Steve Harley (born Steven Nice on 27 February 27 in south London, died on 17th March 2024 at the age of 73)) began his musical career as a soloist in the legendary Beckenham Arts Lab founded by David Bowie. Here, 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 Steve 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, one of the band's first gigs being at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London, on 23 July 1972 supporting The Jeff Beck Group . 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.
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. It was becoming clear that Harley regarded the band as little more than accompaniment to his own agenda, and already there were signs that things would not last, despite having a big hit with their second single, "Judy Teen". There then followed the album The Psychomodo, an adventurous and ambitious production which showed that there was real talent in the group. A second single from the album, "Mr. Soft", was also a big hit. The band was voted the 'Most Outstanding New Act' of 1974. By this time the problems within the band had already reached a head, and all the musicians, with the exception of Stuart Elliott, quit at the end of a highly successful UK tour. Harley's next appearance on Top of the Pops was supported by session musicians drafted in for the show.
From then on, the band was a band in name only, being more or less a Steve Harley solo project. In 1974, a further album, The Best Years Of Our Lives was made, produced by Beatles recording engineer, Alan Parsons. This included the track "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" which would go on to be a UK Number One single and the band's biggest selling hit. In a television interview recorded in 2002, Harley described how the lyrics are vindictively directed at the former band members, whom he felt had abandoned him - a fact which eludes a majority of listeners who enjoy the apparently happy chorus.
After 1975, Harley struggled to match the success of "Make Me Smile" and faded from fame, and Cockney Rebel eventually disbanded in 1977.
In 1998 Harley began to use the Cockney Rebel name again. The 2005 album "Quality of Mercy" (which included the singles "A Friend for Life" and "The Last Goodbye") was the first album since the 1970s to be released with the Cockney Rebel name
In 2010, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel began touring again setting concert dates for England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. This was done following the release of the new studio album Stranger Comes to Town. On 24 November 2012 the band including the Orchestra of the Swan and a choir performed the band's first two albums The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo in their entirety for the first time. A live double-CD and DVD was released in October 2013 of this performance, titled Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir).
Current members
Steve Harley - vocals, guitars (1972–1977, 1998–present)
Stuart Elliott - drums (1972–1977, 1998–present)
Lincoln Anderson - bass (2001–present)
Robbie Gladwell - guitar, vocals (1998-present)
Former members
John Crocker - violin, mandolin, guitar (1972–1974)
Paul Jeffreys - bass (1972–1974; died on 21 December 1988 in the Lockerbie air disaster)
Nick Jones - guitar (1972)
Pete Newnham - guitar (1972)
Milton Reame-James - keyboards (1972–1974)
Jim Cregan - guitar (1975–1977)
George Ford - bass (1975–1977)
Duncan Mackay - keyboards (1975–1977)
Jo Partridge - guitars (1976–1977)
UK Discography
Singles
* "Sebastian" - 1973
* "Judy Teen" - 1974 - Number 5
* "Mr. Soft" - 1974 - Number 8
* "Big Big Deal" - 1974
* "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" - 1975 - Number 1
* "Mr. Raffles (Man It Was Mean)" - 1975 - Number 13
* "Black Or White" - 1975
* "White White Dove" - 1976
* "Here Comes The Sun" - 1976 - Number 10
* "(I Believe) Love's A Prima Donna" - 1976 - Number 41
* "The Best Years Of Our Lives" (live) - 1977
* "Freedom's Prisoner" - 1979 - Number 58
* "Ballerina (Prima Donna)" - 1983 - Number 51
* "The Phantom Of The Opera" - 1986 - Number 7
* "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" - re-issue - 1992 - Number 46
* "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" - 2nd re-issue - 1995 - Number 33
*"The Last Goodbye" - 2006 - UK # 186
Albums:
Cockney Rebel:
* The Human Menagerie - 1973
* The Psychomodo - 1974 - Number 8
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel:
* The Best Years Of Our Lives - 1975 - Number 4
* Timeless Flight - 1976 - Number 18
* Love's A Prima Donna - 1976 - Number 28
* Face To Face - A Live Recording - 1977 - Number 40
* The Quality of Mercy - 2005
* Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir) - 2013 UK Independent Chart # 36
Hideaway
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Lyrics
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And take all your money and hide away
