Riding on the Tide of Love

Deacon Blue went into the heart of Glasgow's Gorbals district to record The City of Love in 2019. They emerged in March 2020 with their greatest chart success in more than two decades. Fueled by its title-track single, it topped the Scottish charts and went to number four in the U.K. They planned tours, media, and promotional events, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled them. To promote the album, the band excavated three thematically linked songs left off the record (they aren't leftovers) and five more in various states of completion. Deacon Blue's members entered the studio separately to record their parts. As if receiving confirmation and support from the universe while they were working, their 1987 single "Dignity" was voted "Scotland's Greatest Song" in a national competition. Riding on the Tide of Love is, therefore, a companion to The City of Love.