Chris' brand new album "50" is released on the 4th October 2024. The album that encompasses a storied 50 year career is out TODAY. Featuring songs from across the decades, a special film-version of Lady in Red and THREE brand new tracks.
To celebrate the album Chris has been answering questions submitted by fans. You can submit your own question here: https://www.manontheline.com/
Nadine Fliedner (49) from Germany
Hello Chris. I'm interested to know why you never got carried away with your increasing success? How do you manage to stay grounded despite your success?
Well, that's almost impossible for me to answer. Obviously a lot to do with family and upbringing, because when I started in this business I was utterly naive. I suppose I've been famous somewhere for 50 years but maybe it went a little bit to my head in the early days, because finally getting recognition after struggling, it's a very hard business, notoriously possibly one of the most difficult there is. I think it's made more difficult by the fact that I write all the music, all the words, do all the interviews, concerts, television, radio etc. There's only one of me. So I think remaining grounded is terribly important. I don't live a rock 'n' roll lifestyle at all and I always feel that you've got to leave all that stuff behind when you come through your front door, you can't bring the job home. I'm happy enough when I'm out in public to be the "star" but you never bring that person back into the house, because I think that's dangerous. I've seen enough people in my business who want to carry on being rock stars in their house and home. It just doesn't work, just surround yourself with good people, good company, good friends and a strong family ethos.
Mark Pearce (50) from Stockton On Tees, England
If you could be remembered for just one song or one album what would it be? Which album or song is most special to you and why?
That's a tough one after 27 albums. I suppose the one song that in many ways kick-started my song-writing, although it had been pre-seeded by similar kinds of songs which are stories, because I think if you can create a good story it will last.. Spanish Train would be one of those. It was complicated to write, not just because of the game of cards and getting the poker hands correct, but the internal rhyming... "Joker is the name, Poker is the game, we'll play right here on this bed, and then we'll bet for the biggest stakes yet, the souls of the dead." A lot of internal rhyming so it was quite complicated, but it's still a cracking good story and I think for a lot of people it's become iconic. As far as an album is concerned, I'd probably choose "Into The Light" because it's got some great songs, but then again so does "The Road To Freedom"... ah.. who knows!
James Wilson from Salisbury, England
Over the last 50 years of recording and performing, is there one particular memory from your musical career which stands out from everything else, a special moment that you treasure ?
Well, I don't think it's allied to success James, like getting my first number one album in the UK. Again, I have to stress, the UK was just one of many many places where having success, like Canada, Norway, South Africa, these were early days when it was exciting. I think a memory of a concert, performing in Ephesus in Turkey in an arena built 300 years before Christ, and it was pretty well exactly as it was then. I think there were about 20,000 people under a starry sky and it was pretty awesome actually to be in such an historical place. The backstage area was these little rooms or caves, almost untouched for all those years, it was obviously a national heritage site to be respected, but it was a very exciting place to be performing. But you know, after a 50 year career, there are many many moments and I could spend hours talking about some great stuff.
Sheila Gardner (64) from Hounslow, Middlesex
At what age and which was the first instrument you learned and if you were to learn a new instrument which would it be?
I would have picked up a guitar at probably about the age of 13 or 14 and obviously I'm self-taught and I taught myself to play the piano by looking at how the chord structures were on a guitar and transferring them to a piano. I can't read music and I can't write music and I don't think it's hindered me too much, even though I have often been performing with orchestras, I can talk to them in their own terms, not necessarily in musical terms, but certainly about what I'm trying to convey in a song. And if I were to learn a new instrument... the bagpipes! No, I don't think the bagpipes.. what would I like to learn to play.. the church organ. That's a keyboard similar to a piano but I'd like to be able to understand all the stops that you pull out, that would be fun. It makes a great noise, a church organ.
Matt Poulter (40) from Skelmersdale, England
Hi Chris. I'm not sure if you know I created the Chris de Burgh Facebook page with Gail James. It's come so far in ten years we would like to thank you for being on the group with us fans. So my question. Is there any chance of any future releases of full old concerts from the past 50 years. Even on your YouTube chanel they would be amazing to hear. I've been a fan of yours since I was about 5 it's always been the live side of things I've loved. Especially the stuff with Jeff, Al, Danny, Koko & Glenn. It would be amazing. Thanks Matt
Thank you for creating the Chris de Burgh Facebook page with Gail James, it's wonderful what you're doing to keep people connected. As I often say, you cannot have a long career without the love and support of your fans. Whatever I want to do, my voice is in good shape and I enjoy concerts very much. The recent summer tour, 12 completely sold out concerts, indicates that people are still interested in hearing me. But without the fans and people like yourself helping, keeping a profile up is one of the hardest things. It's a bit like a hot-air balloon with a hole in it and you've constantly got to pump it up to keep it up in the air. I don't know about the answer to this, but I would like to see some of these old concerts. There is of course a VHS, or maybe it's even on DVD, of Live in Dublin and Live in Munich, there's been a few of them actually. We've done a few and they are all very interesting for me to watch, if for no other reason than to see myself jumping around like a mad thing on the stage. I was so energetic in those days, I always used to have oxygen backstage which I frequently had to take in because I was so exhausted. And one thing about a lot of modern acts, it's almost impossible to dance and sing at the same time. Almost. I'm not going to cast any aspersions on other performers out there except to say, you try it, you fans, jump around for two hours and sing at the same time. I'm going to suggest that there's full playback going on in some cases. It would be lovely to see the old band featured in old videos. I could mention this to my management.
Karl Reid (46) from Rochester, England
I know that you are aware of the now many musicians in your fan group. You’ve commented a number of times on covers by myself, Frank and others out here who perform. It’s always such a thrill when we see your name pop up and say you’ve enjoyed one of our tributes. It means the world. You inspired me when I was 18 and you pulled me out the audience to sing with you in Hylands park back in the late 90’s. So now you seemingly have put the band on hiatus or resting would you consider choosing a few of the musicians out there in our fandom to put a new band together? I’m sure many of us would love to give it a go?
Well, Karl, that's a good idea in theory, but in principle it's actually extremely difficult. To put a band together, to rehearse and then go on tour. The musicians I've been using are top-end studio musicians and players who are very much used to the performing lifestyle and concerts. It's a nice idea, I don't think it's going to happen though. At the moment I'm very happy performing solo and I do keep in touch with the band and various other members, I'm sure we'll perform together again. The music business has changed so utterly, the costs and expenses involved with touring. There's a myth out there to say because record sales have plummeted, that people just go out and tour and make a fortune. No, that doesn't happen, only at the very very top level and even then it's really expensive. I mean, Taylor Swift, I can't imagine how much her shows are costing to run. Touring is expensive, you're thinking of hotels, transportation, every single element of touring with a band as well, it is expensive. Even solo, I've got ten people with me on tour, so you have to keep an eye on those things. We don't do it just for fun, we try to, in my case, break even or maybe make a small profit.
Nicole Kalkowski (54) from Lüdenscheid
Dear Chris ! After so many years of concerts and touring, can you name 3 very special experiences, a special location, a special audience or something else... all the best, yours Nicole
Well, I've mentioned Ephesus already. There are so many experiences, I've been so fortunate to have gone round the world several times. Just in to my mind, I was in Australia on a boat and I was in the sea and somebody said "Somebody wants to talk to you, a radio station in Taiwan", so I was there in the sea with a mobile phone talking to a radio station in Taiwan. So many little things jump into my mind, performing inside the Kremlin for example, a fairly extraordinary thing, we did three shows there, actually I've been there a few times. The Royal Albert Hall, a spectacular venue, I think I've performed in there about 17 times. There are special audiences all over the world.. Germany, Austria, Switzerland.. they're such loyal fans. And then again, Ireland and Canada, especially the province of Quebec. When I walk on stage in Montreal as I did last year, two shows sold out, it's an overwhelming blizzard of love. It's extraordinary, it's very emotional. Sometimes this applause to say hello and welcome back can go on for two or three minutes and you're standing there thinking "Wow" and you're just drinking it in, this is beautiful. So, those things make my journey through this business so memorable and so beautiful.
Claudia Geelen (44) from The Netherlands
Dear Chris, in your new single "It's Never Too Late", you sing about the Spanish Train and the Ferryman and castle walls. Why just these songs? And castle walls, is from the album "Far Beyond These Castle Walls"? If so, why this album? Love Claudia.
Claudia, thank you for your question. I tried to get in as many references as possible. Ancient halls, that's in there, castle walls of course, Spanish Train, Bal Masque is in there, Lady In Red of course, Ferryman... why just these ? Well, I couldn't get everything in there. In another song called The Storyman I do refer to a lot of other tracks, but that's as many as I could get in.
Jane Friedman from Concord, California, USA
Would you please consider doing a tour in the USA? I have seen you many times in my home town in the UK - it would be nice to see you again in the US.
