Growing up in the New Cross area of London and attending Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, his musical career began in the late 1960s when he was busking (with John Crocker) and performing his own songs, some of which were later recorded by him and the band.
The original Cockney Rebel was formed when Harley hooked up with his former folk partner, John Crocker (fiddle / mandolin / guitar), in 1972. They auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and keyboardist Milton Reame-James. They were signed to EMI after playing just five gigs. Their first single "Sebastian", a soaring rock epic, was an immediate success in Europe, though failed to score in the UK singles chart. Their first album, The Human Menagerie, was released in 1973 to critical acclaim, and is still felt by many fans to be their best. The orchestra arrangements were penned by a guy named Andrew Powell who was suggested to the group by their record company. The interesting aspect about Steve's backing band was that they had no real lead guitarist, which equaled to a revolutionary move at that time. Harley's unashamed theatricality, the weird costumes for his stage appearances and the dithyrambic live performance soon made Cockney Rebel one of the most critically acclaimed acts on the circuit, soon gaining a strong cult following.
Harley managed to irritate a significant segment of the music press with his self-aggrandisement, even as the music itself was getting rave reviews and gaining a wide audience. Shortly thereafter Harley got in touch with the talented producer Alan Parsons, who had made his first experiences as an assistant engineer during the The Beatles' Abbey Road sessions and had also engineered for a variety of artists since. Alan co-produced Cockney Rebel's next single "Judy Teen" which reached #5 in the UK charts. It was soon agreed that Alan Parsons also be the co-producer for The Psychomodo, which was released in 1974. When it came to orchestration Alan said 'I've got a guy' but Steve refused and replied 'No, use the same guy as last time'. Therefore, as fate would have it, The Psychomodo was the first album Powell and Parsons would work on together, but certainly not the last (as Powell was later steadily involved with The Alan Parsons Project). Soon after the release of the album Steve had his backing band dispersed an fully regrouped, with only drummer Stuart Elliot remaining. The next hit quickly followed, "Mr. Soft", also taken from the album, and after that "Big Big Deal" which was already recorded using the new lineup of Cockney Rebel. In 1975, the album The Best Years of Our Lives hit the market, and it was the first time that the album's sleeve officially stated 'Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel'. On keyboards was South-African Duncan Mackay, a highly talented keyboard wizard who had a strong influence on the sound of the group. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" was the big chart buster taken off this record.
Harley, as doggedly unpredictable as ever, started touring the US supporting The Kinks. Overseas "Make Me Smile" was doing fine, and so a Best of album especially put together for the American market was compiled: A Closer Look, a selection from the period when label credits read Cockney Rebel rather than Steve Harley's Cockney Rebel. A next new single "Black or White" failed to enter the charts, same as "White White Dove" in January 1976. That didn't discourage Steve and he released the next album: Timeless Flight which was equally a disappointment commercially, even though it contains very strong moments of Steve and the band. The oddly percussive synth-playing of Duncan Mackay pervaded the album, and on a musical level made it almost as much Duncan's as it was Harley's. Already later that year a new long-player was brought out, Love's a Prima Donna. For that album Harley succeeded gradually to build a bridge between pop and classical music. The Beatles' classic "Here Comes the Sun" was the preview single of the album and charted in the UK's Top Ten in 1976's extraordinarily hot July. In between Steve had a first appearance for The Alan Parsons Project. For their 1977 album I Robot Harley contributed vocals for one of his most charismatic moments, the performance of "The Voice". Unfortunately, this first contribution was also his last. Parsons also often used the instrumental skills of Stuart Elliot and Duncan Mackay for his own project, and they became steady participants in the recording sessions Parsons held at Abbey Road Studios. Steve realized that he should regain the attention of his fans and undertook a vast tour of England in 1976, recording live on the concerts. This eventually spawned the double live album Face to Face (A Live Recording). By the time it was released Cockney Rebel had already ceased to exists and Steve went on a sojourn in California/USA where he had planned to write and records songs. Duncan Mackay recorded his second solo album Score and joined the reformed and expanded 10cc. In the meantime Harley recorded his planned album using the best-booked session musicians of the US: Rick Schlosser (drums), Ricky Fataar (drums, ex-The Beach Boys), Bob Glaub (bass), Bill Payne (piano, of Little Feat), Bill Champlin (backing vocals, then a member of Chicago), Michael McDonald (backing vocals, at the time a member of The Doobie Brothers) etc. By the end of the recording session Harley had already returned to England, where he finalized the new album at Abbey Road Studios. He later told reporters that the songs contained on the album were old ones, because he didn't succeed in writing songs in California. It should also be mentioned that Harley's long-time friend Marc Bolan played guitar on the track "Amerika the Brave" but tragically died in a motor car accident in south London shortly thereafter. He never heard the final product. Just one week prior to the album's release a preview single "Roll the Dice / Waiting" came out but unfortunately didn't make it up into the charts. A second single, a remix of "Someone's Coming", came out but followed the fate of the first.
