Released 1989 Genre Pop-rock Label Vital Vinyl | Format 7" Length 3:32 | |
B-side Theme From "Babbacombe Lee" | ||
"When I'm with You" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released as a non-album single in 1989. The song was written and produced by Harley and the ex-Cockney Rebel guitarist Jim Cregan and drummer Stuart Elliott.
Contents
Background
After a Christmas tour in 1981, and the odd show between 1983–84, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel would not embark on a tour again until 1989, after Harley made plans for the "Come Back, All is Forgiven" tour. At the beginning of 1989, before the tour, Harley returned to the studio and recorded some demo tracks with Jim Cregan, Duncan Mackay and Stuart Elliott, all of which were in the most successful reincarnation of Cockney Rebel from 1974-1977. The sessions saw four songs written and produced; "When I'm with You", "Dancing on the Telephone", "The Alibi" and "Limbs of Man".
The "Come Back, All is Forgiven" tour was arranged to cover England as well as Europe. As part of the upcoming tour's setlist, Harley added a selection of new songs: "When I'm with You", "Dancing on the Telephone", "The Lighthouse" and "Not Alone Anymore" (a song by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys, from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1). To coincide with the beginning of the tour in 1989, Harley released "When I'm with You" as a non-album single, purposely to promote the live shows. The sixty-date tour was a success, and the band, under different line-up changes, have continued to tour since. Despite the tour's success, "When I'm with You" failed to chart.
"When I'm with You" had been Harley's first new solo single since 1986's "Irresistible". It would also be Harley's last release of new material until the 1992 studio album Yes You Can. The two tracks "Dancing on the Telephone" and "The Lighthouse" would later be recorded for Yes You Can, however the album would not include "When I'm with You".
The single's B-Side is an instrumental track titled "Theme From "Babbacombe Lee", which was labelled on the vinyl as from the forthcoming movie Babbacombe Lee. The song was written solely by Harley, and produced by Harley and Steve Hills. The film, which never materialised, was to be based on the true story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, who survived three attempts to hang him in Victorian times. The film was due to feature Harley as the leading character, however those involved with the project were never able to secure funding. A different version of the track later appeared as a B-Side to the 1992 European CD single release of "Irresistible", a single taken from the Yes You Can album. The song was renamed to "The Waggon".
Release
The single was released by Vital Records on 7" vinyl in the UK only. It was published by BMG Music and JSE Music Ltd., and distributed by Precision Records & Tapes Limited. The single featured a black-and-white sleeve, with the front cover highlighting a close-up photograph of Harley.
Following the song's release as a single, the song has not appeared on any other release or compilation. As a result, it has never had a digital release, and therefore remains on vinyl only. However a live version of the song, recorded from either Brighton or Northampton in 1989, was professionally filmed, and this was released in October 1989 on VHS, titled The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live.
Following the release of the VHS, the same concert would later emerge as an audio album, which has been released across Europe under a number of different titles. Some of these titles, including the song, include 1993's Live in the UK and Star for a Week, 1996's Make Me Smile - Live on Tour, and 1997's Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
Track listing
- "When I'm with You" - 3:32
- "Theme From "Babbacombe Lee"" - 3:24