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and flee
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and hide away, hide away, hide away
It was summer or maybe spring, oh I can't remember
We found our hearts and stole them from our bodies
We couldn't understand the villain's call
We'd often recall the beginnings
We'd often try in vain to change it all
We couldn't help but keep ourselves from sinning
It was summer, summer or maybe spring
Or maybe spring, or maybe spring
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and hide away
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and flee
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and hide away, hide away, hide away
It was summer or maybe spring, I can't remember
It was summer or maybe spring, I can't recall
We'd try to always calm our elders
But always we did seem to fall
We'd never try to tame the burning embers
It didn't seem to matter how we'd fare
It seemed we couldn't ever escape December
It was summer, summer or maybe spring
Or maybe spring, or maybe spring, ooh
Oh it was summer, summer or maybe spring
Or maybe spring, or maybe spring
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and hide away
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and flee
Let them come a-running
And take all your money and hide away
Hide away, hide away, hide away, hide away
The song "Hideaway" by Steve Harley is a melancholic and reflective ballad that speaks of a past love and the will to escape with one's partner to a secluded location far from the world, to hide and to start a new life. The first verse of the song calls for thieves to come and take away all their money, as the singer wants to abandon the stresses of daily life and rid themselves of all materialistic distractions. In the second verse, the lyrics narrate the discovery of love in the midst of spring or summer, and how they felt they had to protect their love from the judgments of others. They reminisce on how they would often try to distance themselves, but could not put out the fire that burned in their hearts. The song ends on a repetition of the chorus, urging their escape to a hidden safehouse where they can be with each other in peace.
This ballad was originally written and performed by Harley for his 1974 album The Psychomodo. The song was produced by The Beatles' producer George Martin and reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. Although the song did not chart well in the US, it remains one of Harley's most beloved compositions in Europe, with successful cover versions sprung forth by other diverse artists such as The Devlins and Alison Moyet. In the ensuing years, "Hideaway" has been featured on TV shows like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos, further cementing the song's reputation as a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Let them come a-running
Allow others to come quickly
And take all your money and hide away
And steal all your money and then conceal themselves
Let them come a-running
Allow others to come quickly
And take all your money and flee
And grab all your money and quickly run away
Let them come a-running
Allow others to come quickly
And take all your money and hide away, hide away, hide away
And steal all your money and conceal themselves multiple times
It was summer or maybe spring, oh I can't remember
It was a season of happiness, but the singer can't recall which one
It was summer or maybe spring, oh I can't recall
It was a season of happiness, but the singer can't remember which one
We found our hearts and stole them from our bodies
We fell in love deeply
We couldn't understand the villain's call
We couldn't comprehend the bad guy's actions
We'd often recall the beginnings
We'd reminisce about the start of our romance
We'd often try in vain to change it all
We'd attempt, albeit unsuccessfully, to alter our circumstances
We couldn't help but keep ourselves from sinning
We couldn't resist the temptation to do wrong
It was summer, summer or maybe spring
It was either summer or spring
Or maybe spring, or maybe spring
Or possibly it was spring
We'd try to always calm our elders
We'd always attempt to soothe our older relatives
But always we did seem to fall
But we always seemed to fail
We'd never try to tame the burning embers
We'd never attempt to control our passionate feelings
It didn't seem to matter how we'd fare
No matter how we did, it was all for naught
It seemed we couldn't ever escape December
It seemed like we could never get out of a difficult situation
It was summer, summer or maybe spring
It was either summer or spring
Or maybe spring, or maybe spring, ooh
Or possibly it was spring
Hide away, hide away, hide away, hide away
Conceal yourself multiple times
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVE HEYWOOD, LEROY HEYWOOD, ADELE HARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind