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.
The Mystery We Are
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Within a crowd of you
Where you're gathering in cloudform
Refusing what is true
Uncertainties reflecting all along the way
While i still meet with confusion
In what to do or say,
Can we wonder at the mystery so far ?
Maybe someday we will find the thing we are,
Be it under a stone or behind the door,
Languishing on an ocean floor,
Within the heart or hanging on a star...
The mystery we are.
Russian dolls concealing a dream within a dream
Where the depths beneath the surface
Are rarely ever seen
If you know the answer
And if you find the key
To the opening of secrets
And you offer it to me, and i say;
Please, don't reveal who we are
Can we wonder at the mystery so far
Maybe someday we will find the thing we are
Be it under a stone or behind the door
Languishing on an ocean floor
Slumbering in a dreamless sleep
Melting into the velvet deep within the heart
Or hanging on a star...
The mystery we are.
The song "Mystery We Are" by All About Eve is a poignant exploration of the human experience of uncertainty and the quest for deeper understanding. The opening lines, "Within the hall of mirrors, within a crowd of you, where you're gathering in cloud form, refusing what is true" set the tone for the rest of the song. The "hall of mirrors" symbolizes the complex, often confusing nature of the human psyche. The "crowd of you" is a reference to the myriad of different identities and personalities that exist within us.
The uncertainty being reflected along the way is a metaphor for the journey of life and the constant questioning and searching for meaning that comes with it. The singer is experiencing confusion and a sense of not knowing what to do or say. The repeated plea of "please... don't reveal who we are" speaks to the vulnerability and fear inherent in being truly seen and understood.
The chorus shifts the focus to the larger mystery of human existence. The line "maybe someday we will find the thing we are" is a hopeful reminder that even in the midst of confusion and uncertainty, there is a deeper purpose and meaning to our lives. The final verse highlights the many different ways in which the mystery of our existence can be manifested - whether it be hidden under a stone or hanging on a star.
Line by Line Meaning
Within the hall of mirrors
Amidst illusions, things are not always as they seem.
Within a crowd of you
Surrounded by people, yet still feeling alone.
Where you're gathering in cloudform
Coming together like clouds, but unable to sustain stability.
Refusing what is true
Resistant to accepting reality, even when it is blatantly obvious.
Uncertainties reflecting all along the way
Ambiguity and doubt are constantly present in the journey of discovering oneself.
While i still meet with confusion
Despite effort, confusion remains in understanding oneself.
In what to do or say, Oh please... don't reveal who we are
Severe anxiety towards revealing true identity and vulnerability to others.
Can we wonder at the mystery so far ?
Is it possible to be fascinated rather than overwhelmed by the unknown?
Maybe someday we will find the thing we are, Be it under a stone or behind the door, Languishing on an ocean floor, Within the heart or hanging on a star...
The search for the true self is endless, and may be found in unexpected places, physical or emotional.
Russian dolls concealing a dream within a dream
The complexity of self-discovery is like finding a dream within another dream.
Where the depths beneath the surface, Are rarely ever seen
The underlying causes and motives of one's actions and emotions are often hidden.
If you know the answer, And if you find the key, To the opening of secrets, And you offer it to me, and i say; Please, don't reveal who we are
Even with knowledge and understanding, the fear of judgment and rejection can still hold us back from revealing our true selves.
Slumbering in a dreamless sleep, Melting into the velvet deep within the heart
Neglecting the search and passively accepting one's current state.
Or hanging on a star... The mystery we are.
The complexity and obscurity of human identity is a mystery that will never completely unfold.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN, MARK PRICE, MARTY WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind