you're not alone

Olive's first and biggest hit took more than a year to climb to the top of the charts; it was all a matter of time.  Tim Kellett, former trumpeter and keyboardist for the Durutti Column and then Simply Red,  formed the band with Nightmares On Wax keyboardist Robin Taylor-Firth.  Taylor-Firth admits: "It just seemed like a good collaboration to have a look at, 'cos I was basically doing underground stuff that wasn't selling much and he was doing stuff that was selling loads."  They recorded some demos while looking for a singer.  While touring with the Durutti Column, Kellett heard the voice he wanted in one of the pre-recorded samples he was playing.  Ruth-Ann Boyle remembers:  "I was singing on an album for Durutti Column, and just gave them some samples, basically.   Then they went on tour after that, but rather than send me out with them as the singer, they brought the samples on the keyboards and then triggered them. That's how Tim heard my voice."  Boyle was working at a bar not far from Kellett's home and agreed to do some tracks in his basement studio.  Their three-song demo created a bidding war among British labels with RCA finally signing the band.  Taylor-Firth says:  "We had two or three tunes done :­ 'Miracle', 'Falling' and 'You're Not Alone' and off the back of those we got quite a lot of interest from quite a few people. We signed in early September '95, and by that time we'd been sitting on our hands really, so we got the rest of the record done by January '96. Victims of our own organization."  That album, 'Extra Virgin' established Olive in the burgeoning trip hop downtempo dance scene.   Tim Kellett says:  “We were keen to get some really strong backing tracks together…drum & bass, dub reggae and jungle, but what’s most important to us is to stick a good pop song on top. We try to marry good melodies and good lyrics. And that’s what sets us apart from some of the other bands we get lumped in with...I tend to write from a feminine perspective. Maybe it’s because I grew up with three sisters as the only boy in the family. And I have two little girls of my own. I’ve always found it more interesting to write for a girl than a boy. And once we joined up with Ruth-Ann, I began to write about some of the things that were important in her life.”

The languid and luscious 'You're Not Alone' didn't even crack the British top forty when it was first released.  Kellett recalls:  "It wasn't the first song we released, but it was certainly our most famous. The first time we released 'You're Not Alone' it didn't really pick up, but then we got urged to re-release it and it went straight in at number one."  The remixed version of the song charted all over the world, hitting number fifty-six in Canada and the US, forty-two in France, forty in Australia, twenty-four in the Netherlands, sixteen in Switzerland, fourteen in Sweden, thirteen in Belgium, nine in Finland, five on the US dance chart, four in Denmark, three in Ireland, and number one in the UK.  There were three different  videos released.  

Olive - You're not alone by Bishamon





In a way, it's all a matter of time
I will not worry for you, You'll be just fine
Take my thoughts with you, and when you look behind
You will surely see a face that you recognize

You're not alone, I'll wait till the end of time
Open your mind, Surely it's plain to see
You're not alone, I'll wait till the end of time for you
Open your mind, Surely there's time to be with me

It is the distance, that makes life a little hard
Two minds that once were close, Now so many miles apart
I will not falter though, I'll hold on till you're home
Safely back where you belong, And see how our love has grown

You're not alone, I'll wait till the end of time
Open your mind, Surely it's plain to see
You're not alone, I'll wait till the end of time for you
Open your mind, Surely there's time to be with me









 'Extra Virgin'
full album:



All tracks written by Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth.


1. "Miracle" 7:32
2. "This Time" 4:43
3. "Safer Hands" 5:02
4. "Killing" 4:10
5. "You're Not Alone" 4:32
6. "Falling" 4:53
7. "Outlaw" (UK, Irish and Japanese promo release included an unedited version of the track) 5:08
8. "Blood Red Tears" 4:41
9. "Curious" 5:00
10. "You Are Nothing" 4:19
11. "Muted" 3:37

12. "I Don't Think So" (including a hidden version of "You're Not Alone") 13:43