I continue my journey on the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
I am still traversing the building roofs
I walk across the rooftops
I continue to walk on the tops of the buildings
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL GERARD BUCHANAN, ROBERT BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@straywolf77
I walk across the rooftops
I follow a broken thread
Of white rags falling slowly down
Flags caught on the fences
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
I walk across the rooftops
The jangle of Saint Steven's bells
The telephones that ring all night
Incommunicado
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
The traffic lights are changing
The black and white horizon
I leave the quiet Redstone
And walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
On graduation day
To look for independence, yeah
I am in love, I am in love with you
I am in love, I am in love with you
The lights are always changing
The black and white horizon
I leave the Redstone building
And walk across the rooftops, yeah
I walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
I walk across the rooftops
@bornflippy1
Like many of you that have commented here..I found this amazing band back in 1984 as a sophomore in high school in rural Colorado...this music seemed like it was from another planet to me. I still get shivers when i play this album..it brings back so many memories of a time that was magical for me. I am 52 and i still find myself going back in reverie and this album is a big part of that soundtrack. Add this band to the list of amazing bands that the world should have known..along with Prefab Sprout, Talk Talk, and Blanket of Secrecy. I feel lucky to have discovered such great bands.
@ronbuil6923
wow, a fellow Prefab fan. Much respect to you sir.
@ericcarrington1791
Deep! I discovered the blue nike Depeche mode and the cure in 1984 also but I was a senior. Im from the asphalt jungle and I wanted a new sound from the R^B I was raised on! Kudos
@bernhm
the most perfect coment
@qwj68boots
Well, for me, 2 out of 4 ain't too shabby.😉
@scottoleary3955
Spent many evening with Talk Talk and this album as well as Cocteau Twins. Just a time of realistic dreaming and emotional excitement. 50 now. Loved your comment.
@MrMusicbyMartin
So nice to hear this again after many many years!! I love the string stabs at the end of the verses, and the beautiful middle eight: “The traffic lights are changing . . . “
@shimmeringfairydust3275
I love this album so much. Especially the opening number. So dark and mysterious. The sounds, the precision, that bass riff. The haunting voice. The trumpet notes, held briefly. It all adds up to a most original masterpiece. Once you hear it, you can never forget it.
@mcdrunkagain
One of my favorite songs and LPs of the 80s. Still listen religiously 30+ years after first hearing it.
@flashkaput
One of those albums that connected to me upon the initial listening. Just achingly beautiful even after all these years.