By late 1967, the band had felt constricted financially & creatively by manager Don Arden (father of Sharon Osbourne), and were lured by Rolling Stones' publicist Andrew Loog Oldham into signing with his new Immediate label. They soon recorded more expansive psychedelic sounding material including hit pop tunes like "Lazy Sunday" which was included with their UK number one classic concept album Ogdens Nut Gone Flake and "Itchycoo Park" which was their only stateside charting single.
The demise of the Small Faces arrived on New Years Eve 1968, when Steve Marriott walked off stage at The Alexandra Palace in London. Marriott felt that despite the success of the group, he was still not being taken seriously as a musician. He went on to achieve major status in the U.S.A with Peter Frampton in Humble Pie. The others continued as the Faces, opting to drop the "Small" after one LP as new recruits Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood towered above their new band mates. Drummer Kenney Jones later joined The Who after the death of their drummer Keith Moon. As years went on, Marriott kept recording various lineups as Humble Pie but became somewhat of a caricature and casualty of rock excess. Tragically, Steve Marriott died in a house fire in 1991 and Ronnie Lane followed him in 1997 after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Keyboardist Ian McLagan has continued to tour and record with his own band as well as with artists like Billy Bragg, The New Barbarians ( a group composed of Ian, Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Stanley Clarke, and Billy Cobham), and The Rolling Stones. According to announcements at the shows on the New Barbarians tour, the proceeds of the live gigs were going to pay Ronnie Lane's medical expenses associated with Ronnie's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis.
The Small Faces remain one of British rock's most important legacy acts, with their membership having links to so many other acts. Amongst the many bands they influenced were The Jam, Ramones, Oasis and X.
There are a number of locations around London linked to the Small Faces, many to be found in the East End where they grew up.
The J60 Music bar in Manor Park, an instrument shop where Steve Marriott first met Ronnie Lane
http://www.musicpilgrimages.com/articl/4012.php
Little Ilford park, also located in Manor Park, inspired the track Itchycoo Park, Steve and other kids in the East End used to play in this park when they grew up.
http://www.musicpilgrimages.com/articl/4002.php
In 1968 the Small Faces recorded a video for their track Lazy Sunday, Steve sings in his native East end accent and the video was shot in the East End using Kenney Jones parents' flat in Havering Street. The video ends with a shot of the nearby Thames.
http://www.musicpilgrimages.com/articl/4014.php
Have You Ever Seen Me
Small Faces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I hear, I see have you seen me
Through it all I've been here without you (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Tell me have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Words seem out of place, all my life I've known your face
Have you ever seen me, have you ever seen me
Many flowers are breaking through the concrete (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Listen everybody I can hear them breathing (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I hear, I see have you seen me
I felt I got a feeling that I know you (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
The lyrics of Small Faces's song Have You Ever Seen Me convey a sense of longing and questioning towards the subject of the song. The singer seems to recognize the person they are addressing, but is unsure if the feeling is mutual. The repetition of the line "have you ever seen me" emphasizes this theme of uncertainty and introspection.
The second verse introduces a metaphor of flowers breaking through concrete, symbolizing resilience and growth in the face of difficulty. This imagery is juxtaposed with the singer's doubts about their connection with the person they are addressing. The refrain of "I hear, I see, have you seen me" adds to the overall sense of ambiguity and desperation for recognition.
Overall, the lyrics of Have You Ever Seen Me create a complex emotional landscape, exploring themes of identity and connection in a poetic and nuanced way.
Line by Line Meaning
I've a feeling that I know you (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I feel like I recognize you, even though we may have never met before
Tell me have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Can you confirm if we have actually met or if my recognition of you is just a feeling?
I hear, I see have you seen me
I sense your presence and wonder if you can sense mine as well
Through it all I've been here without you (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Despite my recognition of you, I have been living my life without you in it
Words seem out of place, all my life I've known your face
The way I am feeling is hard to express in words, but I have a strong sense that I have known your face for a long time
Have you ever seen me, have you ever seen me
I am really curious to know if we have ever crossed paths before
Many flowers are breaking through the concrete (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
Despite the difficult circumstances, beauty is still growing and flourishing around us
Listen everybody I can hear them breathing (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I am attuned to the world around me and can even hear the sound of nature breathing
I felt I got a feeling that I know you (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
My intuition is telling me that I know you in some capacity
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I really need to know if we have crossed paths and if my intuition is correct
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I cannot shake this feeling and need some kind of confirmation of our connection
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
I am fixated on this idea and need to know the truth
I got to know have you ever seen me (heyr-heyr, heyr-heyr-heyr-heyr)
This question is consuming me and I cannot move on until I find out if we have a past connection
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANNEMIE COENEN, DAVID VERVOORT, PETER GASTON LOUIS LUTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarcsWishes5
I've heard it 2000 times now and can't get enough.😁
@bettinashanti5662
😂😂😂
@roberttompkins6489
God there is something about this song that so encapsulates the Small Faces uniqueness and that makes me wish so I could have seen them in England during that early era and how they oozed coolness. It is sad that so few are familiar with their great catalog.
@davidpbailey
Steve Marriot, superb and unequaled
@josephmiraglia6666
this is one of these songs I can listen to over and over when the mood hits.
@lowtunesinc.2926
Absolutely love this song! Thanks for posting.
@davidpbailey
This is a sheer classic, with Marriot's outstanding vocals, Mac' organ and the strings making this number so great. I've heard a much inferior version by another 60's band.
@mrchris6519
Apparently Marriott wrote this song for the group jerry shirley was in before humble pie, and used it himself with the small faces.
@bettinashanti5662
Great song ❤
@shorelineboy
excellent as always from the small faces