Its amasing how when you you feel at your lowest point when you hear the words that describe how you feel it makes everything that little more bearable, i lost my partner and father to my daughter in february'08 and the sheer agony has been almost unbearable  - but listening to both Deacon Blue and Ricky Ross has given me strength to face each new day, and my daughter (five) has asked to see Deacon Blue for her first ever gig as "Real Gone Kid" holds dear memories for her about her daddy  ....please, I would love to know what songs of DB and Ricky have seen you through the bad and remind you of good times.

Klare / Robbie,

Sorry to hear of both of your losses.  I've yet to experience anything in my life that compares with your experiences, but there are both Deacon Blue and Ricky Ross songs that have touched me very powerfully and remind me of people, places, times, experiences and situations.

Amongst these are covers that I have heard live, and they include Life's a Miracle as well as These Days and Dark End of the Street.  But from Ricky's and Deacon Blue's own catalogues, I have to cite Take Me to the Place, Love and Regret, Indigo Sky, Walking Back Home, I Sing About You, The Way to Work and Every Time You Sleep.  Very often it's the lyric that pulls me in, and for some reason it tends to be the lesser known songs to which I feel that connection, but I should also mention Bethlehem's Gate for its atmosphere and mood. 

Many of these are songs that I know will stay with me as lifelong companions.  Some continue to affect me now as when I first heard them, whilst others take on extra meaning or context as time passes.  But all these and more just represent everything that is great about the craft of songwriting and the gift and journey of the song itself once written and performed.