In 1993 while Gary and Jack were looking for band members, Kenwyn had met up with Dominic Greensmith in London and discussed forming a band. So, the foursome got together, got a house in West London and started to jam.
After recording a couple of tracks, the band spent much of 1994 touring and building up a fan base. They signed to S2, an off-shoot of Sony and supplied them with "Naked" which was used in a TV advert for the Sony Minidisc in which a record company executive hears the track on Minidisc, throws it out of the window disapprovingly, but a young man outside picks it up, listens to it and likes it (demonstrating the format's durability). It would have been very easy for Reef to cash in on this and release Naked, although they would probably have gone the way of Stiltskin and been a one-hit-wonder. Instead, they took their time and a few months later, released "Good Feeling", then "Naked" and then a non-album track "Weird". All of these singles were top 20.
In 1995 Reef released their now Gold debut album "Replenish".
"We wanted our first album, ‘Replenish’, to be a really honest statement. Four people playing in a room and getting something that’s totally their own. It was recorded in the most basic way possible. Minimal room sounds. Up until recently, all I used for effects was a wah-pedal and I only used that on two songs." Kenwyn House.
The follow up to "Replenish" was "Glow", which was more diverse, with the band using different instruments and creating a more interesting style. It spawned the hit singles "Place Your Hands", "Come Back Brighter", "Consideration" and "Yer Old" which increased Reef’s profile in the UK and abroad. On the week of its release, "Glow" went straight to number 1 in the UK album chart.
In 1999 Reef released their third album "Rides". They have even swapped instruments on some tracks with Gary and Dom playing guitar and Jack singing on one song.
"Set The Record Straight" is the highlight of Getaway (Sony, 2000), their fourth album and most commercial work yet.
In total they have had 8 UK top 20 singles.
Place Your Hands remains a party and compilation favourite many years later.
They also headlined at the Reading festival in 1999.
In 2004 Reef took a long break from their constant touring.
Gary appeared at Bristol Academy as a guest DJ on the 28th of February.
Kenwyn House formed a new band called McArthur, while Dominic Greensmith started touring with his new band, Kubb.
Gary and Jack play in rock band THEM IS ME
Gary Stringer, Jack Bessant, Kenywn House & Dominic Greensmith are back together for six live shows in April 2010.
All I Want
Reef Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if I said farewell is that where you begin
And if I sent you home
Would you come on in
And if you say you won't
Then I know you will
I was all alone like a father with no son
Woken up just as begun
I was left alone
With the promise that you made
All I want to do is make it over you
I want to
And if I said farewell then we're on our own
You know I never thought I'd say the words
But you know you can't have all the hurt
All I want to do
Is step up for you
Tell me is it true
I will come back to you
I said I would
The lyrics of Reef's song "All I Want" depict a situation where the persona is trying to reconcile with a loved one. The lyrics suggest that the persona has hurt the person they love, and they are trying to repair the damage caused. The first set of lyrics contains a series of questions to the person they love. The questions suggest that the persona is unsure of whether their loved one will return if they send them away, and if they try to say goodbye, whether the person they love will remain in their lives. These questions also suggest that the persona is aware of the fact that their loved one might not be truthful with their intentions.
The second set of lyrics talks about the persona's loneliness and how the person they love was like a dream that was just beginning but was taken away too soon. The persona was left alone with the promises that were made, which might have been broken. The chorus of the song suggests that the persona wants to move on and get over the person they love but is still not sure about their feelings.
The last part of the lyrics talks about the persona stepping up for the person they love and coming back to them, indicating that even though the persona wants to move on, their love for their partner is still strong, and they are willing to give it another chance.
Line by Line Meaning
If I sent you home would you come again
If I let you go, will you come back to me?
And if I said farewell is that where you begin
If I say goodbye, is that when our real journey starts?
And if I sent you home
Would you come on in
And if you say you won't
Then I know you will
If I gave you the chance to leave, would you reconsider and stay? And if you claim you won't stay, I know you will in the end.
I was all alone like a father with no son
I felt so lonely, like a father who had no one to share his life with.
You were like a dream
Woken up just as begun
I was left alone
With the promise that you made
You were like a dream that ended abruptly. I was left alone with the promise that you made, which never got fulfilled.
All I want to do is make it over you
I want to
All I want is to get over you, to move on from this pain.
And if I said farewell then we're on our own
You know I never thought I'd say the words
But you know you can't have all the hurt
If I said goodbye, we'll be alone in our pain. I never thought I'd say this, but you can't have all the pain or emotional baggage.
All I want to do
Is step up for you
Tell me is it true
I will come back to you
I said I would
All I want is to be there for you, to step up and support you. Tell me, is it true that you will come back to me? I promised I would come back to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: JACK BESSANT, DOMINIC GREENSMITH, GARY STRINGER, KENWYN HOUSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christopherlayneacedera753
Ive been looking for more than 20 plus years..And I just found it tonight.
@453ben
Listened to this song at least 20 times in the past 3 hours. It's brilliant. It's quite obvious that Reef weren't appreciated fully, It's a shame if I'm honest.
@tiesingsung2170
Finally, seeing this video in youtube. I missed the days listening to this song repeatedly.
@Andreasstockauswuppertal
one of 1000 000 brilliant songs of that great band ....
@wilzuniga1662
Who's here in 2023?
@markcruz9067
Underrated band. Love this song.
@shannonblackie6706
Saw them live last night, they were supporting Status Quo. They were so amazing and every song was perfect!
@becksy9999
love Reef man............................seeing em April man...for the umpteenth time.......is umpteenth a word....nee idea.......makes uz cry this...everytime...
@chrisvillegas5182
darn this song just brings back many memories, just wow.. missing the good old days :)
@phlhrgster
Me too, more so than ever...