"When I'm with You" | ||||
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Single by Steve Harley | ||||
B-side | Theme From "Babbacombe Lee" | |||
Released | 1989 | |||
Format | 7" | |||
Genre | Pop-rock | |||
Length | 3:32 | |||
Label | Vital Vinyl | |||
Songwriter(s) | Steve Harley, Jim Cregan, Stuart Elliott | |||
Producer(s) | Harley, Cregan, Elliott | |||
Steve Harley singles chronology | ||||
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"When I'm with You" is a song by the British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released as a non-album single in 1989. It was written and produced by Harley, ex-Cockney Rebel guitarist Jim Cregan and drummer Stuart Elliott.
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, when 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 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 the UK and Europe. As part of the upcoming tour's set-list, Harley added a selection of new songs: "When I'm with You", "Dancing on the Telephone", "The Lighthouse", and the Traveling Wilburys' "Not Alone Anymore". To coincide with the commencement of the tour in 1989, Harley released "When I'm with You" as a non-album single to promote the live shows. Although the single failed to chart, the sixty-date tour was a success, and the band, under different line-up changes, have continued to tour since.
"When I'm with You" was Harley's first new solo single since 1986's "Irresistible". It would also be his last release of new material until his 1992 solo album Yes You Can. Both "Dancing on the Telephone" and "The Lighthouse" would later be recorded for Yes You Can, however the album did 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 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 "Irresistible", where it was renamed "The Waggon".