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FAQ

FAQ
Music
Last modified: 22 Sep 2010

Music Frequently Asked Questions about Delirious?'s music
Which CD is this song from?
There is a full list of all the albums released by Delirious? in the Discography. Alternatively, you can find out which CDs a specific song appears on by looking in the lyrics section. At the bottom of the page for each song lyric is a list of all the CDs the song appears on.
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Where can I download MP3's of Delirious?
There are several web sites that now allow you to buy Delirious? MP3s legally. The most popular is Apple's iTunes.

In the past, Delirious? have made several of their songs available as free MP3 downloads from their website. These downloads were only available for a limited time, and are no longer offered.
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Where can I watch their videos?
The Delirious? DVD Archive:d contains many of the Delirious? song videos. The official Delirious? website also has several videos available to watch online in the 'Living Room' section.
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Where can I read the lyrics to their songs?
The lyrics to every song written or released by Delirious? can be found in the Lyrics section.

If you know the name of the song, try the Alphabetical lyrics list. You can also view the lyrics by album in the Album section.
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Where can I get guitar chords/tabs/sheet music?
Delirious? have released songbooks to accompany most of their albums, containing sheet music for the songs. You can buy these books from the Delirious.co.uk Shop, your local book store, or from websites such as Amazon.

Various websites also contain chords and tabs to Delirious? songs that have been worked out by other fans. Try ChristianGuitar.org.
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Where can I get Delirious? ringtones?
There are several websites which offer Delirious? ringtones for your mobile (cell) phone. One site which offers legitimate ringtones, with royalties paid to Delirious?, is RingForTheKing.com.
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What is White Ribbon Day?
In 1997 Martin Smith wrote a song called White Ribbon Day. The song was released in the UK in February 1997 as the first single from the album King Of Fools. Many people have asked what the title of the song means.

The song is about the terrorist activities in Northern Ireland. Martin wrote the song after watching a news item on TV about a peace protest in Northern Ireland. All of the people protesting for peace were wearing small white ribbons on their lapels as a sign of peace.

The words of the song talk about praying for peace and asking God to save the nation. "And we pray for peace, To flood our hearts again, Only god can save our nation now". Whilst these lyrics were written with Ireland in mind, they also seemed appropriate after the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11th September 2001. A few days after that event, Delirious? made White Ribbon Day available as a free download on their website, as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks.
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What is the significance of August 30th?
On the album King Of Fools there is a song titled August 30th. The significance of this title comes from the events of August 30th 1995, when singer Martin Smith and bassist Jon Thatcher were caught up in a near-fatal car accident whilst driving home from a concert late at night. Jon was unhurt, but Martin spent several weeks recovering in hospital. Whilst reflecting on how he had narrowly escaped death, Martin made a decision to go full time as a musician. The rest of the band quickly followed suit, and Delirious? was born.

In the 1997 song, August 30th, Martin sings "Thank you for the chance to live again, I will run always for you". This is a clear reference to his recovery from the crash, and his decision to dedicate this life to God through the band.
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Why do they sing "She's as pretty as hell" in It's OK?
On the album Mezzamorphis there is a song titled It's OK which contains the line "She's as pretty as hell and her eyes have no home". The use of the phrase pretty as hell caused controversy in America, with Sparrow Records missing the song off early promotional copies of the album and nearly declining to put it on the finished album. The album was also reportedly removed from the shelves of some Christian stores in the USA because the word 'hell' is a highly sensitive subject in many conservative Christian circles in America.

There is a general misunderstanding of what Delirious? intended the phrase to mean. It is actually meant to express that the girl is emotionally messed up and in deep trouble. The lyrics were never intended to cause offence, as one reviewer explains: "The line is a sad one and not an offensive one ? the irony people are missing is that hell is not a pretty place, and the girl who is 'pretty as hell' is really very empty and in need of love."

Due to the misunderstanding of that line, the band have often had to explain what they were conveying in It's OK. In an article in the USA's CCM Magazine in 1999 Martin says: "That song is about life and pain and that you can't always be [all-triumphant]. It's back on the album now, which we feel great about. It's an incredible song of healing, and we hope people will be touched by it." In a letter to fans, published on the band's official website in July 1999, Martin addressed the issue again, saying: "The song It's OK caused controversy because of the word hell in the lyric, and has been pulled from several Christian stores in the U.S., despite the fact it has touched many people profoundly. For us boys, this is a case of 'let's keep anything impure away from the church' when, in my opinion, purity is all about bringing justice to a God-less society. I am not ashamed in the least to talk openly about the fact that the boys and I are all Christians and believe in all that Christ stood for. It is no secret anyhow, as the whole music industry is every bit aware of Delirious?, the "God squad". It is for us like a two-twine chord, having a friendship with God and playing music inspired by that friendship that makes it so powerful."
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What is the song Summer Of Love about?
The song Summer of Love first appeared as a b-side track on the DeEPer EP single in 1997 and also appears on the d:Tour live album. The song was written by Martin and Stu G after Stew Smith's wife suffered a miscarriage during the 12th week of her pregnancy. The words of the chorus, in particular, sum up how Stew was feeling at the time: Summer of Love, so full of pain. Summer of Love, was God to blame.

An article in the UK Cross Rhythms magazine in 1998 sees Stew Smith talking about the song and its personal meaning to him. "There's so much depth in it", he says. "We used to mess about in the van at the beginning of 1997 and say, 'This is going to be the summer of love' and as we got into the summer, the miscarriage happened. At the end of the day, it was the summer of love because God was involved in it all. But for me every time we play it, I think about what happened... It really is quite an emotional thing and it's a very passionate song as it builds to the end, it has that sort of intensity which really draws people in." Read the article for more details.
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What is the song American President about?
The song American President appeared as a b-side track on the I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever single in 2001. This somewhat unusual song was explained by Martin Smith in an interview in 2004. "It's just a bit of fun but I like the words" he explains. "What does it mean? What do I know! It's a story about a kid in England growing up and dreaming that one day he's going to be President, which of course isn't possible! It goes into a story about how he wants to be on the cover of a magazine and marry someone and live in a white house. So that's what it's about, a lot of fun to be honest."
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What is the song Bicycle Gasoline about?
The song Bicycle Gasoline appeared on the Audio Lessonover album in 2001. This song has often confused people with its strange lyrics: 'She don't need no bicycle gasoline, She just needs her violets'. Martin Smith explained the meaning of the song in an interview in 2006. "It was just a tiny little love song. Girls, they don't want flowers all the time, they just need telling that you love them and vice-versa. A bicycle doesn't need gasoline and she doesn't need all that stuff really. She doesn't need 'things', jewelery or dresses, she just needs love" he explains.
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Where were the live CD/DVDs recorded?
The bands first live album, Live & In The Can (1996) was recorded at various UK gigs between January and August 1996. The d:Tour Live album (1998) was recorded on the final night of the 'UK d:Tour 1997' at the Southampton Guildhall on 8th November 1997.

Access:d (2002) was recorded during a number of different gigs in 2002. The majority of the album was recorded during the 9 date US/Canada tour in June 2002 (Canal Fulton, Plymouth, Indian Creek, Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Toronto, Silversprings, Shirleysberg, Doswell). Further vocals and crowd sounds were recorded at two UK shows in September 2002 (London and Manchester) and several concerts in South Africa in October 2002 (Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town).

The recordings from those gigs were mixed and matched together to make the Access:d album, making it impossible to state which specific gigs each song was recorded at, as many songs were taken from multiple concerts.

Three live CD/DVDs were also released: Now Is The Time (2006) was recorded live at Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington near Chicago, Illinois, on 13th June 2006. My Soul Sings (2009) was recorded live in Bogota, Colombia in September 2008. Farewell Show (2010) was recorded live at Delirious' final ever concert, at London's Hammersmith Apollo on 29th November 2009.
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