Jane, I just want you to know how it works. I would love to tour in America again but the way my business works is.. an artist, unless they are at the top top level, does not choose where they're going to go, they get offers. Offers will come in from promoters who think they can make a profit out of an artist, simple as that. They will offer a tour or a one-off concert or a series of concerts in a special location. For example, in America, a few years ago, 6 or 7 years ago, I performed in Los Angeles and further north in Burbank, San Francisco and across in the east coast. But the offer has to come from the promoter first and then you work out the nuts and bolts of getting there. So the answer is yes I'd like to, but I'm not sure when we can do this again.
Beth Haines from Perth, Australia
Hi Chris, who is your favourite actor male or female?
Well, I would say one of the most interesting actors to watch is Matt Damon, who by curiosity, pre-Covid and during some of Covid, he was actually living in the same village as me, Dalkey in South Dublin. He loved it, he would go swimming in the sea, he was often seen in the coffee shops and restaurants. His Jason Bourne series I've seen so many times. He's a fantastic actor and he's done many many other things as well. I would put him at the top of the list. And Nicole Kidman I would put up also as a female actress, amazing.
Marion from Ontario, Canada
You once said you lived in a castle. Is this true and how many rooms are in it? Love you Chris
Yes, absolutely true, I was brought up from the age of 12 in a place called Bargy Castle in Wexford in Ireland. How many rooms... well, big and small, because we did have it as a hotel for many years, 20 or 25 years. I would say there's about 50 rooms including a big banqueting hall, smaller rooms and of course I would not be doing what I'm doing today if I had not been in that situation aged 14/15 performing for guests in the castle. I learned my trade performing to guests in the hotel, there was no TV, there was no internet of course. It was just fun to sing and I learned a lot.
Luís Costa (64) from Porto, Portugal
After such a long and brilliant career, what is the motivational factor that drives you to continue singing and giving concerts so often?
Well, I think it was either Hillary or Tenzing, was asked "Why did he climb Mount Everest?" he said "Because it was there." In my case I will say quite simply, because I still can. And secondly I have an audience, many many people, thousands, hundreds of thousands perhaps, all over the world, who want to hear what I'm doing, they want to hear some of songs that they grew up with, that take them back to childhood. So many people send me stories about when they were driving and their father or mother put on one of my CDs and it brings them back to those times. That's what music does, it takes you into memories. That's the purpose of my next album, which is called 50, with three new songs and a favourite song from all 26 or 27 albums. Very hard to choose mind you, but they mean a lot to me and I hope they also bring back memories for you. And it's not just that, some people will not have heard some of this stuff before, even though it's been out there on record for a long time.
Michael Kleine (61) from Krefeld, Germany
Chris do you have another idea for an album like Moonfleet or an album complete with new songs ?
Yeah, Moonfleet was great fun. I really enjoyed that because I love the book and then of course I did the Legend of Robin Hood album and in conjunction co-wrote this musical with Dennis Martin in Germany called Robin Hood, which is just amazingly successful. So far it's been premiered in Fulda. The first session was 177 shows, more than 200,000 people saw it in that town alone. It's been in Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Linz in Austria, and Zurich. Quite possibly we take it elsewhere next year, maybe even to China. So, I haven't got any plan as such, but something may crop up that really attracts my attention.
Corinna Strick (54) from Near Cologne, Germany
What a wonderful opportunity in this year of jubilee - thanks so much! Dear Chris, after the enormous succes of the musical Robin Hood in Germany, wouldn't it be great to have a Moonfleet Musical on stage, too?
Well I would love to. At the time there was a fair amount of interest. But you know once an idea is out there I leave it up to empresarios, people who put on musicals, to take it on and maybe make a musical out of it. But I would love that, because it's such an amazing story.
Brian Morton (58) from Hamilton, Ontario Canada
I've always said that your greatest gift was the ability to express your emotions through your songwriting. A number of your songs, such as LAST TIME I CRIED, HERE FOR YOU, reveal a great deal about your life, and can go to dark places. Which song is most personal to you?
Brian, interesting question. It's not only expressing emotions, it's actually conveying them and that is the key. The Last Time I Cried.. I wrote that because I was doing a press conference shortly before I was performing in Germany and a journalist asked me a question which I thought was a bit smart-assed to be honest but he said "When was the last time you cried?" and I instantly said "Last night.. I was watching television and I saw a documentary about the first people into Buchenwald and the concentration camps and it was so terrible, what I was watching, I was crying." and I left it at that. But then I came back to the idea and thought about me watching television with a child, my own child, asleep on my lap and watching one of these films and to my horror, I see a soldier who looks identical to me, pointing his gun at a child who looked indentical to my child. And that gave me the feeling that we're all human, capable of terrible dark things. The song Here For You, I've had numerous letters and correspondence from people who, their child has left them and gone away on a long journey to Australia or America and it's the scene in the airport. I can visualise it so well, a group of youngsters, teenagers, early twenties, all grouping around the person who is leaving. There's lot of tears and hugs and the parents are standing slightly apart and holding hands. Then the child, the youngster, goes through security and waves with a tear-stained face. As you know, I write so strongly from films in my head and I see that one very strongly. Trying to convey that.. it actually works and I've had letters from people who've said yes, we know exactly what happened and it really brought us together, parents and their child, particularly from a distance and then when they returned. Isn't that wonderful to be able to affect people that way. But I would say it's not a personal song, it's one that emerged from nowhere. A personal song would be Snow Is Falling from the album Road To Freedom. Snow Is Falling is a film which started in my head and I can see it so clearly, very powerful in my mind.
Beth Haines (49) from Perth, Australia
Hi Chris, is there any chance at all that you might return to Australia at some point it'd be awesome to see you play over here again.
I'd love to perform in Australia. Infact, I believe there is the possibility next year of doing this, but I'm not sure. But I would love to go there, I've been there I think three times and enjoyed it very much.
Chris Tetreault-Blay (40) from Newton Abbot, Devon, UK
Firstly, can I just take the opportunity to say thank you for all of the music and memories you've given us all over the years! You're an idol of mine and have been since my Dad introduced me to your music when I was 5 years old, and a couple of your songs have even inspired novels I've written myself in later years. My question is: If someone was to ask you to play one song you've recorded that you feel represents you most as an artist, what would it be?
Firstly, thank you for your lovely words and isn't that great that your father introduced you at an early age. Well, I suppose I'd have to go back to Spanish Train again, or Spaceman Came Travelling. A Spaceman Came Travelling I wrote on a hot August day in the mindset of what if.. what if the star of Bethlehem was infact a spacecraft from another world bringing good tidings about the birth of Christ but also to keep an eye on the follies and stupidities of humanity. At the time a writer called Erich von Däniken was talking about people coming from other worlds and leaving messages for the Nazca Indians with these spacecraft. What if.. that's where that one came from. And again it's another story based on reality, well, actually we don't know if it's reality but the biblical story of the birth of Christ and the shepherds and the three wise men and so on. Those two probably would be very close to the top of my personal list.
Yvonne (53) from Switzerland
The song Carry Me which starts "There is an answer...", for which reason did you write it? My 8 year old son in 2008 picked that song to play at his godmothers funeral, as he then could not understand why she left him, she was a big fan of yours.
A friend of mine, a very high profile business man, at the time when there were lots of kidnappings going on in Ireland by the IRA.. his wife and their nanny went riding one day in County Wicklow, quite close to where I lived until quite recently. They were used to crossing a particular stream or river, the horses were familiar with it, but there had been a lot of rainfall and obviously the horses when they went across, stumbled, and both ladies were thrown off. When you're riding you're wearing boots and jodhpurs and all sorts of heavy clothing. If you're in the water and you can't find your footing, you can be in terrible trouble. And so it happened, both ladies drowned. Linda, my friends wife, her body was found some time later. In the interim before she was found I went to visit my friend and I gave him a hug and he was trying to coordinate searches and he wasn't giving enough time for himself to grieve, because it was quite clear something horrible had happened. And when they did find her, it was the same thing, he was still trying to make all the arrangements. It took a while and then he told me that after I'd recorded the song, which incidentally I sang at the funeral and he and I were the only dry-eyed people in the place, a lot of people were upset emotionally. A while later when I'd recorded the song on my album Flying Colours, he told me that he and his children listened to it a lot and it really helped them to get through the grieving process. And people are still using it a great deal for funerals and so on. That's why I wrote it.
Deborah Elliott from Buckinghamshire
Was it more fun for you being a Dad in the 80s or now, being a Grandad in 2024?
Oh, being a dad is incredible. Yep. But being a grandfather is great fun too, as every grandparent will tell you, yes, you can give them back at the end of the day, the little children. But it's wonderful to see the new generation coming through. In my case I've got three little ones, Sophia is 4, just about to be 5 in November, and the little boys Hugo and Oscar are 3, and full of life, full of energy. It's awesome, I can't remember my children being so full of energy, or me indeed, but I'm sure we were all like that, just energy energy energy all day and night.
Martina from Germany
You must be so proud of your success. But does it sometimes bother you that you are often reduced to the success of Lady in Red? We fans know that there are so many more great songs. I love your storytelling and your voice!
Thank you Martina, good question. At the moment there's a film out called Deadpool & Wolverine. Lady In Red features in that, it's also featured in a lot of other films, mainly Hollywood films. This is a global song and it's the kind of go-to love song. In America it's on chat shows, it's been on America's Got Talent, it's like everybody knows the Lady In Red, but they don't necessarily know who did it. In one way, it's charming and it's quite a compliment, but when you've written and recorded more than 330 songs, it does start to get to you. You start to think, for God's sake, I'm not a balladeer. If you listen to High On Emotion or on the next album, 50, one of my songs I chose from Into The Light, which is The Leader, The Vision and What About Me, this is powerful stuff. I am looking right now at a poster in my studio where I'm the headliner at Rock in Stuttgart, Chris de Burgh, U2, Joe Cocker, Rick Springfield, REO Speedwagon. I was the headliner, we were rockers, we could do that stuff. The thing is, people love to pigeon-hole you and think that that's all you do. But I think the depth of songwriting that I cover, the range of things I write about, there's not many people that can do that or have done that. A really wide spectrum of topics. On the one hand it is wonderful to have Lady In Red out there, it's a calling card, but please if you're going to listen to that, go and listen to the other stuff, that's what I feel should happen.
David Potter (59) from Cumbria, England
As a lover of history I have enjoyed your story telling in songs. I'd like to know how you choose the subjects to write about and what research you do before hand? For example the Leader trilogy. Thank you.
Talking about the trilogy of The Leader, well I did some research obviously on Crusader and I studied history in Trinity College in Dublin, amongst other things, and I do like historical stories, I love historical novels for example. Takes you into the past.. my Robin Hood experience was interesting, although he may not have existed, but nevertheless it's an interesting era. Quite often the subject chooses me actually. Quite often, as in The Snows of New York for example, the melody that I'd come up with gave me the idea for the words. And in Snow Is Falling, I just had this melody on the piano, I don't know where it came from.. and that immediately took me into the east somewhere. As it turned out, somewhere possibly in Russia. When I performed that song in Russia, with an interpreter telling the audience in Russian what the song was about, half the audience was in tears, they could see it the way I saw it. The trilogy of The Leader.. of course I read the Bible, I read Revelations to make sure I got the four horsemen and the apocalypse correct and that kind of thing. But mostly it comes from imagination. Infact, I know very strongly how that song began. I was in a very small restaurant in a very small village somewhere in Normandy I think it was, and there was this extraordinary big big picture, painting, on the wall. And it was a group of warriors from a long time ago, just in their bearskins, about 5 or 6 of them with spears, standing on a beach looking out to sea, that's all. I was so struck by this, what are they doing, what are they waiting for, and then the whole song emerged from that, so these things can happen.
Chris Williams from Essex, England
Hi Chris, what are your views on Dynamic Pricing for concert tickets please? Personally I don’t agree with it. x
Hi Chris, good question, dynamic pricing. Right, well, the answer is that dynamic pricing has been going on for a long time, in airlines, in hotels, it's supply and demand. This is part of the society that we live in, but when it comes to concerts and going to see people that you admire it sticks in my throat big time. I know recently there's been a lot of discussion about Oasis. I'll just backtrack for a little while.. you may remember Chris, being in the Albert Hall, oh gosh, about 15 years ago for one of my concerts. The first three rows were empty, the rest of it was sold out. The first three rows, nobody had bought tickets for because they were so expensive. They were originally put on sale, I don't know, a guess, 75 pounds for a front-row ticket, but when they became available they were double the price. Now, what that was all about was that the ticket agency at the time, they had their own company that they creamed off the best tickets and stuck them in their own company and sold at twice the price. I believe that has now finally been shown to be illegal, so now what they have is dynamic pricing where it's supply and demand. If people are prepared to pay for tickets, whatever the price, even if it's advertised at a certain price and it then comes in at five times the price, it's really up to the person to pay or not. But I find it absolutely disgusting. If I sell tickets for a concert, that's the ticket price. There might be variations on that, there might be a platinum thing, or a meet and greet, or a meal before hand, whatever the promoter might come up with, but I can absolutely assure you that I do not agree with making the fans pay way above the advertised price for a ticket, that's my opinion.