Bummed out by the lack of success of Hobo With a Grin Harley announced a planned comeback with a new band and a new concept. The album was finished in early October, and on the 20th he performed a sold-out gig at the London Hammersmith. One track of the new finished album was released as a single and made it into the charts: "Star for a Week" (later also known as "Dino") describes the story of an ordinary boy, searching for his own identity. Apparently the finished album was shelved thereafter for reasons unknown. In February 1979 Harley recorded The Candidate again mostly at Abbey Road Studios, using a variety of England's most outstanding and talented musicians. Unfortunately the album largely fell through the cracks commercially even though the single taken off of it, "Freedom's Prisoner", did well in Germany. By the end of 1980 EMI brought out The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
Harley recollects the 80s as being his lost years, but still a lot of things happened in his life. He terminated a six-year relationship and got married to Dorothy Cromby in February 1981, accepted a proposition to play the 'Christopher Marlowe' in Marlowes "Conspiracy" and formed a new band. In early 1982 the single "I Can't Even Touch You" hit the market but remained a secret to the broad audience. EMI re-issued the double-CD The Human Menagerie/The Psychomodo. In 1986 he participated in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production The Phantom of the Opera, teaming up alongside Sarah Brightman. The pertinent, same-titled single was released in January 1986. In June 1986 RAK release a remixed version of "Irresistible / Lucky Man". The B-side of the UK release, "Lucky Man", had Midge Ure on guitar. An album which was also finished at the time under the working title El Gran Senor never saw release. One of the tracks of that period, "Sophistication", later re-surfaced on the album Anytime! (A Live Set). 1992 finally saw the release of previously unknown material, Yes You Can. The album consists of old songs never released before and some new ones, using a variety of different musicians. Stuart Elliot played drums on several tracks, participations of Jim Cregan and Duncan Mackay are contained. With this album in his luggage, Steve went on a new tour in 1992/93 throughout Europe. Motivated by the warm welcome of his fans, he wrote new songs which were eventually published on the 1996 album Poetic Justice, which remained a collector's item as so many times before. Ever since he's continuing to tour Europe, mainly presenting older songs with some new ones in between, mostly solely playing them with an acoustic guitar. This eventually spawned new releases which hit the market as Stripped to the Bare Bones - Live and Acoustic From the Jazz Café, London (1999), Acoustic and Pure - Live (2002, again with Jim Cregan) or Anytime! (A Live Set). Steve continues to compose new songs, published The Quality of Mercy in 2005, and also appeared as a featured artist on the Dossche release Ich bin Gott. For his 2006 Anthology tour, Stuart Elliot was again part of his backing band. In summer 2008 Harley toured the UK again, for the first time ever with a supporting artist, the young singer-songwriter Simon Le Fort.
In May 2010, Harley released his new studio album Stranger Comes to Town.
In April 2012, Harley teamed up with Australian guitarist Joe Matera and embarked on a promotional tour of Australia.
Harley's sixth solo album, Uncovered, including the single "I've Just Seen a Face", was released in February 2020.
Sebastian
Steve Harley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Generate me limply, can't seem to place your name, cherie
To rearrange all these thoughts in a moment is suicide
Come to a strange place, we'll talk over old times we never smile
Somebody called me Sebastian
Somebody called me Sebastian
Work out a rhyme, toss me the time, lay me, you're mine
Your Persian eyes sparkle; your lips, ruby blue, never speak a sound
And you, oh so gay, with Parisian demands, you can run-around
And your view of society screws up my mind like you'll never know
Lead me away, come inside, see my mind in kaleidoscope
Somebody called me Sebastian
Somebody called me Sebastian
Mangle my mind, love me sublime, do it in style,
So we all know, oh yeah!
You're not gonna run, babe, we only just begun, babe, to compromise
Slagged in a Bowery saloon, love's a story we'll serialize
Pale angel face; green eye-shadow, the glitter is outasight
No courtesan could begin to decipher your beam of light
Somebody called me Sebastian
Somebody called me Sebastian
Dance on my heart, laugh, swoop and dart, la-di-di-da,
Now we all know you, yeah!
The song "Sebastian" by Steve Harley is a mysterious and avant-garde piece with enigmatic lyrics that create a surreal atmosphere. The opening lines of the song convey a sense of hopelessness and exhaustion as the singer feels drained by the world around him. The reference to a burning candle suggests a sense of dying hope or a fading life force. The singer is unable to think straight and cannot recall the name of a person he longs for. The next lines reveal a dark aspect of the singer's state of mind. He considers rearranging his thoughts as "suicide," implying he might be grappling with mental health issues or depression.
The following lines shift the mood of the song as a person referred to as Sebastian enters the narrative. It is unclear who Sebastian is, but it is suggested that he might be a lover or a close friend. The chorus "Somebody called me Sebastian" is repeated multiple times, creating a strange and catchy musical motif. The lyrics merge reality and fantasy, as the singer feels Sebastian's presence and longs for some comfort and companionship. The song ends on a triumphant note, as the singer declares that "we all know you," suggesting that Sebastian, whoever he represents, is finally understood.
Line by Line Meaning
Radiate simply, the candle is burning, so low for me
I am feeling weak and helpless, the flame of hope in me is slowly dying.
Generate me limply, can't seem to place your name, cherie
I am not able to think clearly, cherie, and I cannot recall your name.
To rearrange all these thoughts in a moment is suicide
Trying to sort through my thoughts so suddenly feels like a suicide attempt.
Come to a strange place, we'll talk over old times we never smile
Let's go somewhere unfamiliar and reminisce about the past, but do it without any happiness or joy.
Somebody called me Sebastian
I am being referred to by Sebastian, probably a nickname.
Work out a rhyme, toss me the time, lay me, you're mine
Let's create a rhyme together and enjoy each other's company because you have swept me off my feet.
And we all know, oh yeah!
I am confident that people around are aware of our relationship status.
Your Persian eyes sparkle; your lips, ruby blue, never speak a sound
Your eyes show joy, and your lips are blushing with emotion, yet you stay quiet.
And you, oh so gay, with Parisian demands, you can run-around
You are flitting around like a butterfly, commanding everything like a Parisian, yet so cheerful.
And your view of society screws up my mind like you'll never know
Your perception of society is strange and confuses me deeply.
Lead me away, come inside, see my mind in kaleidoscope
Take me with you, and let me show you how my mind works like a kaleidoscope.
Mangle my mind, love me sublime, do it in style,
Let's get together and mix our thoughts, loving each other gracefully with stylishness.
So we all know, oh yeah!
A declaration to the world that we are in love and it is evident to everyone.
You're not gonna run, babe, we only just begun, babe, to compromise
Don't say you'll leave; we have just started, babe. Give us some time to figure things out.
Slagged in a Bowery saloon, love's a story we'll serialize
Love stories often happen in dive bars, which we will convert into a serializable story.
Pale angel face; green eye-shadow, the glitter is outasight
With your pale face and green eye-shadow, your beauty is outstanding and glitters brightly.
No courtesan could begin to decipher your beam of light
Nobody, even the most experienced courtesan, could comprehend or explain your charm.
Dance on my heart, laugh, swoop and dart, la-di-di-da,
Make me happy with your bewitching moves, laugh, and dance away without a care.
Now we all know you, yeah!
The world knows about you, and they acknowledge your magnificence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE HARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hansvandenoever4445
RIP Steve, thank you for your beautifull music and voice.
@stevengrundy7067
love this song, unusual song to run to but it's on my playlist. RIP Steve.
@markachternaamloos4184
It was used at my best friends funeral at November 2, 2023.. It took some tears ...
@DavidTransformer
Saw Steve so many times but hearing Sebastian with a full orchestra was one of my greatest all time musical experiences. RIP Steve and thanks for the memories
@marionb2443
Mein verstorbener Bruder hat dieses Lied in den 70ern ständig gehört und heute erinnert es mich immer noch an ihn.
@JohnC8788
Listened to this since I was 17 ... I'm 62.. Never understood a word but loved every bit ..can recite it word for word !! Saw the band in Liverpool in the seventies..never looked back
@paulthompson5295
Saw Steve Harley in Edinburgh 12 years ago ....boooom 🤯😍😍
@paulwilson2651
@@paulthompson5295 Saw him in Edinburgh in the 80's
@henkfokkema9528
@@paulthompson5295 thanks for artists real name.I have allways been atracted to this prose
I have been different places , situations in life.
This is what life is about.
@ikaria8249
That's poetry.. Understandable things are simple words. Poetry moves our soul, we understand only with the hurt!