Chris de Burgh
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Chris de Burgh (born Christopher John de Burgh Davison on October 15, 1948) is an Irish musician and songwriter.
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[edit] Biography
Chris de Burgh was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Charles Davison, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, an Irish secretary. His father's career moved the family to numerous places around the globe such as Malta, Nigeria, and Zaire. At the age of twelve, the family returned home to live in Tomhaggard in County Wexford, Ireland, where his father bought the twelfth century Bargy Castle and converted it into a hotel.
Privately educated at the English public school Marlborough College in Wiltshire, de Burgh went on to graduate from Trinity College, Dublin. As a performer, he adopted his mother's maiden name as his stage name. The de Burgh family can trace their roots to King Richard the Lionheart[citation needed]. He recently claimed that he has 'healing hands'.[1]. This claim was first heard on Alan Robson's radio program Nightowls.
[edit] Performing career
De Burgh's most famous song is "The Lady in Red" from the 1986 album "Into the Light." That album also included the song "For Rosanna," written to celebrate the 1984 birth of his daughter Rosanna Davison, who would later go on to win the 'Miss World' title in 2003. He also has two sons named Hubie and Michael by his wife Diane de Burgh.
In a recent interview, de Burgh revealed how the late Princess Diana came to see him perform at a private concert; and how after the performance, Diana approached him backstage to thank him for writing the song "The Lady in Red." Apparently, Diana was under the impression that the song was written for (or dedicated to) her, since she was known for loving to wear the color red. De Burgh was honored for the compliment and admiration, but he revealed to her the real story behind the song. Speaking on the BBC series This Is Your Life in the 1990s, Chris said that the song was inspired by the memory of meeting his wife Diane, and how men so often can't even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met. His own website's FAQ puts it this way:
- Q. Is the song The Lady In Red written about Diane, Chris' wife?
- A. There are a lot of different answers to this that Chris has apparently been heard to say. However, the real answer is that this song was inspired by a moment when Chris saw Diane across a crowded nightclub, without at first realising it was her. As a result he realised that often people never quite appreciate that the most important person in their lives is taken for granted, and how after a while you fail to notice the things that brought you together. This was the basis of the song but it wasn't written either for or about Diane.
Other notable songs include funny-spirited "Patricia the Stripper", the mythological "Spanish Train", and the hopeful narrative "A Spaceman Came Travelling", some his songs deal with death "Don't Pay the Ferryman" (with its background quote from The Tempest), whereas others like "Missing You" plainly deal with romance, "Borderline" and "Say Goodbye To It All" indirectly refer to the Northern Ireland Conflict. "The Snows of New York" refers to the self-belief of man. In 2001 he travelled to Germany and recorded "Separate Tables" in a new duet version with Vicky Leandros. His songs have appeared in films as diverse as Arthur 2, American Psycho and Dodgeball and his records have reported sales of more than forty million units internationally. His latest CD release "The Storyman" contains the title track "The Storyman" which - in his lyrics - lists 30 of his most famous tracks.
[edit] Critical responses
His musical style, as well as his lyrics - which are full of sometimes saccharine romantic imagery - have often made him the subject of mockery by, amongst others, the comedian Bill Bailey, who refers to him as "the monobrowed purveyor of ultimate filth", lampooning his style in the song "Beautiful Ladies in Emergency Situations" (in which he describes saving all the beautiful women of the world from some unknown peril, then psychopathically slaughtering all the women he considers ugly), and a de Burgh-style version of "The Combine Harvester" by The Wurzels. "Lady in Red" is parodied with a hillbilly version ("Cousin In Red"), and West Country and Cockney versions.
[edit] Discography
Chris de Burgh was signed to A&M Records for many years, but he now has his own label, Ferryman Productions. His recent albums are released by German label, Edel Records.
- Far Beyond These Castle Walls, 1974
- Spanish Train and Other Stories, 1975 (#78 in 1985)
- At the End of a Perfect Day, 1977
- Crusader, 1979 (#72 in 1986)
- Eastern Wind, 1980
- Best Moves, 1981 (#65)
- The Getaway, 1982 (#30)
- Man on the Line, 1984 (#11)
- Into the Light, 1986 (#2)
- Flying Colours, 1988 (#1)
- Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh, 1989 (#4)
- High on Emotion: Live from Dublin, 1990 (#15)
- Power of Ten, 1992 (#3)
- This Way Up, 1994 (#5)
- Beautiful Dreams, 1995 (#33)
- Live in South Africa, 1997
- The Love Songs, 1997 (#8)
- Quiet Revolution, 1999 (#23)
- Timing Is Everything, 2002 (#41)
- The Road To Freedom, 2004
- Live In Dortmund, 2005
- The Ultimate Collection, 2005
- The Storyman, 2006
[edit] UK Top 100 Singles
- Don't Pay The Ferryman (1982 - #48)
- High On Emotion (1984 - #44)
- Ecstasy Of Flight (I Love The Night) (1984 - #80)
- Fire On The Water (1986 - #88)
- The Lady In Red (1986 - #1)
- Fatal Hesitation (1986 - #44)
- A Spaceman Came Travelling/The Ballroom Of Romance (1986 - #40)
- The Simple Truth (A Child Is Born) (1987 - #55)
- Missing You (1988 - #3)
- Tender Hands (1988 - #43)
- Sailing Away (1989 - #78)
- This Waiting Heart (1989 - #59)
- Diamond In The Dark (1989 - #95)
- Don't Pay The Ferryman (live) (1990 - #84)
- The Simple Truth (1991) (1991 - #36)
- Separate Tables (1992 - #30)
- Blonde Hair Blue Jeans (1994 - #51)
- The Snows Of New York (1995 - #60)
- So Beautiful (1997 - #29)
- When I Think Of You (1999 - #59)
[edit] External links
- CdeB.com (official home page)
- CdeB.net (official record store and merchandise site)
- BBC News - Chris de Burgh claims to have "healing hands"
- BBC News - Faces of the Week (spotlights Chris de Burgh's purported healing ability and background)de:Chris de Burgh
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