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
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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.
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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.
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The Journey
Small Faces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It would be yesterday
The sun is surely just a thought away
Where visions that men fail
To put to words the tale
And music that they try but cannot play
You're right, it's just a dream, your company so kind
Hold very tightly please and we shall go out
"The Journey" by Small Faces is a song that explores the idea of time and music being intertwined. The opening lines, "If tomorrow was today, it would be yesterday," suggest that time is incredibly fluid and abstract. The following lines, "The sun is surely just a thought away, where visions that men fail to put to words the tale," imply that music and art have the power to transcend time and capture the essence of human experience. The final two lines, "You're right, it's just a dream, your company so kind, hold very tightly please and we shall go out," serve as a call to action, encouraging the listener to hold on tight to their dreams and the people they love.
Overall, "The Journey" is a poignant reminder of the fragility of time and the importance of cherishing the present moment. The song suggests that while time may move relentlessly forward, music and art have the power to capture and preserve the fleeting moments of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If tomorrow was today
If time didn't exist and all days were the same
It would be yesterday
The concept of time is only a construct and holds no real meaning
The sun is surely just a thought away
The power of imagination can bring us closer to things we desire but cannot see or touch
Where visions that men fail
Our human limitations prevent us from fully grasping certain experiences
To put to words the tale
We struggle to express in language the depth of our experiences
And music that they try but cannot play
Even the most adept musicians cannot fully capture the beauty of certain melodies or emotions
You're right, it's just a dream, your company so kind
The singer acknowledges that the experience they are sharing is not reality, but still appreciates the companionship of the person they are with
Hold very tightly please and we shall go out
The artist asks to hold onto the moment and live in the present while letting go of context and reality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAHSAAN JAS BROMFIELD, ANDREZ HARRIOTT, JADE JONES, COREE LOEN DELANEY RICHARDS, NOEL AUGUSTUS SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind