John wrote:I would love Chris to play Cenotaph/letter from Amsterdam at his farewell concert - no chance I bet!
I guess, everyone of us has his/her favorite song, or several songs. "September Blue" is a sad song which Chris wrote for his mother, when she passed away in September 1983. But normally it appeals to anyone who is feeling down and kind of blue once the Autumn descends on us. It's all about feelings and moods regardless if it's after someone dies or goes through a difficult period in life. "The Winter Song" helps to overcome the winter depression, especially when the days are short and there's a lack of day light. This is also very much true with the "Looking for the Summer."
Chris composes beautiful songs because he writes good texts and knows how to express his emotions. Never mind that he keeps on repeating (or rewriting) certain phrases or themes.
There are songs generally perceived as "love songs" (because they indeed are love songs), such as "Still Beautiful" (after all these years), "Who Do You Love" (who do you really, really love), or a nostalgic classic "On The Beach", which is generally taken for a declaration to lay back and do nothing, when in fact it's a song about lingering, yearning to be on the beach; only a certain beach and in a particular place. I might never know the real reasons why Chris wrote this or that song, but I tend to interpret them my way. That's why I'm grateful to other Chris Rea's fans and to Bart for revealing to us certain facts from Chris' biography. This, in turn, helps us identify places (Stainsby, Steel River) or periods (stages) of his life ("Letter from Amsterdam", "Windy Town", ((do you remember, do you recall; oh I remember, I remember it all))), to better understand his songs.
I personally hope that Chris Rea will play in Warsaw the song he wrote for Poland in transition, from communism to democracy, called "Candles" (CD "Water Sign", 1984 as well as CD "New Light through Old Windows", 1988.) It's all about hope, trust and support to all of us who were struggling with the communist regime. The latest was desperately trying to stay in power by introducing the martial law, arresting scores of people and clamping down on the free trade movement. I know that this is all but history now (and I'm repeating myself in my posts to ((perhaps?)) annoyance of some fans), but I would love to hear and see Chris perform the song once more. Especially, since the younger generations know nothing about it. It's like every picture tells a story, you know.
Best regards to all Chris Rea's fans and Happy New Year, 2006!
Chris