CHRIS REA RIP

74.....What a life.

Saw an interview with him the other day where he said Driving Home For Christmas saved him from being bankrupt and possibly losing his house.

always a titter hearing that one...driving home to Middlesbrough

A brilliant Christmas song.

not heard of him

rip anyway. 74 not that old

He was on TV with Mortimer and Whitehouse a couple of years back,
he said there wasn't much holding him together.

Saddo the restaurant  they were in is top class.
Hope you are well.
Happy Xmas.

I'm not too bad thanks, same to you and Mrs ronnie.

I watched that as well Saddo and thought the same, not much left to bury.
Seemed a nice chap, I like the way he left the interview, " Ah well I am off now" and off he went.  RIP.

Where was the restaurant Ronnie if you don't mind me asking?

Crowthorne near Yarm Chris was a regular. Owned by Eugine Mcoy who owned the Tontine.
Ronnie.

Sad loss, liked many of his songs.

Auberge a favourite.

"This is the naked truth, this is the light. There's only one place left to go". Auberge.

Very apt.

R.I.P

Auberge means Bistro.

(Had to look it up, not that clever).

Some cracking tunes in Chris's back catalogue, he often went under the radar as he didn't like being a "star".
Have a look at a best of compilation of his and you may be surprised just how many tunes you know.

Auberge a favourite of mine too Barstool, often played on Radio Caroline along with many others of his.

Given he had pancreatic cancer in his early 30's it was a miracle he lived as long as he did, but he certainly made the most of it.

Thanks Ronnie

fair play to him for that

Paul Allen, microsoft geezer was told he had little time left and he went ballistic indulging his passions as soon as his quack told him he couldnt buy his health

that must be hard to handle

When you do go through his song list there really are some belters.

Looking For The Summer
Fool
Josephine
On The Beach
Auberge as above
I Can Hear Your Heartbeat
Stainsby Girl
Lets Dance
Working On It



You can see why drivers always liked his stuff.....Long distance lorry drivers belting them out driving home on a Friday afternoon....must have been some buzz

Stainsby Girl is a terrific song

Tontine restaurant
Lovely place

We all have to die but some great songs on his list

wasn't a fan of the music but did share his love of c7s

unusual to like a bone so much

HEADLINE NEWS ON BBC NEWS.
RIP.

Bombollini....

aqs a kid in 60,s had a season tkt at ayresome park with my auntie and she always took us to Chris,s family cafe/ice cream parlour REA,s 100 yds from ground,been a lifelong boro fan,steelworker and working on the river tees, ,my life has followed/been the soundtrack of   some of his most famous songs RIP

Heard this song by Elkie Brooks Fool(If You THink It's Over) in the late seventies loved it. Later on I found out that Chris had written the song and have to say that his version is best. Great lyrics. RIP Chris definately a big fan of your work.

"Raincoat and a Rose" and "Nothing Happening By the Sea" other good tracks,he picked up a guitar for the first time aged 28 and boy did he get good at it.


RIP

copped with a lass from newcastle after my divorce from my first wife in early 90s when on holiday in the canary islands. she invited me to newcastle for the weekend so i drove up to see her.

on the sunday she drove me to this countryside pub for a sunday lunch.

they had a live band on . the lead singer /guitarist was chris rea i couldnt beliuve it.

amaxzing

rip m8 sadly missed

https://youtu.be/H0WiwB1Cjbg?si=27Fy3pVeRy0JFqCx

..

Another sporting ancecdote

I Don't Know What It Is (But I Love It) was played regularly in the great early 80s Liverpool team dressing room
They all started singing it in the tunnel before the 1984 European Cup Final to a bemused and spooked Roma team.

https://youtu.be/PHGZ6sE7l2I?si=mZQH-TWvW-PjHBtN 

Great song

His brother Dire is on here.

Lovely tribute on bbc tees well worth a watch.Have a good day think it's going to be a very very quiet one.
Happy Xmas  to you all.
Ronnie.

Road to hell was my fav.R.I.P.Chris

Remember the ice cream too , Cloughie said to have met Barbara there .

Tell me there's a heaven, wonderful song,hope there is for Chris, marvellous singer/songwriter, Rip.

Has everyone heard Bob Mortimers "egg in the bath" story about him?

https://youtu.be/H0WiwB1Cjbg?si=nTDIsjidCe71CJ8m

On a trip to Ireland as 10 yr olds with the church choir . We found a nest of new born kittens and they had mixamatosis.  They were in a terrible state . We were upset but didn't know what to do . Chris took over . He put them in a bag and drowned them in a stream . At the time we thought he was heartless but soon realised it was theopposite .
He put them out of their misery . That was some act of compassion and bravery ,,,,,from a ten Yr old .

I'd bet that his younger sister, who 'Fool if you think it's over' was written for after her first serious boyfriend dumped her, must have been especially cut up at the passing of her big bro'.

Probably a little underrated as a writer and performer, the world is a sadder place without Chris.

As you get older, I'm now in my 66th year, the passing of those who you admired from your youth is a horrible, but unavoidable, thing.

The Knight.Didn't know Fool was about Chris's sister. I'm going to listen to it next time bearing that in mind. My favourite song of his.
When you hear all the rubbish of today he was extremely underated.

Tommy...yes, do so. Once you know it was for his sister the lyrics are more relevant.

Lyrics often fascinate me.

For example, Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel is a song dedicated to the patron saint of songwriters, St. Cecilia.

Listen to the words of that and they then make more sense.

Apparently Paul Simon says he cannot recall what the words were about but I think he is being a little coy. It is a very clever set of lyrics about the ability to write music coming and going in his head.

Great shout that The Knight and bang on.

You assume it's about a relationship that he is in but you are bang on re it being about his sister.

That must have perked her up a little. Great call.

"Fool (If You Think It's Over)"

A dying flame, you're free again
Who could love and do that to you
All dressed in black, he won't be coming back
Save your tears, you've got years and years
The pains of seventeen's
Unreal they're only dreams
Save your crying for the day

Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the morning sun
You're a fool if you think it's over
It's just begun

Miss teenage dream, such a tragic scene
he knocked your crown and ran away
First wound of pride and how you cried and cried
But save your tears you've got years and years

Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the morning sun
You're a fool if you think it's over
It's just begun

I'll buy your first good wine
We'll have a real good time
Save your crying for the day
That may not come but anyone
Who had to pay would laugh at you and say

Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why

His record company wanted him to change his name to Benny Santini because they thought it was more exotic,he refused and instead his first album was released he called it  "Whatever happened to Benny Santini?" which the above track is on.

same with ON THE BEACH people assume its about a beach on an exotic island somewhere but its about REDCAR BEACH, STAINSBY GIRLS about so called posh girls from STAINSBY just outside central MIDDLESBROUGH,but you have to live on an estate.central boro  to think STAINSBY is posh,to get the song

Crank this up with a bucks fizz in the morning


https://youtu.be/xPR7RF2haDU?si=1cfbYeBqUIAGx8HT

"Wired To The Moon"..Chris was talking to Dave Pennyfeather--Chris's friend and Music Company Producer in Ireland about his young daughter and Dave said it sounds likes she's "wired to the moon" and Chris liked it so much he wrote the song about it.

It's about the innocence of a young child whilst asleep in dreamland.

Sat watching  Chris know on Uand Dave.

Used to be a top class greyhound called Wired To Moon.

Camber Sands with the dogs for me later.....enjoy

https://youtu.be/toYfeN0ACDw?si=DcGe0Nw2xgaiFvKF



The Best

https://youtu.be/HtZKxDDtdD0?si=lBsjrSvaV_T2WyjT

2025 Christmas is your Chris......We love ya

horatio...just listening to the song from your link..WOW..just WOW.

I should have added - the Perhaps Love song...

He got plenty of airplay on RTE Radio 1 over the Christmas holidays.Top class back catalogue.