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.
Martha
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sea calls to me
I hide in the water
But I need to breath.
You are an ocean wave my love
Crashing at the bow
I am a galley slave my Love
Maybe I'll just stow away
I've been run a ground
So sad for a sailor
I felt safe and sound
But needed the danger
You are an ocean wave my love
Crashing at the bow
I am a galley slave my Love
If only I could find out the way to sail you
Maybe I'll just stow away
You are an ocean wave my love
Crashing at the bow
I am a galley slave my Love
If only I could find out the way to sail you
Maybe I'll just stow away
Stow away
Stow away
"Martha's Harbour" by All About Eve is a song about a person who finds solace in the sea. The lyrics start with the singer sitting by the harbour as the sea calls out to them. They are constantly drawn towards the water but feel the need to hide in it while also needing to breathe. The imagery used in the first few lines of the song creates a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere, reinforcing the idea of someone who lives in their own world.
The chorus of the song speaks of the person's love interest as an ocean wave that crashes at the bow. They, on the other hand, feel like a galley slave who doesn't know how to sail such a powerful force. This could mean that the singer sees their love interest as someone who is free and uninhibited like the sea, while they themselves are constrained and unsure of themselves. They acknowledge that they need to find a way to sail this love interest, but the task seems daunting, and they may resort to just stowing away.
In the second verse, the singer speaks of how they had played it safe and felt run aground. They needed the danger that the sea, and maybe even their love interest, offered them. The use of nautical terms throughout the song, like "run aground" and "galley slave," adds to the theme of the sea and sailing.
Line by Line Meaning
I sit by the harbor
I am sitting close to the water's edge
The sea calls to me
The water invites and beckons me
I hide in the water
I immerse myself in the sea
But I need to breathe
I require air to survive
You are an ocean wave my love
You are a forceful and mesmerizing presence in my life, my dear
Crashing at the bow
You violently collide with me at the front of the ship
I am a galley slave my Love
I am trapped and at your mercy, my darling
If only I could find out the way to sail you
If only I could control you and guide you in the way I desire
Maybe I'll just stow away
Perhaps I will secretly conceal myself on your vessel
I've been run aground
I have been stranded and unable to move
So sad for a sailor
It is distressing for a seafarer to be in such a situation
I felt safe and sound
I had a sense of security and comfort
But needed the danger
But I require and crave the thrill and adventure
Stow away
Conceal myself and travel secretly
Stow away
Hide myself and journey unnoticed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, TIM BRICHENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kevlewis6129
One of those songs you forget about, then years later pops in your head and you wonder how the hell did you not remember how good it is! Sorry Eve 🙁
@2760ade
Agreed! I hadn't heard or given any thought to this song for many years.Heard it on the radio the other day and it stopped me dead!!
@simonchesterfield7517
Just happened. What a voice, effortless
@deltakilo75bon61
It just popped into my head this morning and I had to play it. A few moments of serenity before the madness of the school run
@snirest
Nice one ❤
@koldog6614
Hermosa canción para un atardecer de otoño. Q sensibilidad tiene la q canta. Bellísimo!!!
@Stretchycat36
One of the best vocalists ever
@anitashaw8138
Delicately beautiful voice.Reminds me of holidays near the sea...so relaxing.
@magenta6754
Julianne has such a lovely voice and the song is haunting. Beautiful.
@brianallsopp69
Rediscovered this beautiful song again recently,,,, listened to this with Kate Bush Ninth wave watching the sun hit the sea in Penzance a few weeks back,,,, some pleasures are priceless