Big Country - One Great Thing Lyrics

My two favorite guitarists played a cherry sunburst Les Paul, Stuart and Ace Frehley

#stayalive

One great thing:
REMAIN. 

Autumn 2019

The second track I like from "Big Country"...it's quite fitting for our political times at the minute.

I never get tired of watching this video when I need a reminder that the world doesn't (always) suck. Stuart said he hated making videos, but I think this is about as perfect as it gets. LOVE the band channeling their inner Temptations @ 2:36 :D

If there was only one great thing 2 happen to my life it was to hear this song

Путин чмо!

RIP Stuart grew up with their music and still playing it blasting out in my car on the way too and from work.

Love it❤❤❤....

Gets me every time. RIP STU.😘

Best Band of the 80's 👍👍👍👍

2019 anyone?

Shameful to say, this is the first time I've heard this and it's due to TOTP repeats. If this was an English band this song would be much better known.)

Hat der Sänger teilweise die Nase eingeklemmt?

Utahwrx-You need to edit your comment saying:This is an excellent Big Country video from the early 90's. Check out the 12" version as well. Ummmmm this is from the 1980's not 90's thought you would of done your research
I mean it was also off the hit album:The Seer-Released 14 July 1986
Recorded Nov 1985 - Feb 1986

superb song and video from 1986 its so catchy

1985 i believe steeltown came out

This is one of my top 5 of songs ever

sick of the lip sink of BBC

so what you ran of to join the circus ?

I had red arrows flying over me what about you

R.I.P the great stuart Adamson we all miss you so much ❤❤❤❤❤

sooooo much....

met stewart in 1996 in his pub in in dunfermlin signed an album top bloke

Fantastic! These guys rocked, and I believe they even did it without a bass guitar.

Big Country Forever!

Time for a Tennents Lager!

Escocia

Guatemala. %

I'm sad

I am that clown sitting on the floor juggling We did that shot in Southampton with the associated wizards of the south

FREEDOM

If there's one great thing to have in my life is the rock n roll Scottish band, The Big Country!

Stuart Adamson RIP.

this came out in 1986

Good luck with that Independence

We are independent of London and Edinburgh thought processes. Oh and fuck Brussels too.

An independent Scotland, looking forward to the future and rejoining our cousins in Europe, that's the one great thing I want to see in my lifetime.

I know within my Irish Blood there lies a Big Country

God I love the Belly Dancer at 00:14

If theirs one great thing, it's the day Scotland is one independent country.

Born in Harlow, England and support Scottish Independence so can say that is complete dunked rubbish.

There's not theirs

Resident evil no such thing as independence as most of us have not been subjected to day time male directorship .

no such thing as independence or self made man but this sound still rings in my ears this sound has carried me through some dark times

See ya then. Hopefully we can build a wall too.

great band seen them at Ayr Pavillion in 82 RIP big man

amazing vid

All together now. One Great Nation, One Great Britain.
Then
Now
Forever.

@Graham Mck 4 nations...... more divided than ever, independent in the past and will be again soon.

@Capital Bhoy a did yes. Means tht if they mess it up the fall frm the top will be the biggest thing ever. So let's hope all runs smoothly.

@Gordon Scanlan if u think that then I would really get out more.

@Capital Bhoy ok please feel free to try it out and let me know how it goes. Goodbye.

Most certainly not forever you clown , we will be independent again for a fact .

How can 240p possibly be "HQ" ???

HQ id different from HD, HQ is about the sound quality and HD the picture - 240p refers to the visual definition

A brilliant song that speaks to all, regardless of nationality. Have we not all yearned for that One Great Thing? I love that poignant line where the medalled veterans sing "...and I've seen it far too young".

My grandad is in this video 2:51 front left. Nice to see his face again after so long :)

+freedeebloke I'm surprised there's not more comments like this for this vid based on its content. I'd expect loads of "I remember when they turned up at my Ballet Class/Tattoo Palour/Mime Class/Beekeeping/Convent/Cheerleading/Belly Dancing/Oil Rig/Bottling Plant/Mime School/Scuba Diving/Morris Dancing/Punks/Model Agency/Ex-Servicemen/Bowls Club/Circus/Ballroom Dancing/Kendo/Steam Engine/Cruise Ship/Majorette/Ladies Choir/Mens Choir/Bodybuilding/American Football/Skydiving/Sewing/Can Can/Fishing Boat/Swimming Club/Operating Theatre/Jive Dancing/Primary School/Refuse Collection and asked us to mouth along to the words" type comments.

Whereas my nan

Yes, Ross, this song really is even better than beautiful. However, it's the '80s, not '90s.
Sorry, Ross, them second sentence was not against you (as you never had said this was '80s, but then again: Scotéand rules! The most beautiful place I've ever been ... 
Anyway, Big Country is spot-on! 
Fuckin aye! :D :D :D 

Brilliant video, great song, fantastic band.

Love that front Belly Dancer!

Will somebody please make a feature film about Big Country and cast Ethan Hawke as Stuart...please???

proud to have voted yes. SNP landslide in the general election.

Stuart was a great vocalist.

VOTE YES THE MORRA YA BAMS

Aye scotland united for independence up the snp

Fantastic song! I usually hate anything thats too stereotypical. ie. the commonwealth games. However, the referendum has made me realise how much I love my country and how important it is to me. Seeing flash mobs happenin all around Scotland, with hundreds and thousands singing scottish songs, its breathtaking! This is our one and only chance for a better Scotland and I am proud to tell my future children that I voted YES.

@***** I would be the first to admit that the Union hasn't always worked to our advantage and that many very bad mistakes have been made since 1707. But we need to be realistic, this is the 21st century and standing alone Scotland would be in even more trouble than she is now. 

Make no mistake, I am very proud of my heritage but I think we have bigger problems to deal with. Like I said there are more Scots living outside the home country than in it. I feel that for Scotland to have any chance of being a truly strong independent nation the current step by step approach is the right one. I am not against Independence at all, merely against it right now as I don't think the country is truly ready yet. The infrastructure just isn't there yet, either in terms of the Parliament or in economic terms. 

The SNP seemed to think an independent Scotland would magically make foreign investors buy into the country and create millions of jobs overnight. That is not going to happen. They thought many of us who live in England would suddenly uproot the lives we've built here and move back but that wasn't going to happen either. Not without work for us to go to at any rate. 

For Scotland to survive as an independent nation the economy has to be grown and the powers of the parliament need to be increased to allow the Scottish Government to do it. Until those two things happen then we as a nation cannot hope to be truly independent anyway. 

@***** I agree the media campaign was ridiculously one sided. However the fact is that I for one was intensely annoyed by being told that those of us born in Scotland, who grew up in Scotland and consider themselves to be Scottish but didn't currently live there were not entitled to vote on the country's future. We were treated as almost traitors by Salmond and his gang of cronies. I did what I had to do in order to raise a family and had I been able to hold and keep the job I have now without leaving Scotland I'd have stayed happily. 

As to the economic issue Scotland's GDP is tiny compared to England's but that's actually beside the point. It's the per capita income that matters and in that respect Scotland and Northern England (where I live) are miles behind London and the Home Counties. However the cost of living is also far lower and as a result the standard of living is actually about the same. 

Much was made of North Sea Oil but the truth is it's a finite resource and Scotland needs a lot more than oil if she is to become the nation I (and I guess you) know she could be. We need to attract and keep a manufacturing industry and to use modern technology to it's full potential. In all truth before any nation can really hope to stand and thrive in this new millennium it needs a flexible infrastructure and a solid base or it becomes just one more Poland and Romania, a place where the workers leave in order to earn more elsewhere. I want an independent and strong Scotland but at this moment I don't think she's ready for that and I have no faith in the SNP's ability to either get her ready or run it properly if she was. The proof of that (for me at least) was they couldn't even debate Gordon Brown effectively and that man is probably the worst Labour leader of all time. 

@***** Make no mistake my friend, I think we WILL get there and probably in our lifetimes. I just don't think we're ready for it just yet. There's a lot that needs to be done to get us there but I think with the right people it can be done. I don't believe the SNP are the right people though. In fact I've developed a major mistrust of that party because of the way they handled this yes campaign. I don't have any time for the nay sayers who used fear and intimidation via the media to get their way either but I do feel that Scotland needs better people in her parliament if she's ever to be the nation we know she can be. 

@***** It's a good questiom; one to which I don't have an answer. Unfortunately ALL politicians these days seem to be "career" politicians rather than the public servants they were meant to be. 

The SNP leadership doesn't strike me as all that great to be honest but then again the other parties are just as bad if not worse. 

I think if we want a new way to govern the first thing we as people must do is select a new type of person to represent us. 

In this day and age politics is seen by and large as a "dirty" business where those in it are in it for themselves. Whether it's expense scandals, sleeping with young interns, having affairs with each other's wives or just being caught lying through their teeth or taking money from corrupt sources we seem to shrug our shoulders and say they're all at it and we can't change it. 

We can, by taking a much closer look at the candidates before casting our vote. Why would you give power to someone you wouldn't trust with your daughter or invite willingly into your home? It's my belief that unless the voters get a lot more interested in both the people seeking office and the policies being put forth by them nothing CAN change for the better and that would be our own fault. 

On the economic side, well, things are already dire in Scotland and have been for as long as I can remember. But then again they're not great in North England either. I feel that for that to change it doesn't matter who governs but HOW and to change that falls to us, we have to select better people to represent us. Some politicians mean well and are decent people but they seem to be a declining minority and that is our fault. We're the ones who sit back and accept such poor quality in our politicians. 

@MrPeterpiper1969 Thanks, you two, for a very intelligent and civilised discussion. Makes a change from the normal fare on YouTube..

Benny Harvey RIP

Gone but not forgotten.

Vote YES !

I think you'll find the Uk is a very different place to what it was when Stuart was around. Many Labour supporters feel the same way.

Rock'n'Roll Never Die!!

First of all, great band, great song, Stuart Adamson also formed the skids, into the valley is one of my fav songs. Who is to say how he would feel about Independence? as he is no longer around to voice his opinions, one thing is for sure, Alex Salmond couldn't run a piss up in a brewery, you only have to look at how he handled the Donald Trump situation to see that!

5 people only know shitty things.

For we are only singers,
And too many songs are sung.

I NEVER TOOK THE SMILE AWAY FROM ANYBODY'S FACE , AND THAT'S A DESPERATE WAY TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE WHO IS STILL A CHILD
IN A BIG COUNTRY DREAMS STAY WITH YOU , LIKE A LOVER'S VOICE FIRES THE MOUNTAINSIDE , STAY ALIVE !
NON HO MAI TOLTO IL SORRISO DALLA FACCIA DI QUALCUNO , E QUESTO E' SOLO UN MODO PER CERCARE DISPERATAMENTE CHI E' ANCORA UN FANCIULLO.
IN UN GRANDE PAESE , I SOGNI TI STANNO ACCANTO , COME LA VOCE DI UN INNAMORATO CHE RISALE LA PARETE DI UNA MONTAGNA . GRAZIE STUART ADAMSON

Stuart would NOT have been proud to see this used in a campaign for Scottish independence.

He was a vocal Labour supporter and strongly opposed to independence; I heard him interviewed about it in the 80s when he was asked about being English born but Scots by adoption.

As for the rest of the band objecting, I doubt if they're bothered.

Scotland going independent is about as likely as Quebec doing the same-or Texas! Don't kid yourselves

Hey, sure glad we listened to your advice about voting against independence so we can stay in the EU!

Oh shit, wait..

Get a grip and don't spout ill-informed shit. The UK has been sucking Scotland dry for years, we DON'T live on handouts, our oil wealth was SQUANDERED. Westminster politics is drifting further to the right and we as a COUNTRY find ourselves increasingly disenfranchised.

I don't spout "ill informed shit". The oil and gas is in the UK's territorial waters, not Scotland's as Scotland is not an independent country.

In fact, Scotland gets a higher funding allowance through the Barnett formula (11% for 8.5% of the UK population) than it should. This is to reflect higher costs due to low population density.

After the disastrous EU vote, my thoughts are this: Scotland should force a second referendum and vote to leave. Go with my blessing at least; the rest of the UK has let you down (not Northern Ireland though).

well u don't have to worry about the EU anymore

KnoxTN Yankee Don't take pish you spastic , Scotland will be independent again you clueless moron .

Vote Yes!

Don't insult the intelligence of us Scots. Independence means a brighter future for our children and their children. Many of us expats will return home. I mean,come on...what on earth can staying together benefit our dire and ever increasing poverty and desparity within the shambles that is the UK? Stuart,were he alive would be a 'YES' voter so fuck off and how dare any of you Unionist arseholes insult his memory with your selfish and ignorant nonsense.

Would we have returned home though? To what? Do you think those who stayed would suddenly welcome the millions of us who'd left back with open arms and that millions of jobs would magically appear for us all? Or would we have been faced with the same decision we have today. The one that says how we best support our own families and children? Because that's the decision I had to make way back in 1989 and nothing I've seen coming out of Scotland since tells me anything changed in the next 25 years. If anything it's worse. 

What magical, amazing change do you think would have happened that would have had us all going home again? Those of us who had our nationalities changed at someone else's insistence without being given a say in it? What would we owe to a country that had failed to even ask us, allegedly its own citizens what we wanted?

Rubbish, Stuart sang about Scotland, shame you have a Stolkholm Syndrome!

Totally Agree! Yes!

Look at all these unionists in meltdown. Yes Scotland and the SNP are using this song but do you hear any of the band complaining? No.

I thought it was a bit of a shame that the SNP hijacked this song. I heard it on a Radio 4 item this morning at 7.45a.m. The band isn't Scottish: Stuart was! He sang more about the USA than Scotland. One Great Shame, more like. It is precisely because Scotland is so magnificent that the UK does not want a split. United we stand, and all that.

SCOTTISH PEOPLE ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD . THUMBS UP FOR A INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND IN 2014 . THUMBS UP FOR PADANIA INDEPENDENCE ..........TWO GREAT THINGS !!!!! BIG COUNTRY FOREVER !!!!

WE IN ITALY ARE GLAD FOR THE FUTURE INDEPENDENCE OF SCOTLAND , AND WE WISH AS WELL AS SCOTLAND , TO HAVE OUR INDEPENDENCE FROM ITALY . THE NEW REGION SHOLD BE THE PADANIAN STATE . I LOOK FORWARD FOR A FREE SCOTLAND AND A FREE Padania . thanks big country for your mervellous melodies !!!!

Croatia 0 - 1 Scotland

Shame he was born in Manchester,

And independence for the North as well to join the South again :) in a united Ireland

Tears in my eyes.
So sad that Stuart isnt here with us to see us working towards18/9/14. Talented big guy.

yes...nuff said x

No coincidence, man. It's written on wikipedia that the song's used for the YES Scotland campaign.

Im with you viciouswolf Alba Gu Brath. A Scotland thats a beacon for peace and no more senseless war and scots dying in illegal wars. Yes 2014!

Can't we have great music like this today?

Had a chance to see Rush a few weeks back in SJ, CA. Told the boys to go without me and plugged into 3 hours of Big Country. I saved money, and had a WAY better experience. Long live the spirit of BC !

Perfectly put, I am sick fed up with the Westminster actions of doing what America says. I will not let Scotland attack Iran which the UK will. That is why I'm voting for independence. To save Scottish lives. Plus there is a huge economical benefit.

Salmond has not broken a single promise so far. He is the most honest of the four big party leaders.

This song perfectly represents why the SNP want an independent Scotland. Piece and an end to war for Scots.

Davy bloody cameron has cat to show the world what a pussy he is...

You want one great thing? Try ANDY MURRAY. Ya wee beauty. YEEHAH

In two years, it will be the one great thing that can happen in our lives, I'm just sad that Stuart Adamson won't be around to witness a proud moment, or as he says, the time of peace.

Saor Alba gu brath!

Without taking sides, I have to point out that it's ironic that 2 Scots and 2 Englishmen together make the greatest band ever, and one of their songs is used to campaign for the end of the union.

For this song in particular to be used for partisan politics of any sort, however, is positively vulgar.

Yes 2014.

Aye this is the right time and the right song pity I cant sing.But socks off and my feet can hum.

Free Scotland!

The song has been remastered and launched as the anthem! Always a classic and now is going to go down in history..!

It is the official anthem for the Yes campaign ;)

The YES campaign for Scottish independence was launched today. They have a slogan.. One Great Thing. Coincidence? I think not. Someone somewhere had a wee thnk about it. I saw the slogan and came to find the song.. tears in my eyes.. its perfect for the job and I reckon Stuart would be kinda proud. RIP pal.

That was released in 1986, not early 1990's

That was off the Tennett's Lager advert.

I bought their greatest hits CD off eBay for a couple of quid just for the sake of having this song (and a few of their others) on my iPod!

@calumthetim with the bird on the side off the can,i rember linda renton

Saw these guys on BBC Breakfast this morning and it reminded me that the ladies Barbershop chorus I used to sing with appeared on it (light green dresses with white bows, Yuk!!). We had to shoot our bit of the vid and learn the words of the whole song in one evening but, if you blink.... you'll miss us.

My jaw knowns this
song before anything I know!