The Blue Nile (band)
Scottish trio known for meticulous, synth-driven pop and reclusiveness.
The Blue Nile were a Scottish band formed in Glasgow in 1981. Their early sound relied heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation, though later work incorporated more guitar. The group earned critical acclaim, especially for their first two albums, and achieved some commercial success in the UK and US.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Genre
- Sophisti-pop
- synth-pop
- art rock
- Years active
- 1981–2004
- Label
- RSO
- Linn
- Virgin
- Warner Bros.
- Sanctuary
- Current members
- Paul Buchanan; Robert Bell
- Past members
- Paul Joseph Moore
Facts from the source article.
History
Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell grew up together in Glasgow and attended the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s, Buchanan earning a degree in literature and medieval history, Bell a degree in mathematics. Buchanan's father, a civil servant and semi-professional musician, had instruments in the house, but Buchanan only considered a music career after graduation. Paul Joseph Moore, who studied electronics at the same university, had grown up in the same neighbourhood as Buchanan. The three became part of a band first called McIntyre, after the university's John McIntyre Building, then Night by Night, though Buchanan later said Night by Night played only twice or three times. The band struggled to keep a settled line-up, and by 1981 only Buchanan, Bell and Moore remained. They chose not to recruit others, trading a guitar for an effect pedal and borrowing an old drum machine that played only Hispanic American music rhythms. Buchanan recalled that they gigged for money, performing cover versions with a cassette of Latin American rhythms, and were terrible but picked durable, well-known songs. Renaming themselves the Blue Nile after Alan Moorehead's 1962 book, they raised money to release their first single, 'I Love This Life', on their own Peppermint Records label. A limited number were produced, but one reached RSO Records via friend and engineer Calum Malcolm, who had contacts there from his time in the punk band The Headboys. RSO licensed the single, but soon went bankrupt and was absorbed into PolyGram, and the single disappeared.
Legacy
The Blue Nile have influenced musicians including Duncan Sheik, who covered 'Stay', and Wild Beasts. Matty Healy of the 1975 called them his favourite band of all time and Hats his favourite record of the 1980s; he described the 1975's 2018 song 'Love It If We Made It' as 'Blue Nile on steroids' and said he wanted to reference 'The Downtown Lights' obviously. Taylor Swift, who had previously been in a relationship with Healy, referenced the band in her 2024 song 'Guilty as Sin?' with lyrics mentioning 'Drowning in the Blue Nile' and 'Downtown Lights'. Streams for 'The Downtown Lights' rose 1,400% in the four days after Swift's album release, and within ten days all four Blue Nile albums sold out of vinyl stock on their website.
Discography
Four unreleased tracks from the Rooftops and Hats sessions appear on bootleg recordings: 'St Catherine's Day', 'Christmas', 'Young Club', and 'Broadway in the Snow'. The first two were later included on deluxe releases of the first two albums. An instrumental version of 'Stay Close' from High was available as an MP3 download from the band's website, as was a remixed version of 'Soul Boy' from the 'She Saw The World' single. A remixed version of 'Tinseltown in the Rain' was used as theme music for the BBC Scotland drama series Tinsel Town. Buchanan played several new tracks in his 2006 solo shows that many fans consider unreleased Blue Nile songs; these appear on live bootlegs and include 'Runaround Girl', 'Meanwhile', and 'Start Again'.
Collaborations with other artists
The Blue Nile members collaborated with numerous artists. Julian Lennon's 1991 album Help Yourself included 'Other Side of Town', featuring vocals by Buchanan and written by Buchanan and Bell. On Robbie Robertson's 1991 album Storyville, Buchanan contributed vocals and guitar and Bell bass and drum programming to 'Breakin' the Rules'; Bell played bass on 'Sign of the Rainbow'; Paul Joseph Moore played keyboards on four songs including 'Breakin' the Rules', on which he also did drum programming. Nicky Holland's 1992 self-titled album included 'Running Around Again', produced and co-written by Bell. Buchanan sang on Rickie Lee Jones's 'Easter Parade'. Annie Lennox's 1992 album Diva featured 'The Gift', co-written by Lennox and the Blue Nile. Michael McDonald's 1993 album Blink of an Eye included 'I Want You', written and produced by Buchanan and Bell. Bell produced 'I Don't Want to Be Like This' on the Devlins' 1993 album Drift. Buchanan wrote 'Let's Face It' for Matraca Berg's 1994 album The Speed of Grace. The Blue Nile produced 'Big Yellow Taxi' on Máire Brennan's 1995 album Misty Eyed Adventures. Chris Botti's 1997 album Midnight Without You featured the title track, written by Botti, Buchanan and Moore, with the Blue Nile performing. Paul Buchanan sang on two tracks of Peter Gabriel's 2000 album OVO: 'Downside Up' and 'Make Tomorrow'. Buchanan provided vocals on 'Due North' and 'Things We Should Say' from Quiet City's 2002 album Public Face, Private Face. He sang on Texas's 2005 track 'Sleep' from Red Book. Buchanan contributed vocals to Michael Brook's 2006 track 'RockPaperScissors', Aqualung's 2007 track 'Garden of Love' from Memory Man, and Paula Cole's 2007 track 'Until I Met You' from Courage. On the 2007 compilation Seasons of Light, Buchanan sang on 'Seasons of Light' and 'Silent Night'. He performed a cover of the Pretenders' 'Message of Love' on Robin Danar's 2008 album Altered States. Buchanan co-wrote '36 Hours' with Matt Hales for Aqualung's 2010 album Magnetic North. He sang on Up Dharma Down's 2012 track 'Feelings' from Capacities. A new version of the Blue Nile's 'Let's Go Out Tonight', performed by Buchanan with Craig Armstrong, appeared on Armstrong's 1998 album The Space Between Us.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was The Blue Nile (band) active?
The Blue Nile was active from 1981 to 2004.
What genre of music does The Blue Nile (band) play?
The Blue Nile's music is classified as Sophisti-pop, synth-pop and art rock.
Which record labels has The Blue Nile (band) released music on?
The Blue Nile has released music on RSO, Linn, Virgin, Warner Bros. and Sanctuary.
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