- published: 08 Jun 2012
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James "Midge" Ure, OBE (born 10 October 1953, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his real name.
Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, The Rich Kids, Visage, and most notably as frontman of Ultravox. Ure co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", whose reissue won an Ivor Novello Award in 2005 for Best Selling UK Single. Ure co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. Ure acts as trustee for the charity, and serves as ambassador for Save the Children.
Born to a working-class family in Cambuslang, he attended Cambuslang Primary School and Rutherglen Academy in Glasgow until he was 15 years old. After leaving school Ure attended Technical College and then began to work as an engineer, training at the National Engineering Laboratory, (NEL), in nearby East Kilbride. He started playing music in a Glasgow band called Stumble (c. 1969 – c. 1971), that included a girl-singing duet, Christine and Agnes. The band's line-up included lead guitar John McMenemy, Alan Wright on harmonica, Fraser Spiers on bass, Kenny Ireland on drums, Alec Baird on vocals Gordon Appacellie.
With every waking breath I breathe
I see what life has dealt to me
With every sadness I deny
I feel a chance inside me die
Give me a taste of something new
To touch to hold to pull me through
Send me a guiding light that shines
Across this darkened life of mine
Breathe some soul in me
Breathe your gift of love to me
Breathe life to lay 'fore me
Breathe to make me breathe
For every man who built a home
A paper promise for his own
He fights against an open flow
Of lies and failures, we all know
To those who have and who have not
How can you live with what you've got?
Give me a touch of something sure
I could be happy evermore
Breathe some soul in me
Breathe your gift of love to me
Breathe life to lay 'fore me
To see to make me breathe
Breathe your honesty
Breathe your innocence to me
Breathe your word and set me free
Breathe to make me breathe
This life prepares the strangest things
The dreams we dream of what life brings
The highest highs can turn around
To sow love's seeds on stony ground
Breathe
Breathe
Breathe some soul in me
Breathe your gift of love to me
Breathe life to lay 'fore me
To see to make me breathe
Breathe your honesty
Breathe your innocence to me
Breathe your word and set me free
Breathe to make me breathe