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.
Last Christmas
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
But you still catch my eye
Tell me baby
Do you recognize me?
Well it's been a year
It doesn't surprise me
[Happy Christmas]
I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you"
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now
I know you'd fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you
And your soul of ice
My god I thought you were
Someone to rely on
Me ?
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore me apart
Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore him apart
Maybe next year I'll give it to someone
I'll give it to someone special.
The song "Last Christmas" by All About Eve is an emotional ballad about heartbreak and the hope for a new beginning. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about the previous Christmas where she gave her heart to her lover. However, the very next day, she finds out that he gave it away to someone else. This year, to save herself from tears, she vows to give her heart to someone special. The chorus is catchy and delivers a clear message about the singer's intentions.
The second verse reflects the pain and confusion of the singer. She has been hurt in the past and is wary of trusting again. However, she still finds herself drawn to her ex-lover and wonders if he recognizes her. Despite the pain and regret, she still holds onto hope and wishes that he would come back to her. The bridge underscores the singer's determination to move on and find new love. She has found someone who appreciates her and promises that she will never be fooled again.
Overall, "Last Christmas" is a song that explores the vulnerability of human emotions and the resilience required to move on. It reflects the universal experience of heartbreak and the hope for a new beginning. The lyrics are relatable and the melody is catchy, making it a classic Christmas hit.
Line by Line Meaning
Last Christmas
Referring to the previous year's Christmas
I gave you my heart
I gave you my love and affection
But the very next day you gave it away
You betrayed my trust and broke my heart
This year
Referring to the current year
To save me from tears
To avoid being hurt again
I'll give it to someone special
I will give my love to someone who deserves it
Once bitten and twice shy
After being hurt before, I am now cautious and hesitant
I keep my distance
I try to avoid getting close to you
But you still catch my eye
I am still attracted to you, despite my reservations
Tell me baby
Asking for confirmation or recognition
Do you recognize me?
Do you remember who I am?
Well it's been a year
It has been a significant amount of time
It doesn't surprise me
I expected this to happen
[Happy Christmas]
Wishing you a happy Christmas
I wrapped it up and sent it
I prepared a gift for you
With a note saying 'I love you'
Expressing my feelings of love for you
I meant it
My feelings were sincere
Now I know what a fool I've been
I realize that I was naive and foolish
But if you kissed me now
If you showed me affection at this moment
I know you'd fool me again
I am aware that you may deceive me again
A crowded room
A place filled with people
Friends with tired eyes
My friends are exhausted
I'm hiding from you
I am avoiding you
And your soul of ice
You have a cold and unfeeling personality
My god I thought you were
Expressing surprise and disappointment
Someone to rely on
Someone who I could trust and depend on
Me ?
Questioning my own judgment
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
I was someone who provided emotional support
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
Describing myself as passionate and affectionate
A man under cover but you tore me apart
Describing myself as secretive, but you hurt me deeply
Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again
I have found true love and will not be deceived again
Maybe next year I'll give it to someone
In the future, I will give my love to someone else
I'll give it to someone special.
I will give my love to someone who deserves it and values me in return.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rachy Morgan
one of my favourite all about eve albums ♥
RIP George I've grown up listening to you xx
theuofc
"Last Christmas" was written by GEORGE MICHAEL who has died at 53. An amazing voice and talent, gone too soon. R.I.P. We love you, Mr. Michael.
Julianne Regan
Thank you for posting this. R.I.P. indeed. x
filippo plutini
i love all about eve but this cover is not up to anything they wrote .