Man On (the) Line

November 23, 2002
Chris de Burgh:
I would like to reply to a couple of other messages that came in through the website.
I know I get a lot of requests to sing songs, but it’s not very easy to do that, to remember the names and all that, so apologies if you requested a song for the past tour and I didn't sing it.
I have been particularly impressed by the number of people who log on the website from Iran. And trust me when I say that I cannot wait to go there and sing on probably a solo tour to start with. It is difficult, but I want to say a very personal thank you to all my supporters from Iran.
There are also quite a few messages coming in from Argentina, where I was born. I’d like to say a personal hello to all those people down there too.

Editor's note:
And with these last comments from Chris de Burgh we are once again taking a short break. We'll hopefully be back online soon. In the meantime, keep the interesting questions coming!

November 22, 2002
Pauline Ellerington (45) from Hull, East Yorkshire, UK:
I listen intently to your interview with Alex Lester on Radio 2, Sept 5 2002 and was very moved by the song you dedicated to the memory of Holly and Jessica, after the interview Alex said that it would never be sung again or put onto an album, would you consider recording it with a view for the proceeds of sale to go to a memorial to the two girls, I'm sure all of your fans would support this gesture. By the way, my husband Colin and myself have thoroughly enjoyed every concert that we've been to and wish you many more years of success and beautiful songs.
Chris de Burgh:
It’s the point of view of the father, sitting in the bedroom of the child who has been murdered. I wrote it the very day, it was a Sunday, that the two girls were confirmed as having been murdered. And I was terribly, terribly upset by it. It was almost like I knew these two little children. My own youngest is eleven. I can’t ever imagine that horror that those poor parents and friends must have gone through. And so it was a spontaneous moment, I said to the DJ at the radio station “do you mind if I sing this live?”. I had a guitar anyway, as I had just sung “There’s Room In This Heart Tonight”. And I could tell that people in the control room were very moved. A lot of people wrote to me and said that it moved them to tears. It was a song that I only intended ever to perform once, because I would hate anybody to think that I was trying to make some kind of personal mileage out of this, or take advantage of the situation. It’s absolutely not me, I don’t do that kind of thing. As when I wrote this song about Princess Diana, one hundred CDs were made, and it was not until three years later that we were persuaded to put it on the American release of an album, that was very strongly for the US market, because they had never heard the song. So similarly with this song “Little Angel”, I have no plans to do anything more with it.

November 21, 2002
Walid (37) from Beirut, Lebanon:
Hi Chris, why didn't you include "Love is my Decision" in any of your albums ?
Chris de Burgh:
The song “Love Is My Decision” was a song that I wrote with Burt Bacharach for the movie “Arthur 2 On The Rocks”. And because it was part of a movie screenplay we never put it on one of my own records. It wasn’t relevant, to be perfectly honest. I still like the song very much, but it is difficult to find anywhere.

November 20, 2002
Jean McKeever (45) from Toronto, Canada:
Would you please tell me about "Old Friend"? Who did you write it for, if anyone? It is my friend's favourite song and I know she'd be very excited if you played it when you next play Toronto. Thank you for your wonderful music.
Chris de Burgh:
Well I was very much thinking about my grandfather who was very much responsible for bringing my brother and I up in the early years, because we lived with him while my parents were away in Africa during our school holidays. He was a wonderful, wonderful guy. His full name was General Sir Eric de Burgh and he was decorated with all sorts of glorious things like OBEs and KCBs from the monarchs of England. And I was thinking about him not in particular for the song, but imagine growing up as a boy and having this old fellow take you fishing and playing football. And then you’re saying to him as you get older, look if you ever need any assistance or if you are in trouble, you can always turn to me.

November 19, 2002
Siobhan (36) from Dublin, Ireland:
Chris, first of all I want to say Hello. I have been a huge fan since I first saw you sing "A spaceman came travelling" on my 16th birthday. I was just wondering who you listen to when you want to chill out. Apart from you I like listening to Eva Cassidy. Do you like her music?
Chris de Burgh:
Well, when I want to chill out, I do tend to listen to classical music a lot. In fact, I am holding in my hand, up in my studio, my new home, this is called “Latin Church music” by Talis. This kind of music I find fascinating, because it predates the greats like Bach, Vivaldi, Händel and so on. This is church music from way back. I listen to that, I like that. It kind of awakes echoes in me that I wasn’t sure I even had. And as far as modern music is concerned, well I think people know that I do listen quite a lot to the radio, and I am disappointed by a lot what I hear, but there’s a few of songwriters that I enjoy, for example this girl Dido, that I have spoken about in the past. The other day I was driving in my car listening to the radio, and I heard that Sting song “The Fields Of Gold”. It’s a beautiful song, I’ve always loved it. And there was this girl singing, and I thought “wow, that is beautiful, what a voice!”. I actually didn’t realize who it was, and I was going to call the radio station and find out who it was, because I actually thought it was an Irish girl from the North of Ireland that I heard singing this song once before. And immediately I thought I’d love to do a duet with this singer, because she has the most perfect pitch, the most perfect approach. She was lazy with the melody, but it was absolutely wonderful the way she sang with this melody. I was absolutely stunned to hear that it was Eva Cassidy, who died, I believe, in 1996, because I thought “Fields Of Gold” was written after she died. But I was wrong, it was Eva Cassidy. And what a stunning voice.

November 18, 2002
Bree Palmarini (34) from Collingswood, New Jersey, USA:
Hi Chris! One of my favorite songs is; "I'm Counting on You". You speak about a child in the song, but it seems to have been recorded before your daughter was born. Was there a particular child that inspired you to write such a beautiful, hopeful song? Do you believe that the youth of today have a more peaceful attitude towards life than say the youth of 20 years ago?
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, I wrote this for my album in 1982 and my daughter wasn’t born until 1984. But I was definitely imagining what it must be like to have a daughter, and invest in her all the hopes and promises for the future, where we, our generation, has already let ourselves down. And I am just looking to the new generation to try and change things. And for me one of the strong images is “the sad little island is breaking my heart with its dark shades of green and as hard as I try, I just cannot see why this should be”. Of course I am referring to Ireland. I think the youth of today, although they are getting in some cases bad press, certainly in Ireland the alcohol abuse is just terrible amongst young people. But I think there is a general attitude worldwide which didn’t exist twenty years ago, which is we are fouling and soiling our own planet to a point where they are far more aware, people like Greenpeace, of the importance of making sure that we don’t destroy our planet for future generations. I think this awareness was around in the sixties, but it’s far far greater now than it ever was.

November 17, 2002
Sharon Barker (37) from Torquay, England:
One of my favourite songs is the haunting Girl with April in her Eyes, what was the inspiration for this song.
Chris de Burgh:
“The Girl With April In Her Eyes” came, I think, from a number of inspirations. I have always had a strong imagination, I have always enjoyed the medieval idea and also, of course, having been brought up in an old castle, it’s not difficult to imagine somebody turning up at the door, a traveller in the middle of the night. And I think it goes back to, if you are going to be a generous person, you should look upon everybody the same way, if somebody needs help. And you never know, I think, there’s a well-known line about you must be kind to all strangers, because who knows it might be Jesus Christ himself who may come to you looking for help. There’s a poem by Keats or Shelley, which I remember from years ago, maybe some of the people on the website can remind me of who wrote this particular poem, but it’s about an old man who lives in a big old dark castle and a traveller arrives. And it’s a beautiful girl, he brings her in. And everywhere she goes, she brings life to his home. And when she leaves, it goes dark again and sad. And there’s a bit of this in “The Girl With April In Her Eyes”. And also the idea of her lying in a grave surrounded by snow except on her grave there are flowers growing, that’s an idea that appealed to me very much.

November 16, 2002
Steffen (40) from Norway:
I am a big fan of your early works, so I was wondering if progressive rock bands like Yes, Genesis and Alan Parsons project had any influence in your music?
Chris de Burgh:
Well, I would say I like Genesis very much. Alan Parsons Project, some of their music. But I would say that the most important influence on me because of my friendship and proximity with this band, was Supertramp. I did so many shows with them and I watched them so many times, I learned a huge amount about how you can take an ordinary song you have written on an acoustic guitar for example and then you can expand it into a massive thing on stage by adding vision and imagination.

November 15, 2002
Ian McDonald (38) from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada:
Several years ago you sang Do What You Do (very well) for the Glory Of Gershwin album. Ever thought of doing an album of old songs from the 1940's, Jazz or Big Band music and so on?
Chris de Burgh:
I have very much enjoyed doing the Gershwin song “Do What You Do” for Sir George Martin’s production, the Glory Of Gershwin album. Yes, it’s always been an interest of mine to do old songs, but I see that quite a few people are doing it at the moment: Robbie Williams for example has just done a big record “Swing When You’re Winning”, and also Rod Stewart has just done the same sort of thing. So maybe my turn will come one day.

November 14, 2002
Stephanie (29) from Mirabel, Québec, Canada:
Bonjour Chris, merci de partager ton talent avec nous... I know you are a big formula one fan, do you think that the "show" is less exciting with the Ferrari dominance?
Chris de Burgh:
I’d like to say “Bonjour” to all my friends in Quebec, I’ve such a wonderful feeling not only towards Canada but also Quebec and the cities of Montreal and the old city in Quebec. I have fantastic memories, and I was just talking the other day about the French-Canadian people, they are so full of life, and they are so generous when you perform in front of them.
Well, you know, it was Williams/Renault who had the big dominance for a couple of seasons, I think it will always be one team that dominates every year. For the last couple of years it has been Ferrari. It does in fact make it a bit more boring, because it appears to be unequal. But I still think it’s a very exciting thing to participate in and to attend. Formula one is a thrilling thing to go to.

November 13, 2002
Jean-Paul (21) from Beirut, Lebanon:
Hi Chris!!! Being Lebanese I would just like to say that we are honoured that you did a song with a local singer! But please I would like to know who wrote the Lebanese words in the new song "Lebanese Night" and if you got to know a few Arabic words ;0). Thank you, and hope to see you in Lebanon (again).
Chris de Burgh:
Well, having visited Lebanon twice and being highly impressed with it, I felt it was a natural thing to write “Lebanese Night” and particularly in view of the fact that I was impressed by the way that people were, having gone through such a dreadful time during their war. And it was an honour for me to perform with such a well-known local artist, Elissa. The words were translated by a friend of hers, Nabil Abou Abdo. And I will maybe learn a few Arabic words for the next time I go back to Lebanon.

November 12, 2002
Samantha Dove (33) from Darlington, England:
Hi Chris, greetings from the North East! I (like many others) am so looking forward to getting my mitts on the new CD album. What really frustrates me is the lack of air-play your songs get. OK, to us adoring fans we would buy the album without thinking about it, but do you get frustrated by the lack of air-play? The reason I really love your music/songs is the amazing stories they tell and I think that far more people would appreciate your music, if only they were given the chance.
Chris de Burgh:
Well currently my new song “Guilty Secret” is on something like 63 radio stations all over the United Kingdom. I am getting a massive amount of airplay. These things go in phases, sometimes you get more, sometimes you get less. I think a lot of it depends on support from the key national radio stations and I have always been lucky. Not necessarily very lucky, but you’ve got to remember that the business has changed so utterly that people very rarely sell singles anymore, they sell albums. And the idea is to get a good song on the airplay list, so people are attracted then to the CD.

November 11, 2002
Chris Raymond (51) from Whitton, Twickenham, UK:
Hello Chris! I would like to know if you received any special training to help you to cope with the media etc? You appear very relaxed during T.V. interviews and backstage when greeting fans. Does this side of stardom come as easily to you as performing on stage?
Chris de Burgh:
Coping with the media, well I have been doing that for 28 years. It’s, I suppose, what you call a symbiotic relationship where they need you and you need them. Particularly in the early years, I think on the way up, they are absolutely critically important to an artist who wants to develop and grow. And it’s a relationship that should continue in that way, but it never usually does. I think the moment you become successful, the rules change, then you become a target. In particularly in the country where I live in, in Ireland, they are absolutely notorious here for the moment you become successful, they try to shoot you down, cut you off at the knees. And this has happened to so many people from Ireland who have become successful, that the moment that it happens, they get all those people who have supported them to the point when they are successful, and then they just want to murder them, they want to kill them off as it were in the media. So I think this country is unusual for that. Maybe England is the same, I don’t know. But as far as training for the media, the important thing is never lose your temper and always be polite. And always, always, in interviews, remember why you are doing the interview, which is to tell people about your new album or your new tour. And the rule, I think, that I am adhering to at the moment is to try and avoid the print media as much as possible, because everything you say can be distorted and changed. The writers, if they have a particular axe to grind, if they want to get you in a particular way, they will misquote you, pretending that they have accurately quoted you, and the key really is to do live radio and live television interviews, because that way everything that you say comes from your own lips, and it can’t be changed or messed around with.

November 10, 2002
Laura Lind (13) from Edmonton, Canada:
In your song Lonely Sky, can you explain to me what is happening in the song? My mum and I disagree. I think someone has been kidnapped. Please help us resolve this argument.
Chris de Burgh:
No, unfortunately you’re wrong, it is not about somebody being kidnapped. It’s about a man who is in France and his love has left. And this is somebody who he feels very strongly about, and he feels like he should be there to support and look after her. But she has gone off to really find her feet. It’s not a father-daughter thing, but it is more a man who acknowledges the fact that the girl he is with needs to go off and find herself. And he is just warning her that there are people who will suppress her free spirit “that trap your wings, my love, and hold your flight”. So he is saying “Well, I have become really sad that you’re gone and here I am in a Parisian café, and the trees are crying leaves into the river, it’s autumn. I’m sad that you are gone, but I wish you the very best. And as I wander around the cathedral of Notre Dame, I can hear the people singing in the choir Christmas songs. And I am dreaming of you in your Lonely Sky and I am always going to be here for you.” That’s what it’s all about.

November 9, 2002
Michael (25) from Russia:
Chris, hi! Would you like to sing with an opera singer? And one more question: what is the highest note you can sing?
Chris de Burgh:
I think it’s every singers dream to do a duet with Pavarotti. And I think I’d certainly be up for it, because I think I am a good singer. And the highest note that I can hit full voice is C. “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” for example, the top note in the chorus is B, a semitone below C. And falsetto I can go way up. My range is about three and a half octaves.

November 8, 2002
Afshin (38) from Nashville, Tennessee, USA:
In recent years Sting seems to show some interest in country music. Do you ever see yourself to write and record a country song?
Chris de Burgh:
I think country music is terrific. I really like it a lot. I don’t know enough about it to start saying, well, I can get involved in that. But it’s funny. Country music, twenty years ago, I found a bit difficult to accept, it was very mawkish and sentimental. But now that it’s got the slightly harder rock edge to it, it’s sort of moved closer to where I like to find myself. So yes, I admire country music and country musicians and there are some just terrific songwriters in there as well.

November 7, 2002
Saeedak (18) from Rasht, Iran:
Hi my angel! Were you a hardworking student in your scholastic times? And always getting good marks?
Chris de Burgh:
Thank you, Saeedak. I was a hardworking student. I was one of those who found it fairly easy to do relatively well in exams in school. And I always tended to put my big effort in towards the last few weeks, which is the wrong way to do it, you should really study across the year. When I was in University, that’s very much what I did. I did a bit during the year, and then I really did a kind of crash course for the last eight weeks. But when I was younger in school, I was pretty much consistently in the top five or eight out of twenty or twenty-two. Not brilliant, but ok.

November 6, 2002
Fabian Scherle (18) from Korschenbroich, Germany:
Hi Chris! I wondered what you think about bootlegs. I know that many artists are against bootleg traders and others support them. I think bootlegs are a great thing for fans, because many of your songs sound even better live and we get the chance to listen to rare tracks or covers. I'd really like to hear what you think about it. Thanks for your time. Fabian
Chris de Burgh:
I can’t say I agree with bootlegs, because the quality is usually very poor. And if we’re going to do a live album, I’d rather do it in a proper and exciting way. The law stands to say that you can’t record an artist against their wishes and I would agree with that. It is a chance for other people to hear rare tracks, and it is a chance for fans to exchange stuff that otherwise wouldn’t be heard. But I think broadly speaking the artist should be more in control or completely in control of their own music and their own songs.

November 5, 2002
Jill Tovey (53) from Birmingham, England:
I never got a chance to see you perform classics such as Crusader or any other tracks from that album live, would you consider doing a tour featuring some of your "old" material and less of the "new", preferably with your original band line up?
Chris de Burgh:
You know, I always want to move forward, and I think I can answer this question by bringing in another remark I saw on the website about the current tour which appears to be a lot of the old songs from the last tour plus new ones from the new album. Well, there’s a very good reason for that. This is where I want to be. I like to keep fresh. I like to play the new stuff and I like to refer to the more recent songs. You know, once they get old for me, they get a little tired and faded and I hope people understand that. And secondly, when we do concerts like this, they are intended for people who come to the concerts once, and they aren’t designed for people who are repeat visitors who come again and again. And there are people who keep coming again and again, so I think it’s a little unfair to be critical about the fact that it might be some of the same material from the last tour we did two years ago. The reason for it is that’s what I want and secondly in the tiny amount of time we had to rehearse that’s what we concentrated on. But to answer the question, yes, it would be most interesting to me to go back and maybe have a two-night selection of songs. First night would be, say, a lot of the older material, and the second night the people come back to hear the newer songs. So I’d be interested to see if this sort of idea would appeal to people. The original band line-up is very unlikely to ever happen, because Glenn is dead and the other people are all involved in their own careers now.

November 4, 2002
Julia (53) from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:
Hi Chris, is the house that you are renovating in Wicklow of historical interest? What era does it date back to and what sort of history, if any, is attached to the house? Cheers Julia.
Chris de Burgh:
Well, the house I have just moved into in County Wicklow is of historical interest. It’s one of the great houses of the eighteenth century in the area, and it has had a number of renowned people living here, including a well-known judge in the early years and a man called Sir Philip Crampton and his son Sir John Crampton who were top diplomats of their time, and in fact they both were very good artists as well. The house I am in has been renowned for attracting artists of various kinds and in the late nineteenth century, early twentieth century there was a lady living here called Miss Boyle, who was by curiosity a songwriter, and a very famous one too. And she wrote a well-known song called “The Last Rose Of Summer” and she lived here where I am living now. So it’s nice to have another songwriter living here. It’s a very inspirational area. And the house was originally built in 1740 and completely rebuilt and renovated in 1996 to 2002 by me.

November 3, 2002
Mark (34) from Phoenix, Arizona, USA:
Chris, I have never had the privilege to see you in concert, so I hope that will be rectified someday. Your song 'Borderline' is a wonderful creation from the heart. Since part two "Say Goodbye to it All' was on the following album, did you actually plan on writing a part two? Or was it in response to the success of 'Borderline' ? Also, do you have plans for making a part two to any current story songs you have created? Thanks for your time Chris, your passion is felt in your songs, best to you and family. God Bless, Mark
Chris de Burgh:
When I wrote “Borderline”, I had no intention to having a part two. But when I started to have the idea to “Say Goodbye To It All”, I thought “well, why not make this part two”. Who knows, I may even make a part three, of what happened when the girl, the baby that was born in the West of France, grew up and what she looked at. So it’s a way of continuing with the tradition that I have always believed in, when I make my albums which is that I am creating a book, a story, not some sort of newspaper that you throw away the following day. My music is, in my opinion, not for throwing away quickly, it’s coming back to again and again. And you know, I haven’t currently any plans for doing part two of any other song, but now that you mention it, Mark, that’s not a bad idea. Thank you for that!

November 2, 2002
Suzan Guberman (46) from Long Island, New York, USA:
Many creative people are also talented in other art forms. How about you? Have you ever done any drawing or painting even if just for fun? What artist do you enjoy when you go to a museum?
Chris de Burgh:
I have absolutely no talent in drawing. My daughter is really good at it, my wife is really good at it, and I imagine my boys are going to be quite good at it. But I have absolutely zero talent at drawing. Artistically speaking, I am not really sure if I am particularly gifted in any other way apart from music.
When I go to a museum, I like the French impressionists most of all: Renoir, Manet, Monet, Degas. But my all time favourite is Van Gogh, because his paintings just shout from the canvas at me. A bit like great music, it’s just so moving to see those pictures. So French impressionists would be my favourites.

November 1, 2002
Nina O'Brien (29) from Dublin, Ireland:
Do you like Paul Simon's music, what's your favourite song?
Chris de Burgh:
Paul Simon is one of my top favourite artists, and I think he’s an exceptional songwriter. Really, I mean, it’s not just the big ones like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or so on, but I’ve loved him ever since I was a teenager. And “I Am A Rock, I Am An Island”, “Homeward Bound”, that earlier album, “The Boxer”, “Still Crazy After All These Years”, many many songs. As you can tell I’m a real fan. And I would say one of my top favourites of his is a song called “American Tune”. Brilliant lyrics, although the melody is, I believe, from a hymn. But the words are amazing, and reflecting on where America has been and is going.

October 31, 2002
Susan Macdonald (32) from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada:
Chris, your concerts are terrific! I feel extremely lucky everytime I get to see you perform. I was wondering if you could tell us about which artists are responsible for some of your favourite concert experiences? And is there a performer you have not seen that you wished you had? Thanks for your answer and your music.
Chris de Burgh:
Well, I have been to a lot of concerts. I remember having seen Peter Gabriel in concert, in Canada, in Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens, years ago. And he was exceptional. He’s been a friend of mine, well I have known him for a long time, but that was an amazing concert. Also seeing Elton John, the first time he did his solo performances where in the second half Ray Cooper, the percussionist, would join him, that was extraordinary. As far as the ones that I have seen and I didn’t like, I have seen an awful lot of them. I think when you’re in the profession, you find yourself judging people a bit more critically than fans or members of the audience who have come to see their favourite artist. And I’ve seen so many artists do bad concerts, not giving enough to the audience, or being arrogant on stage, or thinking they are superior. But because I am a professional, I won’t actually mention their names.

October 30, 2002
Steve Roberts (28) from Edinburgh, UK:
Dear Chris, I've enjoyed reading your answers so much I've decided to ask a question myself! I'd like to know if you have ever considered working with a producer who is maybe slightly 'at odds' with your musical style, and seeing what the mix would bring...
Chris de Burgh:
I’m very open to any kind of production direction, because I think it’s good and it’s healthy. I tried doing that on my album Power Of Ten with Pete Smith who came from a completely different area than I did. And I think it works pretty well. But you might remember, I recently did “I Want It (And I Want It Now)” with Q-Ball from The Bloodhound Gang. He remixed “I Want It (And I Want It Now)” and I thought he did a pretty good job, so I am really open to anything.

October 29, 2002
Beatrix Ouwerkerk (52) from Koudekerk aan den Rijn, Holland:
Dear Chris, your voice seems to sound more beautiful and stronger over the past 20 years: did you ever take singing-lessons?
Chris de Burgh:
I take great care of my voice, I drink a lot of water, I practice quite a bit, but I am definitely singing from the right place, and I have been for I would say ten, twelve years now. When you’re singing you have to remember, like swimming or any exercise, you can’t fill your lungs with oxygen unless you empty them first. It sounds totally obvious, but you’ve got to remember when you’re breathing and singing. You’ve got to empty your lungs as well as fill them, and fill them from the right place which is from the diaphragm, the stomach and for me, I activate my muscles in my back to expand my lungs to help me sing.

October 28, 2002
Michael Selbach (29) from Duisburg, Germany:
Hello Chris! You have said in an interview in 1986 that your old band has recorded an album of their own. Please help me, because i am a very big fan of your old band. They were fantastic and i want to know what is the name of the album from 1986?
Chris de Burgh:
I think my old band made a record and certainly did a little touring under the name of “Lucky Dog”. And they did a couple of goofy numbers. One was something about drums, it was kind of a jungle drum song, it was very funny. I think it was politically orientated, it could have had to do something with Iraq, but I can’t remember to be honest.

October 27, 2002
Harris Telemacher (33) from the USA:
Hi Chris, I am a long time fan of your music. Recently I had the pleasure of seeing the Chris de Burgh Dance Initiative perform a stunning movement piece to Spanish Train at a modern dance festival. What other songs of yours do you feel would work well as a dance/movement piece?
Chris de Burgh:
I am amazed to hear that there is a Chris de Burgh dance initiative doing a piece to Spanish Train. Well, I’d love to see that! That would be an interpretation I would be fascinated by. And if you want my opinion what other songs would work well, well I think that’s entirely up to yourselves to work out what you can do. Because I have no experience in dance, so I don’t know what to suggest. But I would stay clear of the famous ones like “Lady In Red” or “Missing You”. Maybe something like “Up Here In Heaven” or “The Last Time I Cried” or maybe one of the long pieces like the trilogy “The Leader, The Vision, What About Me?”.

October 26, 2002
Chris A. Aguele (29) from Fairfield, CT, USA:
I read somewhere that you once worked with Rupert Hine and that he holds the opinion that the "bass line" is component that gives a song its attitude. Do you agree with this, and if not, what is the most important part of a song?
Chris de Burgh:
I did three albums with Rupert Hine: The Getaway, Man On The Line and Power Of Ten. And he said the base line is the key component. I would somewhat agree with that, but I think also the drums. The drums are critical on how they set the mood and the tone of a song. In particular listen out for the base drum. The base drum can completely change the texture and field. Listen for example to “The Power Of Love” by Jennifer Rush. What the base drum is doing there, how it sets up a very dramatic heartbeat. I think the base drum is related to the heartbeat. And what you do with it and how you can change it around also affects how the base guitar works. Because the base guitar follows the base drum. So I always look very carefully what the base drum is doing.

October 25, 2002
Jana Baumann (31) from Crottendorf, Germany:
Which profession would you have had, if you have had never become a musician?
Chris de Burgh:
I’ve often been asked about what I would like to do if I had never become a musician. Two things really. I’d like to have maybe stayed somehow rather in the entertainment business, or maybe hotel business. But here is a very strange one. I would have been fascinated, and I still am, by forensic science. How to track down criminals using DNA, fingerprints, and forensics. It’s something, I suppose, part of me where somebody has done something really bad, it’s nice to think that you can catch these people and bring them to justice. And forensic science is such an extraordinary area, I would be most interested in that.

