Julianne Regan, a former journalist, played bass for the popular rock group Gene Loves Jezebel for a little while. The initial core of All About Eve was Regan, guitarist Tim Bricheno, and bassist Andy Cousin from Aemotti Crii. As a three-piece (plus a drum machine), they released a series of independent singles starting from 1984 including "D For Desire", "In The Clouds" and "Flowers In Our Hair". After Julianne sang backing vocals for The Mission's God's Own Medicine album, the band received greater attention and were signed to Phonogram. Drummer Mark Price was added around this time.
Their self-titled debut album was released in 1988 and produced the UK hit single Martha's Harbour. Drawing much of its lyrical material from hippie ideals, white magic and dreamlike fairy tales, the album's gentle folk rock-inspired pop sound won the band many fans (nicknamed "angels"). Although often falsely lumped by the media under the label of goth rock, little (if any) such inspiration actually played a part in the band's music after around 1986, any "goth" connection being drawn not from the music, but from the previous and future engagements of the band members in the musical scene of the time.
In a well known incident, the band later performed a dubbed version of Martha's Harbour on the BBC1 television show Top Of The Pops, but, owing to a studio technical error, the taped vocals were broadcast without the band being able to hear them, resulting in the TV audience hearing the recorded version of the song, while the band members sat motionless on screen waiting for their cue to begin. By way of compensation the band were invited back on to the show the following week, and this time their performance passed off smoothly.
The following year, their second album Scarlet And Other Stories was released, and the band toured around the UK. Widely prevalent on this album were Regan's somber, highly melancholic moods. Painful chance encounters with love also appeared on the lyrical front, and it is this motif (and period of time) which was to greatly paint the picture for the future of the band as well.
In 1990, Bricheno left the group (later to join The Sisters Of Mercy for their Vision Thing era, and subsequent bands XC-NN and Tin Star) to be swiftly replaced by The Church's Marty Willson-Piper. They went on to record Touched By Jesus in 1991 (which featured David Gilmour of Pink Floyd on guitar on two tracks), before changing record companies and taking a dramatic stylistic change by releasing Ultraviolet the year after.
Going an altogether different way to their previous release, Ultraviolet mellowed the band's sound greatly, revisiting Scarlet's general sorrowful feel with a heavy inspiration from the shoegazing movement and psychedelia to turn the Eve signature sound ever colder, with much downplayed vocals. The album, released by MCA Records was not well supported by the record company, considering the change to be for the worse, and the band subsequently went their separate ways. MCA, shedding no tears, promptly deleted the album from their catalogue. Although the band continued for a couple more months without Regan's input, they disbanded in early 1993, with the album they had been working on at the time eventually seeing the light of day under the group name Seeing Stars.
Regan went on to form Mice and to work with Bernard Butler, but an album with the latter never came to fruition due to personality clashes. Though often quoted that Julianne thought Butler to be "Satan", this quote is in fact not true. Later on, she also teamed up with her old Gene Loves Jezebel acquaintance Jean-Marc Lederman in the highly atmospheric Jules et Jim project (a collaboration which continues to this day).
In 1999, old friends The Mission reformed after a short break and started touring. They invited Regan to open for them, and their offer was accepted, starting the second era of the band. Soon after the tour the newly-reformed (Regan, Willson-Piper & Cousin) All About Eve toured for two years, releasing Fairy Light Nights, an acoustic live collection in 2000, with Volume 2 following in 2001, and later followed by two more live albums Live And Electric At The Union Chapel and Cinemasonic (the latter of which was also released as a DVD). A collection of early recordings was also released, entitled Return To Eden, Volume 1 (no second volume has yet appeared).
In 2002, Willson-Piper left the band to pursue other projects, to be replaced by new guitarist Toni Haimi, previously of the band Malluka and now in the Sohodolls. Also in 2002, Julianne and Andy released their first studio recordings in a decade, with the EP Iceland – a collection of "winter songs", including reworkings of previous fan-favourite December and cover versions of Wham!'s "Last Christmas", Queen's "A Winter's Tale", and a minimalist electronic take on the popular song from the animated short The Snowman, "Walking In The Air".
In mid-2004, just after the release of their first single in a decade, "Let Me Go Home", the band split once again. Regan is currently working on projects including an album with Jean-Marc Lederman (in a long-awaited follow-up to the first Jules et Jim album), as well as collaborating with Norwegian songwriters GKraft, and a possible solo album. The nearly-completed Eve studio album that was being worked on remains unreleased, although Regan and Cousin may possibly be dusting off the recordings to finish them in the near future. A double CD collection entitled Keepsakes, consisting of the singles, key album tracks and previously unreleased rarities, as well as some newly recorded songs, was released early March 2006 and will initially be available with a DVD of promo videos and TV appearances.
Drowning
All About Eve Lyrics
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There's a hand you want to hold
When the night feels blue
The hand feels cold
The fog takes my breath
But we've got to keep breathing now
Gonna live to tell the tale
The drowning man
And the drowning lady
They're soaked to the skin
Clean like ivy
"I can't let you go" she says,
"Hold me now - keep me alive"
The fog comes down
And stars fall down
The moon leaves the sky
Can't ask why
Got to keep dreaming
Leave me now
Safely in your arms
Felt like home
I want to go home now
Gonna live to tell the tale
All About Eve's "Drowning" is a song about the feeling of going under, of not being able to stay afloat, of sinking into a state of hopelessness. The lyrics are filled with images of drowning, both literal and metaphorical, making it a poignant reflection on the pain and desperation that can come with life's difficulties. The opening lines "reaching out a hand, there's a hand you want to hold, but when the night feels blue, the hand feels cold" set the tone for the rest of the song, describing a sense of isolation and longing for connection.
The fog takes my breath, but we've got to keep breathing now - this line represents the feeling of being suffocated by fear, but also the need to keep going, to keep fighting to stay alive. The repetition of "gonna live to tell the tale" throughout the song reinforces this idea of survival, of making it through the pain and finding a way to keep going.
The drowning man and the drowning lady in the song represent those who are struggling, but are still connected to each other. They are soaked through, as if they have been fighting to stay afloat for a long time, and yet they are still together, still holding on to each other. The line "I can't let you go" is a declaration of the importance of that connection, the need to hold on to each other even when things are difficult.
Overall, "Drowning" is a powerful and poignant song that captures the struggle of living through difficult times. It's a reminder that even when we feel like we are drowning, there is still hope, and that we can find a way to keep going, to live to tell the tale.
Line by Line Meaning
Reaching out a hand
Offering help to someone in need
There's a hand you want to hold
Seeking comfort and support from another
When the night feels blue
During times of sadness or loneliness
The hand feels cold
The comfort being offered is not enough
The fog takes my breath
Feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges
But we've got to keep breathing now
Despite the struggles, we must keep going
Gonna live to tell the tale
Going to survive and overcome this ordeal
The drowning man
One who struggles in life's hardships
And the drowning lady
One who is also struggling in their own hardships
They're soaked to the skin
Completely overwhelmed by their struggles
Clean like ivy
Despite the struggles, still strong and resilient
"I can't let you go" she says,
Finding comfort and safety in another's embrace
"Hold me now - keep me alive"
Desperate for the other's support to survive
The fog comes down
Obstacles and challenges continue to arise
And stars fall down
Feeling like everything is falling apart
The moon leaves the sky
Feeling lost and alone in the world
Can't ask why
Accepting life's struggles without questioning them
Got to keep dreaming
Despite the struggles, hold onto hope and dreams
Leave me now
Wanting to be left alone to deal with struggles on one's own
Safely in your arms
Finding safety and comfort in another's embrace
Felt like home
Feeling at ease and at home with the other person
I want to go home now
Seeking a place of comfort and safety
Gonna live to tell the tale
Surviving the struggles and being able to share the story
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, MARK PRICE, TIM BRICHENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind