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.
Share It With Me
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's selfish and crazy
Which isn't so far from the truth
She's the essence of youth
The flower you place on eternity's grave
The romantic who isn't afraid
Of the beat of her heart
She raises a glass to your art
Oh, give me the autumn, give me the trees
Gather up everything I ever wanted
And give it me, please
Give me the ocean, give me the sea
Gather up everything I ever wanted
And share it with me
How many hearts are knocked down in the street?
How many poets are driven
To drink and to verse
By her singular eyes piercing out through a flight-path of
Rarified air
Where all the shiny black birds of the west
Make a rest in her hair?
She raises a glass to your love
And when she gets drunk she says...
And you ask where she comes from
And she tells you: "the earth"
Like the place that you come from
Is a whole different world
She says "life is a banquet
So why hang around
Catching crumbs from a table ?
Come share it with me"
The lyrics to All About Eve's song "Share It With Me" can be interpreted as a tribute to the beauty of youth and the creative spirit. The main character Madeleine is described as a romantic who isn't afraid to follow the beat of her heart. The lines "The flower you place on eternity's grave" and "the essence of youth" suggest that Madeleine embodies the fleeting and precious nature of life itself.
The chorus of the song expresses a desire for abundance and connection. Madeleine asks for everything she ever wanted to be shared with her, from the autumn trees to the ocean. She wants to experience life in its fullness and encourages others to join her. The line "How many hearts are knocked down in the street?" acknowledges the pain and difficulty in life, especially for those who express themselves creatively. Yet, despite the challenges, Madeleine remains optimistic and optimistic and celebrates the beauty of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Madeleine hears the bohemians say
Madeleine is aware of what the bohemians say about her
She's selfish and crazy
The bohemians think that Madeleine is self-centered and irrational
Which isn't so far from the truth
Madeleine admits that there might be some truth in what the bohemians say about her
She's the essence of youth
Madeleine represents the true spirit of youth
The flower you place on eternity's grave
Madeleine's beauty is eternal and everlasting
The romantic who isn't afraid
Madeleine is a romantic person who is not scared to express herself
Of the beat of her heart
Madeleine follows her heart's desires
She raises a glass to your art
Madeleine appreciates and celebrates the artistic talents of others
And when she gets drunk she says...
Madeleine becomes more open and expressive when she drinks alcohol
Oh, give me the autumn, give me the trees
Madeleine longs for the beauty of autumn and nature
Gather up everything I ever wanted
Madeleine wants to collect and experience all the things she desires
And give it me, please
Madeleine politely requests to have all her desires fulfilled
Give me the ocean, give me the sea
Madeleine desires the vastness and majesty of the ocean and the sea
How many hearts are knocked down in the street?
Madeleine wonders how many people who have been hurt and broken by love
How many poets are driven
Madeleine considers the number of poets who were influenced by their feelings
To drink and to verse
Madeleine believes that poets drink to enhance their creativity
By her singular eyes piercing out through a flight-path of
Madeleine's gaze is so intense that it can inspire poets and artists to create
Rarified air
Madeleine belongs to a unique and exclusive class of people
Where all the shiny black birds of the west
Madeleine's appearance and charm can attract anyone towards her
Make a rest in her hair?
The birds are so comfortable in Madeleine's presence that they rest in her hair
She raises a glass to your love
Madeleine salutes and appreciates the love people have in their hearts
And when she gets drunk she says...
Madeleine becomes more bold and expressive after consuming alcohol
And you ask where she comes from
People are curious to know about Madeleine's origin
And she tells you: "the earth"
Madeleine explains that she belongs to the universal class of living beings
Like the place that you come from
Madeleine suggests that everyone shares a common origin
Is a whole different world
Even though we share a common origin, every individual has different experiences and perspectives
She says "life is a banquet
Madeleine sees life as an opportunity to experience and enjoy various experiences and pleasures
So why hang around
She advises people not to waste their time and seize every moment of life
Catching crumbs from a table ?
Madeleine suggests that it is pointless to settle for meagre and unsatisfactory things in life
Come share it with me"
Madeleine invites people to share their experiences and pleasures with her
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, MARK PRICE, MARTY WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind