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.
Lady Moonlight
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lamplight to light my despair
She has the stars in her eyes
The mind in her hair, my sanctuary
Silent and silver
Shine bright Lady Moonlight
My secrets she'll keep them in her temple
'Neath her veil
She is Isis she is Guinevere
Sister to the sea
Queen of the night, with the answer
And my heart disbelieves
The myth surrounding Eve
She couldn't know what she was doing
Shine bright Lady Moonlight
The opening lines of All About Eve's "Lady Moonlight" speak of despair and finding solace in the night sky. The singer is in their "darkest hour" and turns to Lady Moonlight for comfort. This personifies the moon, making it seem like a guiding force or even a friend. The singer compares the moon to a sanctuary, something that provides sanctuary or refuge. The imagery of stars in her eyes and the mind in her hair portrays a benevolent figure who can see through one’s pain and struggles. The moon is interpreted as a beacon of solace in times of grief and distress.
As the song progresses, the singer shares how Lady Moonlight helps them keep their secrets. The metaphor of Lady Moonlight's temple further cements the idea of a religious or spiritual sanctuary in the night sky. The singer sees Lady Moonlight as the mythical characters Isis and Guinevere, Sister to the Sea and Queen of the Night with an answer to everything. Finally, the singer reports a disbelieve to the idea that Eve, the first woman in the Bible, knew what she was doing. This irony here is rooted in the fact that Eve ate from the tree of knowledge that enlightened her about what she was doing, but also created the circumstance of her exile.
The song puts forward a message of finding relief and peace in difficult times through nature and its inherent power to heal. Lady Moonlight is a symbol of hope, strength, and comfort, as the lyrics describe the moon's ability to light the way out of darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
What am I to do in my darkest hour
I am lost in despair and seek guidance to find my way out of this difficult situation
Lamplight to light my despair
I need a source of light to lead me out of my sorrow and pain
She has the stars in her eyes
Lady Moonlight is full of hope and possibility, just like the stars in the sky
The mind in her hair, my sanctuary
She is my safe haven, and her being is so calming and reassuring that I feel at peace with her
Silent and silver
She is serene and tranquil, and her precious presence soothes the chaos in my mind
Shine bright Lady Moonlight
I beg you to give me strength and hope, just like the shining moonlight that illuminates the night sky
Should I cry, should I weep
I am in deep pain and anguish, and I don't know whether to express it through tears or keep it within
My secrets she'll keep them in her temple
Lady Moonlight is a trustworthy keeper of my deepest emotions and secrets, and I can confide in her without fear
'Neath her veil
She is so enigmatic and mysterious that even her veil hides a world of secrets and wonders
She is Isis she is Guinevere
She embodies the archetypes of powerful goddesses and legendary queens, with their strength, beauty, and wisdom
Sister to the sea
She is in harmony with the natural forces of the ocean, and her spirit is like a sister to the waves
Queen of the night, with the answer
She is the supreme ruler of the nocturnal realm, and she holds the key to my questions and doubts
And my heart disbelieves
Despite my logical mind, I still struggle to accept the truth that surrounds me, and I doubt even myself
The myth surrounding Eve
The legend of Eve, the archetypal woman of betrayal and temptation, is often misunderstood and misinterpreted
She couldn't know what she was doing
She may have been tempted and misguided, but she did not have the knowledge or the intention to cause harm or chaos
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, TIM BRICHENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind