1991Released
3:22

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about On the Border - 2001 Remaster. By Songfacts®.

Speaking about this song with the BBC, Stewart explained: "The first verse is about the Basque Separatist movement and then the second verse is about what was then the Rhodesian crisis. Mugabe: 'The hand that sets the farms alight has spread the word to those who're waiting on the border.' Thirty years after I wrote the song, Mugabe was actually setting fire to all the white farms."

The Spanish guitar on this track came courtesy of Peter White, who was brought in to play piano on the session. "First thing he ever recorded on a guitar," Stewart said in the same BBC interview. "First time he was ever in a studio. I hired him as a piano player and Alan Parsons, of course, produced the record and we were sitting around in the studio and he said, 'I can hear some Spanish guitar on this.' None of us could play Spanish guitar. And then Peter said, 'Well, I can play Spanish guitar.' And like, 'Wait, you're a piano player.' He said, 'Well, I can play it.' I had this really cheap Spanish guitar, it cost I think £30 or something and I gave it to Peter. What you hear is I think either the first or the second take. He just sat down and just played it and we're looking at him going, 'Wow, I didn't know you could do that.'"

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of On the Border - 2001 Remaster.
DKey
MajorMode
4/4Time Signature
98BPM

Album

The album On the Border - 2001 Remaster is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released On the Border - 2001 Remaster.
Rhino
© 2001 Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company
℗ 2001 Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company

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