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
Talk To You
Small Faces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since I was last with you
So many people tryin' to
Stop me getting through
The doorman he just laughed
But I don't want no autograph
Now you listen to me baby
All I want to do
You know I didn't stop you doing
Things you wanted to do
But now it's gone too far
It looks like I'm losing you
But I don't want sympathy
But please don't turn your back on me
Listen baby
All I want to do
Is talk to you
I got to talk to you
I got to try to make you see
Just how very very much
You mean to me
Would it be too much
To try and jog your memory
You remember me baby
I hope that I'm still
Part of your history
Now I don't want to share your car
No no no, or stop you being a star
All I want to, all I wannna do
You know what I've gotta to do
Got to keep on trying
The lyrics of Small Faces's song "Talk To You" express the frustration and longing of someone who has been separated from a loved one for three months. The singer is trying to reach out to the person but feels thwarted by the people who are trying to keep them apart. They are pleading with the person to listen to them and just talk, rather than letting the distance between them grow.
The singer is acutely aware of the fact that they may be losing the person and that they need to try and make them see how much they mean to them. They want to be a part of the person's history, to stay in their memory even though they are apart. They do not want to control or restrict the person's life, but simply to have a connection with them.
The lyrics are full of emotion, and the music matches this with a driving beat and a sense of urgency. It is a song about the difficulty of maintaining relationships, particularly when external forces are working against them, and the importance of communication and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, it's been three months
It has been three months since we last spoke, and I have been wanting to talk to you.
Since I was last with you
It has been three months since I was last with you, and I miss you.
So many people tryin' to Stop me getting through
There were people stopping me from talking to you, but I won't be deterred.
The doorman he just laughed
The doorman made fun of me for wanting to talk to you, but I won't give up.
But I don't want no autograph
I am not asking for your autograph, all I want is to talk to you.
Now you listen to me baby
Please pay attention to what I have to say.
All I want to do
The only thing I want is to talk to you.
Is talk to you
I want to have a conversation with you and tell you how much you mean to me.
You know I didn't stop you doing Things you wanted to do
I have always supported your decisions and never held you back from what you wanted to do.
But now it's gone too far
But now our situation has gone too far and it seems like I am losing you.
It looks like I'm losing you
I feel like I am losing you and I don't want to lose you.
But I don't want sympathy
I don't want your sympathy, I just want you to listen to me.
But please don't turn your back on me
Please don't ignore me or push me away.
You remember me baby
I hope you remember me and how much I care about you.
I hope that I'm still Part of your history
I hope that I am still a part of your life and will always be remembered as such.
Now I don't want to share your car
I don't want to share your fame or success, I just want to talk to you.
No no no, or stop you being a star
I don't want to stop you from being successful or famous, I just want to talk to you.
All I want to, all I wannna do
The only thing I want is to talk to you and let you know how much you mean to me.
You know what I've gotta to do
I know what I have to do, and that is to keep trying to talk to you.
Got to keep on trying
I won't give up on trying to talk to you and let you know how I feel.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL KEVIN O'SULLIVAN, RONNIE LANE, STEVE MARRIOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind