Celebrities Chris De Burgh, Birthday: October 15, 1948 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

[on ...et pour quelques dollars de plus (1965)] Morricone (Ennio Morricone) has written soundtracks ...Show more »

[on ...et pour quelques dollars de plus (1965)] Morricone (Ennio Morricone) has written soundtracks for about 400 films but this theme stands out. It starts off with a pocket watch playing a tinkly melody and grows into a massive orchestral piece. Show less «

[on his favourite album by The Beatles, "Rubber Soul"] Just looking at the titles, every single trac...Show more »

[on his favourite album by The Beatles, "Rubber Soul"] Just looking at the titles, every single track has fantastic melodies: "Drive My Car", "Norwegian Wood", "Michelle" ... just amazing stuff. And the pressure those guys were under; they were coming out with three albums a year. It was almost as if there was a mine with gorgeous melodies and these guys went in first. Show less «

[on the first single he bought, "Please Please Me" by The Beatles] What really struck me about the s...Show more »

[on the first single he bought, "Please Please Me" by The Beatles] What really struck me about the song was the way that McCartney (Paul McCartney) held the high note and John Lennon peeled off it. That was really unusual. Show less «

Please! No more boy bands! I'm sick of them!

[on the Royal Albert Hall] The most prestigious venue in the world.

And if you're feeling lost/ in the Snows of New York,/ turn your heart and think of me.

I learned my trade, my craft, almost at the feet of the Great Masters.

[on "Without You" by Harry Nilsson] There's an entire X Factor (The X Factor (2004)) generation that...Show more »

[on "Without You" by Harry Nilsson] There's an entire X Factor (The X Factor (2004)) generation that thinks it's good to sob your way through a song. It's absolute crap. Unless you genuinely feel it, it just sounds fabricated. When Nilsson sings this, it has real impact. Show less «

Love songs are the most complex to write because everybody knows about it.

[on Peter Gabriel] I've known him for years and I put him very high on my list of people I admire. H...Show more »

[on Peter Gabriel] I've known him for years and I put him very high on my list of people I admire. He's always ploughed his own furrow. I just adore his use of rhythm. Show less «

[on "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics] When I first heard this, I had to pull the car over ...Show more »

[on "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics] When I first heard this, I had to pull the car over because I was crying so hard. It discusses the difficulties between fathers and sons and I had a very difficult relationship with my father. The words are staggering and the music is beautiful. Show less «

[on "What A Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers] I love the story in this song. I also admire the ...Show more »

[on "What A Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers] I love the story in this song. I also admire the writing - the rhythm sounds so complicated, I have no idea how they wrote or recorded it. Show less «

But I know by the Lights of Paris/ I will never see her again.

As a songwriter what I try to do is put across a strong melody. For example, "The Lady in Red", whic...Show more »

As a songwriter what I try to do is put across a strong melody. For example, "The Lady in Red", which starts with this movement 'I've never seen you looking so lovely' and then, it's called tension and release, when it gets to the chorus it goes 'Lady in Red' and everything kind of smooths down. And that's what I learned from listening to Lennon and McCartney music. Show less «

[on "Ombra mai fu" by George Frideric Handel] This really is a soaring and majestic piece of music. ...Show more »

[on "Ombra mai fu" by George Frideric Handel] This really is a soaring and majestic piece of music. I'd love to put English words to it and record it one day. Show less «

I've written a lot of songs, like "Don't Pay the Ferryman", and rock hits like "High on Emotion" was...Show more »

I've written a lot of songs, like "Don't Pay the Ferryman", and rock hits like "High on Emotion" was a number one in many countries and that's a good old stonker, but "Lady in Red" just seems to have hit a chord worldwide. Show less «

[on "Crime of the Century" by Supertramp] They had a big influence and this is a stunning album. You...Show more »

[on "Crime of the Century" by Supertramp] They had a big influence and this is a stunning album. You don't have to be a fan. It's evocative and provoking and it takes me back. Show less «

I was brought up in this old castle. Sounds romantic but it was extremely cold.

As far as I'm concerned, a strong melody is one that people that you've never met before the other s...Show more »

As far as I'm concerned, a strong melody is one that people that you've never met before the other side of the world can repeatedly remember and sing along to. Show less «

"The Lady in Red" appears to transport people into a different place, to involve people in a dream p...Show more »

"The Lady in Red" appears to transport people into a different place, to involve people in a dream perhaps. Show less «

I would be very reluctant actually to say that I've written melodies that can stand the test of time...Show more »

I would be very reluctant actually to say that I've written melodies that can stand the test of time like most of The Beatles's songs. Show less «

[performing in Europe] There's this song "Borderline", which is about a man going off to war but his...Show more »

[performing in Europe] There's this song "Borderline", which is about a man going off to war but his girlfriend is from the other country, so he wants to keep it going and start things up again when it's over. It has a line "But these are only boys and I will never know/ how men can see the wisdom in a war", and that always gets a massive cheer. Show less «

Chris De Burgh

Chris De Burgh's FILMOGRAPHY

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