Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make Me Smile

“Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” – Single by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel from the album The Best Years of Our Lives
B-side “Another Journey”
Released 31 January 1975
Label EMI
Songwriter Steve Harley
Producers Steve Harley, Alan Parsons
Charted in No.96 in US; No.1 in UK

The song was the first single to be released under the name “Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel”, as opposed to simply “Cockney Rebel”. In July 1974, the original Cockney Rebel disbanded, and Harley then assembled a new line-up later in the year. “Make Me Smile” described Harley’s feelings on the band’s split. For many years, it was believed that Harley purposely chose to disband the original line-up and embark on a new career path. Years later, Harley began to reveal the truth behind the band’s split.

“Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” was released in the UK by EMI Records on 31 January 1975. It was also released in various European countries, Australasia, South Africa and Japan, as well as in the US in 1976. The single’s B-side was the non-album track “Another Journey”, which was written by Harley.

The song was originally written as a slow blues, but producer Alan Parsons suggested speeding it up. He recalled to Uncut: “It was a little dirgy, slower and a little pedestrian, very on the beat. I changed it to a way I thought worked much better with the girls.”