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.
Rhythm of Life
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm no-one, I can't remember me
Make it all go
You're showing me heaven
When your door is always closed
Like the church doors are
When you need a little Jesus
You know, where were you
When I needed you to
Hold me, give a little beat of your heart to me
You've got to hold me, it's like the rhythm of life to me
How I long to take some comfort
From your arms
I am denied
I never relied
On the comfort or charity of strangers
Hear all the low, lonely lullabies I love
Dearer than life.
The warmth of a friend that I could depend on
To listen to me.
What would they find in the ashes then
A paper doll who thought she was a dancer
Fusing with the molten grey
Of a soldier of tin
Who happened once along her way ?
The song "Rhythm of Life" by All About Eve is a poetic and poignant track that explores themes of loneliness, longing, and the search for connection. The opening lines, "I'm nowhere that I've ever been, I'm no-one, I can't remember me, make it all go, you're showing me heaven," set a tone of disorientation and confusion, as the singer struggles to find her place in the world and make sense of her identity.
The second verse further emphasizes this feeling of isolation, as the singer describes a closed door and the need for "a little Jesus" outside of business hours. The lyrics suggest a sense of desperation and a longing for something more, something that can only be found through human connection and empathy.
The chorus is perhaps the most powerful part of the song, as the singer pleads for someone to "hold me" and provide "the rhythm of life" that she so desperately craves. The lines "How I long to take some comfort from your arms, I am denied, I never relied on the comfort or charity of strangers" highlight the importance of intimacy and trust in human relationships, and the pain that comes from being denied those things.
Overall, "Rhythm of Life" is a beautiful and deeply emotional song that speaks to the universal human need for connection and belonging. It is a testament to the power of music to express complex emotions and touch the hearts of listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm nowhere that I've ever been
I am in an unfamiliar place or situation, unsure of my surroundings and feeling lost.
I'm no-one, I can't remember me
I feel invisible and unimportant, with a sense of self so vague that I can barely recognize myself.
Make it all go
I wish for all my troubles and worries to disappear, as I seek relief from the burdens weighing me down.
You're showing me heaven
You are providing me with a moment of joy and contentment that feels like being in paradise.
When your door is always closed
You seem unapproachable or unavailable, as if intentionally shutting people out of your life.
Like the church doors are
Your closed door reminds me of a holy sanctuary that can't be entered without permission or invitation.
When you need a little Jesus
You're struggling with something that you can't handle on your own and could use some divine intervention to overcome it.
Outside his business hours
However, the assistance or guidance you seek is not available at the moment when you need it the most.
You know, where were you
I'm questioning your absence or lack of support when I was going through a difficult time and needed someone to lean on.
When I needed you to
At a time when I was feeling vulnerable and alone is precisely when I wish you had been there for me.
Hold me, give a little beat of your heart to me
There is nothing more comforting to me than the sound of your heart beating, and I long for your embrace to make me feel safe and secure.
You've got to hold me, it's like the rhythm of life to me
Being held by you is essential to my existence and sense of well-being, as it's as necessary as the basic rhythm of life itself.
How I long to take some comfort
I'm yearning for some relief or solace from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
From your arms
I want to find this comfort in your embrace, as there is nowhere else I'd rather be than wrapped up in your loving arms.
I am denied
Sadly, my wish to be held and comforted by you is thwarted, and I am left feeling disappointed and discouraged.
I never relied
I've never counted on you for much before, but now that I'm feeling vulnerable, I'm hoping to lean on your support.
On the comfort or charity of strangers
While I may be looking to you for comfort, I know that the help of strangers has been vital to my survival in the past.
Hear all the low, lonely lullabies I love
I find comfort in songs and tunes that evoke feelings of melancholy or sadness, as they help me feel less alone in my struggles.
Dearer than life.
These songs and sounds are precious to me, worth more than anything money can buy, because they provide solace when I need it most.
The warmth of a friend that I could depend on
If I can't find comfort from you, I am still grateful for the warmth of friends who have offered me their support and loyalty in times of need.
To listen to me.
Sometimes, all I need is for someone to hear me out, to give me a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to lean on.
What would they find in the ashes then
If my life were reduced to ashes and rubble, I wonder what would remain, what artifacts or mementos would be left behind.
A paper doll who thought she was a dancer
Perhaps all that would remain is a fragile and delicate figure that once felt graceful and alive, but that now seems insubstantial and insubstantial.
Fusing with the molten grey
That figure merges and fades into the dismal and dreary landscape, consumed by the same monotonous and lifeless surroundings.
Of a soldier of tin
As this lifeless paper doll fades away, she meets the same fate as other inanimate objects, like a tin soldier, that similarly lack vitality and spirit.
Who happened once along her way ?
In the end, perhaps even the memory of this paper doll and her once-vital dance is lost to time, just another inconsequential moment in a larger journey.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, MARK PRICE, MARTY WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind