Howe trained as an actress at the Corona Drama School in London. She commenced a successful acting career in the late 1960s, performing in contemporary television dramas such as Z Cars, The Wednesday Play, Doctor Who and Dixon of Dock Green. Howe went on to appear in Barney Platts-Mill's film Private Road. In 1970, Howe met Andrew Cameron Miller, an executive at Reflection, a subsidiary of CBS Records, and as a result recorded her debut album What A Beautiful Place at Trident Studios in London, in February 1971. Miller paired Howe with Bobby Scott, an American pianist and record producer who had previously co-written the the Hollies' He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. However, Reflection ceased to trade when the album was on the point of release, and as a result it remained largely unheard until it was reissued in 2007 on the Numero label. The re-release met with universal critical acclaim; extraordinarily, for a debut album, gaining a five-star review from Observer Music ('could be Dusty Springfield covering Joni Mitchell...'). This is even more remarkable considering the master tapes were by then lost; with the re-recording made from an original source copy. The vinyl print remains the holy grail of record collectors, selling for over £1200-. Howe featured on soundtrack recordings in the UK and Europe throughout the 1970s, and provided the lead vocal for Ennio Morricone's theme song Un genie, deux associes, une cloche OST - 1976. Catherine worked with the Italian jazz musician Piero Piccioni, recording two songs for his 1972 film God Under the Skin and singing in an Italian TV broadcast with Piccioni two years later. Howe's second LP Harry was released in the UK in 1975 on RCA, for which the title track received an Ivor Novello award (only the second female recording artist to achieve this). Such is its continued popularity that Harry remains available as a mobile phone ring-tone. Also in 1975, Howe appeared on film as the singer during the title credits of the notorious British sex farce, Jim Atkinson's Can You Keep It Up For A Week? The original song, crafted by the Ted Dicks/Hazel Adair team, seemed incongruous against the slap-stick comedy. RCA released a follow-up album, Silent Mother Nature in 1976, winning Folk Album of the Year from the Sunday Times.[citation needed] A single was released called Until The Morning Comes written by Scottish singer/guitarist Dave Kelly and Ray McRiner, and was performed on LWT's Supersonic. The following year, the title tracks of both RCA LPs were re-released (together with the aforementioned single) on the EP The Truth of the Matter and was one of the top 75 selling EPs of 1977.[citation needed] Throughout that year Howe produced and sang the songs for BBC's That's Life. Howe 's fourth album came two years later, with Dragonfly Days, released on Ariola Records. Ariola also released singles by Howe prior to and following the album, some of which are not included on the LP, and promoted as far afield as South America; enough single records to fill another album. One was with producer Mike Batt, Howe's self-penned "Sit Down And Think Again", another was a cover of Carole King's Goin' Back produced by Pip Williams. Dragonfly Days extended Howe 's style across a variety of genre - but to date remains the only record not reissued on CD. In 1979, the BBC filmed Rhythm on 2: Catherine Howe and Judie Tzuke, a live concert at Ipswich's Corn Exchange. The following year, again for the BBC, Howe featured on both the Jeremy Taylor and Sacha Distel shows.