October 24, 2002
Thomas Marschall (43) from Florstadt, Germany:
I would like to follow the question Ian McDonald had asked before about the names of your albums. How was the name "Timing is everything" selected and what does it mean to you? Thank you.
Chris de Burgh:
My song “Timing Is Everything” became a very obvious choice. Usually I will either try and use the title of a song or the title sort of comes up from nowhere in particular, you know, I have to work on. But with “Timing Is Everything” this means it’s really about being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. And it’s not just luck, but I think you have to create your own luck.

October 23, 2002
Hannes Heichele (43) from Langweid, Germany:
Hallo Chris, you have told me in 1993 that your song "leather on my shoes" was for the young people of Ireland, who must leave the country, because they have no future in Ireland (jobs and family).What do you think now about the chances for the young Irish people today and in the future?
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, this was very much written about the emigration problem. Because Ireland at that time was a country where there wasn’t enough work, the economy was poor. And this is from the album Flying Colours, so this was 1988. Since then we’ve had the complete turn-around. We’ve had what we call the Celtic Tiger, where people have been flooding back into the country which I think is terrific. I think the purpose of it is, that it’s great when you are young to go and see the world, learn skills, usually in others countries and bring that knowledge and experience back to your own country. I think that’s a wonderful thing to do. And then settle back and raise a family. One of the problems for people coming back to Ireland is the cost of property is so astronomical, it makes it very difficult for young people to make a home here, so ironically we are getting the opposite happening again. Although the country is in a good economic situation, people are leaving because they can’t afford to live here, the cost of living is so high.

October 22, 2002
Reto (22) from Zurich, Switzerland:
I am the webmaster of Albert Hammond's official website and would like to get to know more about the circumstances of your collaboration on "I'm not crying over you", "Love's got a hold on me" and "The snows of New York", but from your perspective. Who got in touch with whom? What do you remember about the writing sessions and about Albert? How did you work together (your lyrics set to Albert's melodies?)? etc.
Chris de Burgh:
What a fantastic songwriter Albert Hammond is. Who can ever forget “One Moment In Time”, “It Never Rains In Southern California”, and so on. We were put together some years ago, I think about 1993, by my management and it worked extremely well. We got on very well, we enjoyed each other’s company. He likes a lot of the things that I like, certainly in music and in taste, in food, in melody, in wines. I know that for example Chateau Haut’Brion from France is one of his favourites. Especially, I think, he spoke about the 1996 vintage. The three songs that we cowrote, I did, I think, all the words, maybe 99 percent of the words. But his inspiration was to be in the room with me, because the songs were going to be recorded and sung by me, but he was a real inspiration to guide me and we mutually guided each other to what I think is a very satisfactory conclusion in music. And I’d certainly like to try it again with him.

October 21, 2002
Rebecca Bright (27) from London, UK:
Chris, what would be your one 'luxury' item you would take on a desert island with you (and no people allowed!)
Chris de Burgh:
Well, if I am only allowed one ‘luxury’ item on a desert island, I would have to bring a guitar and a lot of guitar strings. Because for me it’s my biggest form of expression and I really need one beside me. If nothing else, I can sing a bit, and maybe the birds would be charmed from the trees.

October 20, 2002
Rachel (16) from Assen, Holland:
Hey Chris. Last year my mom died and she always loved your song 'I'm counting on you'. That's why we turned that song on at the cremation. My question: Why did you write this song and what do you think of it? xxx and regards!
Chris de Burgh:
I wrote the song “I’m Counting On You” for the album The Getaway. It was loosely based on the poetry of Irish poet W.B.Yeats and he did “A prayer for my daughter”. And I didn’t have a daughter at that point, but I tried to imagine living in today’s Ireland what it would be like to have a daughter. And with all the problems going on in the North of Ireland, would she be the person who could gather people around her, inspire other people to try and change her world. And even to this day I am proud of that song and Tom Jones did a wonderful recording of this for one of his albums. And “I’m Counting On You” is like the new generation must be the ones who can come and change what has gone wrong in the past.

October 19, 2002
Ian McDonald (38) from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada:
What is your favourite Joke?
Chris de Burgh:
Well, this is a family internet show, so I can’t tell you. But I love laughing and I have got an absolute host of jokes. And Ian, if I ever have the opportunity to spend an evening with you, I would regale you with as many jokes that I can think of. The trouble is, I can’t really tell you a joke here that will print out the way it should be, because it often depends on the tone of voice and the punch line and so on. But maybe one day I’ll come up with something that is a printable joke.

October 18, 2002
Brett Sutherland (39) from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA:
First, I want to thank you. I became introduced to your music while travel in Taiwan in 1983 and fell in love with your wonderful style. You are the ultimate balladeer. My question. Everyone crosses the Rubicon. What, if I may ask, was your musical Rubicon. Or in other word, when did you know there was no turning your back on your music and what provoked the decision? Thank you for so many years of touching my emotions.
Chris de Burgh:
I think possibly it was when I left University and I really wanted to try the music business, having made my first album which was an astounding feeling for me listening back to my music. This may sound very old, but at the end, the last three songs of my album Far Beyond These Castle Walls, which are, if I recall correctly, “Satin Green Shutters”, “Turning Round” and “Goodnight”. I remember one night listening on the headphones to my new album which was a great thrill, and being intensely moved by those three songs. I mean, really hair on the back of my arms, and not just my own performance necessarily, but the actual music and the fact that it was on a record for all time. And I thought “God, that is what I really want to do.” And I’m still doing it.

October 17, 2002
Stephen Shearer (22) from Wick, Scotland:
What was the inspiration behind the song "The Tower"? To me it is one of the finest songs you've written.
Chris de Burgh:
I wrote “The Tower” for my album Spanish Train And Other Stories. And that was really as a result of the fact that I have always disliked people who go out shooting animals and birds just for fun. I find that particularly disgusting. You can understand why, if you need to feed a family or so, you need to go and kill animals. I am not that happy about it, but I can understand the reasons. But to go out and do it for fun, I just find absolutely impossible to understand. So I was brought up on a farm, and one problem we used to have was that at harvest time there were these pigeons who used to swarm around the corn fields and stamp down the corn and eat all the corn. Not just a bit, but whole fields can be destroyed like this. And the only way you can stop them doing this is either shooting two or three birds and hanging them up in the field, or having what we call bird-scare, I think, which go off like a bang every 60 seconds and that kind of keeps the birds away. And I had gone out and I had shot some pigeons and I brought them back to my mother. And I had shot far too many for what we needed and we weren’t gonna eat them. And she said “why did you kill so many?”. And I felt so disgusted with myself. I would have been about sixteen. I never shot anything again, deliberately never killed anything again. So that’s what “The Tower” is all about. It’s a song, a story, an allegory for the girls says to the man that has been at hunting, the great Lord, “you have no need of shooting, because you have everything else you require, you don’t need to kill”.

October 16, 2002
Siavash Rahimian (18) from Tehran, Iran:
Hello Chris, I am an amateur musician myself, and I play piano. I have always loved the Classical music. Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky have always been my heroes. I did not respect other kinds of music and considered them as cheap and commercial stuff. This sequence continued until I accidentally heard your song, “Sailing Away” At that moment I said to myself, “This guy is really different, and after all maybe the Pop music is not that bad.” I started listening to your music and became a fan of yours. One of the reasons that I love your music is that your music, like the Classical music, is very rich in content and people can extract their own feelings and interpretations from it. In other words, it provides a sufficient space for the audience’s imagination. My question is, do you like the Classical music? Have you had any Classical education in music? And have you ever been affected by the works of Giants like Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, or any other Classical musician?
Chris de Burgh:
In a way you have answered my question. I have always also felt that classical music and musicians are the great musicians. What we are doing is very very poor compared to the greats like you mentioned Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, all of whom I adore. I like Bach, Pachelbel, Albinoni, Händel as well. That’s what I listen to in my car, often at home as well. I love church music, early church music, Russian orthodox church singing, all that kind of stuff. I have never had a classical education and I am very sorry I haven’t. The fact is our songs are created by using chords you play on the piano or the guitar, whereas these great melody writers ignored chords, they just went straight with the melody and they created the support of the melody after the melody was written. That’s what makes it so different and unusual. As I said earlier, I love classical music when I am driving and so on. I am very happy to hear a lover of classical music likes my music and particularly “Sailing Away”, because I have always tried to bring that richness and texture into my own song writing.

October 15, 2002
Andrea Tasar (31) from Dortmund, Germany:
I saw almost all of your Concerts in Dortmund (Westfalenhalle) and you always said that this is your favourite Concert Hall. Is that true?
Chris de Burgh:
Well, you know, in the past and hopefully in the future it has always been just one of the best venues in Europe and indeed Germany, because there is such a tremendous feeling and excitement. I think it must be the acoustics in there, when I can actually listen to the audience, feel the audience, see the audience. I think the people in the Dortmund area have always been very generous to me. I have done two or three concerts there on the trot in the past during the big successful days. Not that these days aren’t successful, but not quite as big as they used to be. But the Westfalenhalle is a place I often think of, when I am writing a new song, thinking “how will this go down in the Westfalenhalle”. So if you were coming to my first show in Dortmund, I was really looking forward to that amazing feeling as I walk up from the tunnel beneath and I hear that audience go when the lights go down and it sends chills down my spine. It’s a fantastic feeling. Thank you for that.

October 14, 2002
Terry Kemp (37) from Perth, Australia:
Chris, have you ever written any songs in, or about Australia?
Chris de Burgh:
I would like to say that Perth is by far my most favourite place in Australia. Not that I dislike anywhere else, I enjoy Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, up the coast, Sydney, but Perth has got a sense of real freedom about it, and I have always enjoyed being there. I suppose one of the reasons is that we have usually started our Australian tours there and we’ve been there for a few days after a long flight. I love Scarborough Beach for example, and the beautiful hotel there. And I wrote a song in that hotel called “This Waiting Heart”. It was on the 24th floor, at a white piano, looking out across to Fremantle. And I started writing this song “This Waiting Heart” which is on Spark To A Flame. It’s not necessarily about Australia, but it was certainly inspired by being in Australia.

October 13, 2002
Bree Palmarini (34) from Moorestown, New Jersey, USA:
Hi Chris! I will always go back to your earlier albums, because your voice sounds so young and full of yearning, looking back now, is there anything you miss about your early days as a singer/songwriter? PS. ROCK ON!
Chris de Burgh:
Hi Bree! I listen occasionally to my earlier albums and I find that my voice has changed a lot since then. And it’s interesting you should say that my voice sounds full of yearning and young. Well, I guess it was, I was yearning for a break in my career to be successful. There’s nothing much I miss about my early days. I suppose if there’d be one thing it would be the sense of wonder, that sense of naivety, that feeling of purity. You see, I knew absolutely nothing about the music business, and I wasn’t ready or aware yet of the knocks that I would get on the way up. And the moment you launch yourself into the mainstream, you become a tremendous target for just about everything. And there is a certain sense of simplicity about my earlier albums that I would like to recreate. There is no reason why I can’t. In fact, I would urge you, Bree, to hang on for my next album, because some of the songs that are bubbling around my head do seem to throw me back to those early days. The trouble is, with a bit of knowledge you also learn from experience and that changes your perception of the world.

October 12, 2002
Joyce Baggel (22) from The Netherlands:
Where do you feel the most at peace?
Chris de Burgh:
Well I have just moved house to a beautiful part of Ireland, in the hills of Wicklow. And it is very peaceful here, and I have taken to it immediately. Sometimes you miss your old home. Well, we miss our old home a little bit, but this is such a beautiful place, not only inside the house, but also outside. I love coming back to this place. I also love to go down to Wexford to my mother’s castle, where I was brought up. I just adore walking through those fields. And apart from that I absolutely love going to cathedrals. Every time I go to the town of Salisbury in England for example, close to where I did my recording for the last two albums, I’ve been into the cathedral there about thirty times. And each time it’s just amazing. You should try it. And you know, I am planning to do a concert tour next year of cathedrals all over Europe with just myself and maybe with a small string quartet and choir from the local church.

October 11, 2002
Ron Harding (44) from Pickering, Ontario, Canada:
I was wondering how hard it is to perform your songs over and over during your concert tours, and over the years? How do you keep it fresh? I have been to every concert you have played in Montreal and Toronto since your 'Perfect Day' album. Whether it is a brand new song, or a classic that you sing alone with your piano or guitar, they all sound as if you are sharing it with us for the first time. How do you do it?
Chris de Burgh:
When you are doing a long tour of eighty or ninety concerts, and you’re singing the same songs just about every night, it is difficult. But you have to remember that there is a new crowd of people in front of you, you know, a new audience every night and you have to sing each song with as much energy as you possibly can. You have to have respect for the audience who paid good money to be there, gone through a lot of trouble to get there, and they deserve a hundred percent every time. And it’s a bit like, when I sing, I wear the song like a coat. And I get into it, and I really feel the emotions, feel the excitement, feel the energy and I try to transmit that every time.

October 10, 2002
Joe Robinson (38) from Eastern Passage (near Halifax), Nova Scotia, Canada:
Hi Chris, a friend of mine had told me that during a mid to late '70's concert in Ottawa, Ontario, you performed while a ballerina-type dancer danced. I have seen a few of your concerts in Halifax, back in the '80's, and you did not perform with any sort of "extras" then. I am wondering if you have any plans to bring back that style of theatrics to the stage in future concerts? Or if you have already, what theme did you use for what songs? Thank you.
Chris de Burgh:
I am wondering if your friend may have seen a ballerina, it’s possible, but I can’t remember. But I do know that we had what was called an exotic dancer who used to come on our tour along with her husband across Canada, just once, so it would look good on her curriculum vitae. She performed with me, but she used to strip to Patricia The Stripper and it was pretty funny. I can’t remember the ballerina thing, but it’s quite a good idea sometimes. It’s important I think to create a visual and theatrical show and it’s quite possible we may use those kinds of things again. Particularly if I’m doing solo concerts or concerts with orchestra or quartet. It has a tremendous amount of visual impact, if there are theatrical things involved.

Andrea Lucas (37) from Ludwigsburg, Germany:
Hi Chris, in the last Getaway Gazette from the fanclub you told us that you went skiing, but broke 2 fingers. I hope everything is o.k. now, but being an enthusiastic skier myself I would like to know if you will go skiing again and where do you go? There are always people from Ireland and Great Britain in the village of Serfaus in Austria where I like to ski. Best wishes, Andrea
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, last year I took my family to Courchevel in France for a skiing holiday. I hadn’t been skiing for many years. Of course for children it’s immediate and natural, but if you’re slightly older it’s not so easy. I enjoyed it. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did. But I was getting on one of those ski lifts where you sit on a pole, and my fingers got caught around the pole and it snapped off into the distance. And it really hurt my fingers. And on the next pole exactly the same thing happened. And I thought I had broken two fingers on my right hand. I hadn’t, they were just very badly bruised. And thankfully it didn’t cause any permanent damage.

October 8, 2002
Romanita Harrison (43) from Sacramento, California, USA:
The first time I heard the song Quiet Revolution it made me cry because it was so beautiful, and reminded me of the Baha'i community. Can you tell us more about the background of the song and what was the inspiration for it?
Chris de Burgh:
You know, I’m a person that is not particularly fond of organized religion, but I do believe that the spiritual side of the world, in spite of all these disasters and war is making a very very big, not even come-back, but there’s a feeling around so many people. I think, as organized religion begins to crumble, people are searching for something else. And it could be we’re heading for a new age of enlightment, where the spirit world is becoming more obvious and more tangible and more important to us. So that’s what “Quiet Revolution” is all about. It’s about the fact that like a revolution, people are keeping it underground. And the enemy I refer to is the media, because if the media suspects you involved in anything like this, they can make a complete laughing stock of you. So I always kept my mouth shut about it. But I do believe a lot of people, surprising people, you know, people that you wouldn’t even believe, are interested in the supernatural and another dimension. They talk about it and they are very aware of it. So I found that very exciting.

October 7, 2002
Lore Müller (50) from Lohmar, Germany:
Hi Chris! What was your reason for recording the wonderful rare track "Room In This Heart"? Was it Brian Morton’s version on the Tribute-CD? Why did you change it a bit? Can we hope for a recording of "Standing At The War Memorial" on your –hopefully- next album? Thank you for answering all our questions in such a personal way! And thank you for all your songs!
Chris de Burgh:
I got the idea for a recording of “There’s Room In This Heart Tonight” from a friend of mine in Liverpool, Steve Bennett. A year ago or so, he sent me a copy of what I had done previously taken off the TV. When I had done this, it was recorded on a big fundraising concert. So, I am delighted I did, because it’s a strong tune. And I’d like to thank Steve for suggesting I go back and have another look at it. I did actually change it around quite a bit, changed words, changed the format, but essentially it is the same song.
The song “Standing At The War Memorial” won’t be on any album, I did actually say it at the time. It’s a very personal and emotional response to a disaster, when a bomb went off in Enniskillen in the North of Ireland. And similarly, you may have heard that I sang a little tribute song to Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who were murdered, aged 10 years old. I am a parent and my youngest boy is eleven, and it doesn’t take much imagination to try and think what it must be like for the parents and the loved ones involved. So I sang this one live on BBC Radio 2 a few days ago, and it got a wonderful response, but I am never gonna do it again. I just feel, I don’t want to profit from it, in any way shape or form. I am not talking financially here. But it would be nice, if the parents heard this song. It’s just my response, I’m a songwriter and I’m also an emotional person.

October 6, 2002
J.P. Roy (40) from Montreal, Canada:
During your last show in Montreal, you said that you and the band would go to a specific bar to continue the party after the show, and you invited everybody. Did you really go to that bar and is that a habit of yours to meet fans after a show ? How do you like it when a fan comes up to you for a chat ? (boy, i should have gone to that bar...)
Chris de Burgh:
Let me say at the outset that the Montreal people have always been fantastic to me. And some of the most memorable shows I have ever done in my long career have been in Montreal. And I’d like to say a special “Thank you” to my friends in Quebec and Montreal City particularly.
If I say from the stage that I am going to a particular bar, it’s usually because I am not going there. I don’t mean to play around here, but sometimes it’s quite fun to meet with the fans after a show, other times you just feel too tired. Sometimes it’s nice to meet, you know, sometimes I have said “we are going to go to such a bar”, and if people are polite, I would be delighted to meet them in a bar. So yeah, that’s the answer.

October 5, 2002
Brian (21) from Harare, Zimbabwe:
Does the phrase "trees are crying leaves into the river" hold any particular significance to you? That phrase has meant so much to my life. So please tell me what you were thinking when you wrote those words.
Chris de Burgh:
I came across this phrase “trees are crying leaves into the river” either from something I read or something I imagined. I don’t actually recall. But it’s the outset of autumn. And it’s almost like the trees are saying “well, it’s time for us to shed our leaves”. And it’s a strong image, a powerful image of the leaves slowly falling down into the river which takes them away to the sea. I was trying in the song “Lonely Sky” to create the feeling of someone who has met somebody very important in their lives, and the cathedral of Notre Dame is some place I had been just a little while before I wrote this song. And I was thinking about the Lords and Ladies in stone, and so on. And thinking about in “Lonely Sky” how freedom, when somebody searches for freedom, it may not be everything they wish it to be. And I just wanted to say “I’m beside you in your lonely sky”.

October 4, 2002
Henk Kooy (50) from The Netherlands:
Diamond in the Dark is, I think a very melancholy song. What or who was it inspired on?
Chris de Burgh:
“Diamond In The Dark” was never intended as a melancholy song. It’s more meeting somebody, and like a diamond shines in the dark, it’s a feeling that this is somebody very special. You know, “Is it real what I feel? Is it love that’s making me weak?”, these are the first lines. And love can have a very powerful impact on people when it hits you for the first time with somebody new.

October 3, 2002
Oliver Schäfer (34) from Berlin, Germany:
When I visited your concert on November 1st, 1999 in Berlin, you sang the song "The Same Sun", which means a lot to me. And I had the impression that it meant a lot to you. Is that true and where came the idea for that song from? Does it have its roots from a personal story of yours?
Chris de Burgh:
“The Same Sun” is a song that I wrote for the Quiet Revolution album, just reflecting on something that happens to me a lot, when I am away from home. Particularly, if you are in a different time zone, like if you are in Los Angeles. When you wake up with the dawn in Los Angeles, the people that you are thinking about across the other side of the world, have already lived half their day, eight hours ahead of you. And it also strikes me that if you see our planet revolving around, we all, wherever we are, share the same moon, stars and sun. It’s another pointer as to why we should be a universal planet with universal aims and achievements. It’s very much a Celtic love song. The dreaming of somebody far, far away from you. It doesn’t have a personal meaning for me, in as much as it’s not about anybody in particular, but it’s really about somebody you love far away, maybe a child or a loved one or indeed a parent.

October 2, 2002
Brian Morton (35) from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada:
Two thoughts.. I'm curious about a song called "Snow is Falling" that you were playing on tour last year. It doesn't seem to be on the track list for the new album TIMING IS EVERYTHING. What process do you go through and how do these songs get cut during the recording sessions, and lastly what songs didn't make the cut from earlier albums! Are there unreleased songs from EASTERN WIND or CRUSADER for example??
Chris de Burgh:
This is a song that I started writing earlier this year and I in fact performed on several occasions just to see how it would go and how it would work. And those who heard it, thought it was wonderful and liked it a lot. It’s really one of those unusual things where the song wrote itself and I was just the vehicle, you know, the channel for the music. It’s about people who have been murdered and been buried in graves. A lot of people, like an entire village. And their spirits are calling out to be found. Not just so they can have a decent burial, but also so their loved ones can know exactly what has happened. This is something that has been in my mind very much, sort of an Eastern European feeling to the song. It will definitely wind up on the next album which I hope to start around the beginning of next year. I had never intended to record this song for “Timing Is Everything”. It’s the wrong kind of song for that album. “Timing Is Everything” is essentially a cheerful, up, fun record, as depicted on the front cover.
There are unreleased songs from Eastern Wind or Crusader, but they are buried in the vaults, so I have no idea where they are. I tend to take the view that, if they don’t get recorded, there is a reason for it. Either they wind up on another album, or else they just weren’t good enough.

October 1, 2002

Editor’s note :
The Man On (the) Line section is back. Before we start with new questions and answers tomorrow, here is a personal note from Chris de Burgh to all the fans out there who have commented on his new album Timing Is Everything.
Chris de Burgh:
It’s two weeks after the album has been released and I have been reading a lot of the comments on the website. And some of them are very positive and some of them are not. I just have to explain a little bit about my background to Timing Is Everything.
The last record I made was Quiet Revolution which was a big big record for me personally. It was full of very emotional thoughts, a very spiritual record. Instead of the usual 11 or 12 tracks, I wanted to put 15 on, because I was very pleased with the songs I had written. You’ve got to understand, when you put extra songs on, that is a cost that I have to bear. And I do not get any extra money for having put, you know, extra songs on. If you look at the cost of a record nowadays you can look at a huge amount of extra money that goes into recording 3 or 4 more extra songs, it’s very significant. I was thrilled with Quiet Revolution and I still am. I think it’s one of the greatest records that I have done in my career. Following that, I was extremely disappointed by the relative lack of success of Quiet Revolution. I was disappointed, because I thought it should do better which it didn’t. It had a couple of hits, “When I Think Of You” being one of them, but all in all I was quite sad that it didn’t do as well as I felt it should have done.
So when I approached this Timing Is Everything record, I had two things in my mind. One, I was very much caught up in the process of building and renovating and restoring this house, which if anybody sees it, they’ll understand why it took so much time and effort. It’s an absolute monument for the future, in my opinion, and it’s so true to the way that 250 years ago these places were built. It’s a true recreation and the attention to detail has been absolutely amazing. And it has taken up a huge amount of my time. I am not providing this as an excuse by any means, but this was sort of part of my thinking.
So with Timing Is Everything, quite simply, as I said a number of times, I wanted to have a fun record. This is not a spiritual record, it’s not a deep record. There’s a few of them, I suppose, like “There’s Room In This Heart Tonight” and a couple of the other ballads which mean a lot to me. Generally speaking I wanted to go out with this record live and have a lot of fun with it. It is not a reflection of who I am personally and what I have done in the past personally necessarily. As people should really understand about me, I very rarely write about my personal things, because I like to keep that private.
“Guilty Secret”, “If Beds Could Talk”, ok, they are about the same sort of thing, but they are fun. You know, both of these songs emerged just from the phrases. “If Beds Could Talk” – it made me smile. “Guilty Secret” – as I had said before, I wrote in the car. In fact both of these songs I wrote while I was driving along. It started in my head, and I put them on my little tape recorder. They are just fun records and they are not supposed to be any deep insight into what’s going on in my life or what I am thinking. It’s just a fun record.
Now, that said, I think it’s gonna do well, and I hope that people like it. It’s very important for me to know that people do like it. But it’s also important for people to know that I cannot turn out again and again deep, meaningful albums. It’s just impossible.
However, the good news for those people who are looking for deep insights, is that I have already started a lot of work on the next project, which I actually probably start recording in February of next year. That’s very quick for me. But I have a lot of things to say on this next record and it’s going to be a very deep, emotional and spiritual record. Trust me when I say that. There’s a number of reasons for this which will become apparent next year. But I am writing stuff that is going deep, deep into me that I did not want to put onto this Timing Is Everything record. I wasn’t ready for that.
But Timing Is Everything just regard as a fun album. I know that there has been a lot of anticipation, people have been waiting for it, and perhaps they have been excited, perhaps slightly disappointed. Nevertheless I am quite certain that those people who were looking for the depth that perhaps was evident in much earlier records, they will find it in the next project. And I think it is important to stress that. Don’t get too involved in overthinking what’s actually on Timing Is Everything.