Spanish Train And Other Stories

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All of which makes it that much easier for me to begin my examination of CdeB’s second collection of poems, Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975), with one simple observation: namely, that it is in this book that Chris really starts to hit his stride as a poet. Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s". Rolling Stone. 6 October 2011 . Retrieved 5 August 2014. In 1984, Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK (topping the charts in Germany and Switzerland [11]); its first single "High on Emotion" became an international success, reaching the Top 20 in several countries [12] (entering notably the Top 5 in Ireland, [13] France and Switzerland) and the Top 50 in both the UK [14] and US. [15]

In 1981, de Burgh had his first UK chart entry with Best Moves, a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine produced The Getaway, which reached number 30 in the UK charts and number 43 in the US, thanks to the eerie single " Don't Pay the Ferryman". Anyway, I look forward to part 3, safe in the knowledge that you’ll concur that Brazil is one of the most God-awful songs ever committed to vinyl! Which brings me to your next point, surely the pivotal point here, namely whether it’s really useful or relevant to analyse Chris’ lyrics so closely, given that as you say he also has to juggle melody, harmony, orchestration and so on. I’ve had a good think about this, but have come to the conclusion that the lyrics ARE important, if not crucial. It’s also a tad disingenuous to call The Painter a ‘rip-off’ of Browning’s My Last Duchess when ‘the ambassador’ (!) has always said the song was his interpretation of that poem. Steffen Hung. "charts.org.nz - Chris De Burgh - The Lady In Red". Charts.nz . Retrieved 8 May 2022.

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Chris de Burgh red wine collection goes for a song". BBC News. 25 March 2011 . Retrieved 19 May 2013. Still, stranger things have happened. I recall as a young child hearing some of these poems set to music, as they were collected on the Best Moves compilation—in fact, four poems from this book found their way onto that melodious and moving tribute to Chris’ music, recorded and produced by an unnamed group of aficionados, probably in a castle somewhere in Normandy, after hours and in deep secret, just as in one of Chris’ now-all-too-common espionage poems (I speak, here, naturally, of ‘Moonlight and Vodka’ and the rest).

De Burgh was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles John Davison, [6] a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily (née de Burgh). His maternal grandfather was Sir Eric de Burgh, a British Army officer who had been Chief of the General Staff in India during the Second World War. [7] He took his mother's maiden name, "de Burgh", as a stage name when he began performing, while his legal surname remains "Davison". [8] His father had substantial farming interests, and Chris spent much of his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Belgian Congo, as he, his mother and brother accompanied Colonel Davison on his diplomatic and engineering work. Yes, folks, just in case you didn’t hear it the first time, it’s all about respect. The cover artwork for Chris de Burgh’s Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) I look forward to continuing this examination of CDB’s oeuvre at a later date. Until that time, in the words of the narrator of this book’s closing poem, and at the risk of repeating myself:

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There is a word in the English language that was invented for such footrot as this, and it’s an anagram of ‘carp’. At this point I find myself needing to restrain myself from committing an act of wanton destruction, either against myself, or otherwise against some piece of religious iconography. For as anyone who has seen Chris de Burgh perform this poem live knows already, the spaceman does not simply sing ‘la, la . . .’—he actually sings this: Case dismissed . . . This girl was in her working clothes . . .” —Chris De Burgh, ‘Patricia the Stripper’ Let’s move on, shall we? Find sources: "Chris de Burgh"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( June 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Faithful readers will already be aware of the fact that the first part of my analysis of Chris de Burgh’s poetic oeuvre hit a few nerves, or at least pushed the pause button on at least two portable CD players, with JDG and Tom weighing into the debate by dropping some pertinent comments about CDB’s career stages and the true gravity of ‘The Lady In Red’, respectively. That being said, I am curious about the 12″“Ecstasy of Flight” single – I’m presuming it’s basically an instrumental? Chris de Burgh had an across-the-board hit single with the ballad " The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the song became a number one hit in the UK (number three in America) and a worldwide success, [16] its accompanying album, Into the Light, reached number two in the UK (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 Christmas song " A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the UK. Peace and goodwill to all men, and love for the child . . . —Chris De Burgh, ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’And then there’s Spaceman, one of the more curious yuletide songs. The ‘la, la, las’ of the chorus are obviously intended to be a lullaby (as is the whole song) sung to the new-born baby. Indeed, I’ve got my own son to sleep on many occasions by singing him this song (and yes, its probably scarred him for life!) We were wondering by way of explanation and, as you seem to portray yourself as a bitter and unfulfilled man, were you much teased by your school chums in the schoolyard and called 'Creepy Crawley'? [36] [37] a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 December 2015.

I think, with the exception of Leonard Cohen and a handful of Dylan songs, there aren’t any songwriters whose lyrics come up smelling of roses when subjected to literary criticism. By the same token, I doubt whether many of the great poets would be considered so were they required to take into account things like melody, harmony, orchestration etc. Personally, I don’t think the two forms are comparable. But it’s quite another thing to suggest that this spaceman is in fact an angel with a message that he has brought across the universe for our benefit.

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In 2007 a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However, the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country. [20] Flying Colours, his follow-up to Into the Light, entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. De Burgh has not had another hit in the US and his commercial fortunes began to slide in Britain in the early 1990s, yet he retained a following around the world. [17] This is mainly due to inactivity of his previous recording label A&M Records UK division in the U.S. [18] Chris de Burgh's storytelling prowess comes into fruition on Spanish Train and Other Stories as he carefully grasps the listener's attention with his soft-spoken candor. With songs that are reminiscent of tales told to a young child by his bedside, de Burgh captivates his audience with his serene anecdotes that are enhanced by the music that envelops him. The opening "Spanish Train" is a mysterious yarn about a poker game between God and the Devil, where the victor inherits the soul of a dying train engineer. de Burgh's vocal escalation from serene to flamboyant makes this one of his best songs, as does the marvelous twist at the end of the story. "A Spaceman Came Travelling" has de Burgh blanketing his wispy voice in a tale about the birth of Jesus, only his version substitutes the Star of Bethlehem for an alien visitor who has arrived to reveal a startling message. With "Patricia the Stripper," de Burgh proves that his sense of humor has not escaped him, as the baroque melody and playful banter make this tune one of his most spirited. Both musically appealing and lyrically thought-provoking, it is this style of narrative that causes Spanish Train to be one of his best albums. Even the forlorn tone of the piano in "Lonely Sky" invokes sadness and melancholy with perfection, coupled with de Burgh's vacant air. All the songs on Spanish Train capture de Burgh's flair for singing elegant pieces that are sincerely attractive, all the while illustrating his pliable vocal stylishness. While, as ever, there’s never enough time to explore these issues deeply, can I just say that I’ll be happy to hear from anyone who has time for Chris, as JDG and Tom obviously do, and that while we may differ in our opinions about what may be his best song or album, what inevitably brings us closer together is our admiration for his songwriting abilities, not to mention the fact that Chris has now been made a goodwill ambassador for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition.