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.
Theft
All About Eve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the Sandman in my shoes
Take me dreaming where the waters lie
I have apples in my eyes
I have blackbirds in my pies
I have everything I need
If I had you
I'd used your arms to fall into
If I had you,
I'd never had to care
If I had you,
I'd like to see the world the way you do
Like to see the world
If I had you
I have a splendid tambourine
I have letters from the Queen
Worth a fortune in the dessert
I have ghosts who bring me flowers
I have birds with psychic powers
I have everything I need
If I had you
The song "Theft" by All About Eve is a dreamy, poetic piece that captures a mood rather than telling a story. The lyrics evoke surreal imagery and a sense of longing. The singer describes having visions and views, and being taken away by the Sandman to a dream world near the water. She speaks of having apples in her eyes and blackbirds in her pies, which could be interpreted as having a vivid imagination and creativity. Throughout the song, she repeats the phrase "If I had you," suggesting that there is something missing in her life that this imagined person could provide.
The chorus of the song goes on to describe the things the singer would do if she had this person in her life. She would use his arms to fall into, suggesting a desire for comfort and closeness. She would never have to care, perhaps indicating a sense of security that she currently lacks. She would like to see the world the way he does, implying that she feels there is something missing in her own perspective.
Overall, "Theft" is a wistful meditation on the search for fulfillment and the ways we project our desires onto others. The surreal imagery and dreamlike quality of the lyrics invite interpretation, and the repeated refrain of "If I had you" captures the sense of longing that many of us feel at times.
Line by Line Meaning
I have visions, I have views
I have my own unique perspective that guides my thoughts and actions
And the Sandman in my shoes
My imagination and creativity constantly fuel my inspiration
Take me dreaming where the waters lie
I long to escape into my dreams and explore the depths of my unconscious mind
I have apples in my eyes
I am constantly seeking out new experiences and opportunities to grow
I have blackbirds in my pies
I am always weaving together different aspects of my life to create something new and unique
I have everything I need
I am content with what I have and don't need material possessions to be happy
If I had you
If I had someone to share my life with
I'd used your arms to fall into
I would feel safe and secure in your embrace
I'd never had to care
You would take care of me and I wouldn't have to worry about anything
I'd like to see the world the way you do
I am interested in your perspective and insights on the world
Like to see the world
I am curious about the world around me and want to explore it further
I have a splendid tambourine
I have a unique voice and talents that set me apart from others
I have letters from the Queen
I have accomplishments and achievements that I am proud of
Worth a fortune in the dessert
My accomplishments are valuable, even if they are not recognized by everyone
I have ghosts who bring me flowers
I have people from my past who continue to inspire and support me
I have birds with psychic powers
I am attuned to my own intuition and can sense things that others may not
I have everything I need
I am self-sufficient and don't need anyone else to complete me
If I had you
If I had someone to share my life with
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDY COUSIN, JULIANNE REGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind