Artists: Chris 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, de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of meeting his wife Diane, and how men so often cannot 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 realizing it was her. As a result he realized 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" deal with themes of war, and its futility. The latter is based loosely on Hemingway's novel A Farewell To Arms. In 2001 he traveled 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. For the album Timing is Everything, Chris de Burgh teamed up with Lebanese singer Elissa for the recording of his single "Lebanese Night," which became a big hit in Lebanon. His latest CD release The Storyman contains the title track "The Storyman" which — in its lyrics — lists 30 of his most famous tracks. 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. Mark Lamarr has also been known to slate de Burgh - on one episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks a clip was shown of a de Burgh video, to which Lamarr responded by blindfolding himself and shouting "Die!" until the end of the clip. |