None of Howe's albums sold in large amounts at the time, and after Dragonfly Days, she decided to retire from the music business. Howe explains this chapter in her own words on the tradmusic.com website: "Despite promotion and tours with Andy Fairweather-Low, Chris de Burgh, David Soul and later with Randy Edleman, the albums and singles didn't sell enough. I thought it was because of me, but it was as much (I've since learned) because they weren't in the shops to buy. To remedy this it was suggested that maybe I should write 'country and western', maybe I should change my hair, maybe wear black leather. So the music business, which I loved, and I parted company. Like a bad marriage, some damage was sustained before separation took place..." There was some activity in the 1980s with a re-issue of the Harry single in 1984 (on public demand with the birth of Prince Harry).[citation needed] A year later, Howe contributed two songs to the Sounds of Yorkshire LP: a re-recording of Lucy Snow (Lucy Snowe) from the Silent Mother Nature album; and a new piece in a traditional vein, Yorkshire Hills. In 1989 Howe had a daughter, Jenny, and later earned a first-class degree in History and Religion from the Open University. She is currently working on a book on the life of the 19th century secularist George Holyoake as well as continuing with her song-writing. In 2002 Howe returned to recording, resulting in a new CD, her fifth: Princelet Street. This coincided with the launch of an official website and preceded the reissue of her 1970s albums What a Beautiful Place (with the Numero label), Harry (with BGO) and Silent Mother Nature (with BGO). Of Princelet Street, Howe wrote: "My great-grandmother Susannah Constantine was born on Princelet Street in 1851, her mother worked as a silk winder, her father as a fancy comb maker. Lots of my family lived in or near the City of London in the early 1800s, and even before I knew this I used to go city walking there as a girl because it felt like coming home. Princelet Street the album is inspired by the street and a sense of family, past and present, and as I enjoyed writing and recording its songs I hope you'll enjoy hearing them..."
Harry
Catherine Howe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Harry makes me smile
There is sad and there is happy
It will be happy this time
There's tomorrow now and harry
It's a brand new song
Harry is my love
There is come, and go and harry
He's my peace of mind
There's the right and there's the wrong way
Harry does it right
There's tomorrow now and harry
It's a brand new song
Harry is my love
Harry is the one
He is the noontime
The sunshine of my day
He is my pick me up
And harry plans to stay here with me
There's the sun, the moon, and harry
Harry makes me smile
There is sad and there is happy
It will be happy this time
There's tomorrow now and harry
It's a brand new song
Harry is my love
Harry is the one
The lyrics to Catherine Howe's song "Harry" appear to be an ode to a lover named Harry who brings joy and happiness to the singer's life. The repetition of Harry's name throughout the song suggests that he is the central focus of the singer's thoughts and emotions. The singer notes that Harry makes her smile and brings her peace of mind, indicating that he is a positive influence in her life.
The contrast between "sad" and "happy" suggests that the singer may have experienced some difficult times in the past, but that Harry represents a turning point towards happiness. The line "It will be happy this time" reinforces the idea that Harry is a source of hope in the singer's life. The repetition of "There's tomorrow now and Harry, It's a brand new song" further emphasizes this idea of a fresh start with Harry by her side.
The final stanza of the song contains some of the most vivid and poetic imagery. The lines "He is the noontime, The sunshine of my day, He is my pick me up" evoke the warmth and comfort that Harry provides. The final line, "And Harry plans to stay here with me," suggests that the singer sees a long-term future with Harry.
Overall, "Harry" appears to be a love song that celebrates the emotional and psychological support that a partner can provide. The repetition of Harry's name and the focus on his positive attributes create a strong sense of intimacy and affection in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
There's the sun, the moon, and harry
Harry is a constant presence in my life, like the consistent presence of the sun and moon
Harry makes me smile
Thinking of Harry brings me happiness
There is sad and there is happy
Life has its ups and downs
It will be happy this time
But I am optimistic that Harry will bring happiness this time around
There's tomorrow now and harry
I am excited for the new day and the promise of Harry's presence
It's a brand new song
Each day with Harry is a fresh start, bringing new experiences and possibilities
Harry is my love
I am deeply in love with Harry
Harry is the one
To me, Harry is the one person who matters above all others
There is come, and go and harry
People come and go in life, but Harry is a constant presence
He's my peace of mind
Harry brings me tranquility and calmness
There's the right and there's the wrong way
There are good and bad paths to take in life
Harry does it right
But with Harry, I feel confident that we are on the right path
He is the noontime
Harry is like the warm sun in the middle of the day
The sunshine of my day
He brings brightness and joy to my life
He is my pick me up
When I am feeling down, Harry is there to lift me up
And harry plans to stay here with me
I am confident that Harry is committed to our relationship and staying by my side
Contributed by Adeline N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.