"When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" is a single released by the Scottish group
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut albu ...
in 1987 and in 1988. The song features prominent backing vocals from members of R&B group
Londonbeat. It was the very first song to be played on
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
after it went satellite at 3AM on 30 December 1991. The video for the song was directed by John Scarlett-Davis and produced by Nick Verden for Radar Films.
In an interview given to the ''
Daily Record'' in 2012, songwriter
Ricky Ross explained that "It’s so hard to remember. I think that song is actually about waiting to be discovered, spurred on by the unrequited love of an old girlfriend".
Multiple releases
"When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" has been officially released as a single twice. It was first released in August 1987 as the third single from Deacon Blue's first album ''
Raintown''. It peaked at No. 86 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. After sales of ''Raintown'' began to increase, the single was re-released in March 1988, following a second release of the first single "
Dignity
Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...
". This single was more successful, peaking at #34.
Track listings
All songs written by
Ricky Ross, except where noted:
When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring) (1st release) (August 1987)
:7" Single
(Deac 3)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "Church" - 3:18
:12" Single
(Deac t3)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring) (12" Remix)" - 5:24
# "Church" - 3:18
# "Town to Be Blamed" (Live) (
Ross,
Prime
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
) - 4:27
# "Angeliou" (Live) (
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
As a teenager in t ...
) - 6:19
When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring) (2nd Release) (March 1988)
:7" Single
(Deac 5)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "That Brilliant Feeling #1"
:7" Box Set Single
(Deac b5)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "That Brilliant Feeling #1"
:12" Single
(Deac t5)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "Punch and Judy Man" - 3:51
# "That Brilliant Feeling #3"
# "Disneyworld" - 2:47
:CD Single
(CDDeac 5)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "That Brilliant Feeling #2" - 3:41
# "Punch and Judy Man" - 3:51
# "Disneyworld" - 2:47
:CD Picture Single
(CPDeac 5)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:02
# "That Brilliant Feeling #2" - 3:41
# "Punch and Judy Man" - 3:51
# "Disneyworld" - 2:47
When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring) (US release) (1988)
:7" Single
(Columbia CSK1215)
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)
dit - 4:19
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" - 5:04
References
{{Authority control
Deacon Blue songs
1987 singles
1988 singles
Songs written by Ricky Ross (musician)
1987 songs
Columbia Records singles