Kershaw played guitar and sang in a number of underground bands from about 1976 before deciding on a career as a songwriter. However, he ended up performing his own songs rather than giving them to others, and signed a deal with MCA Records in 1983, which spawned a debut single, "I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", which just missed out on the UK Top 40. At the beginning of 1984, he made his breakthrough when "Wouldn't It Be Good", featuring a video of Kershaw as a chromakey-suited alien, reached Number 4 in the UK charts. He enjoyed three more Top 20 hits from debut album Human Racing , including the title track and a successful re-issue of his debut single, which ultimately proved his biggest hit as a performer when it got to Number 2 in the UK.
Despite winning awards, attracting admirers for his writing such as Elton John & Eric Clapton. He gainied a huge teenage fanbase, Kershaw was not without his critics. Some complained that he did too much onstage when he had a competent backing band called the Krew to play all the required guitar and keyboard parts of his songs.
Kershaw, who was married to long-time love and backing singer Sheri, then released a single called "The Riddle", which would send fans, journalists and linguists into overdrive, as each tried to establish what the meaning was behind the strange set of circumstances and clues which Kershaw put in the verses and chorus (though it in fact later turned out to be hastily created nonsense). Another major hit, it was also the title track of his second album, which also spawned two more UK Top 10 hits, "Wide Boy" and "Don Quixote".
In July 1985 Kershaw was among performers at Live Aid, Wembley Stadium. His star began to wane soon afterwards and he enjoyed only one more UK Top 40 hit, the debut single from his third album, Radio Musicola. Radio Musicola, despite receiving critical acclaim, was a flop in the UK charts. After this, Kershaw teamed up with 'We Built This City' producer Peter Wolf for his fourth album, The Works. After neither Kershaw or Wolf were happy with the results, Kershaw re-recorded the album with producer Julian Mendelsohn. The Works failed to chart in the UK, but it’s debut single, One Step Ahead, charted at No. 55. The albums failure led to him being dropped by MCA Records.
After The Works, Kershaw retired from recording music in favour of his original career path as a songwriter. His prowess as a songwriter served him well in 1991 when his song The One And Only, appeared on the soundtrack to the Brittish movie Buddy's Song and in the American film "Doc Hollywood", and provided a UK Number 1 single for the star of the film, Chesney Hawkes (son of the Tremeloes' Chip Hawkes). In 1993 The Hollies had a minor hit with another of his songs, The Woman I Love. Kershaw featured prominently as a vocalist on Tony Banks’ album Still, along with penning some of the tracks.
1999 saw the release of the Britpop-styled 15 Minutes, a collection of songs that are generally more personal and mature, and that he could not envisage being recorded by other artists. Both this and the more commercial To Be Frank (2001) are stylistically different from his earlier work by being underpinned by acoustic guitar rather than synthesiser.
These were followed by 'You’ve Got To Laugh', another collection of acoustic-led songs and 'EI8HT', a commercial MOR pop album brought on by the 80s revival and also led to the return of synthesisers in his music. Kershaw released his latest album, Oxymoron, in 2020 and is in the process of releasing a series of EPs, Songs from a Shelf. He still performs regularly.
For more information visit the official site at http://www.nikkershaw.net
Shine On
Nik Kershaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put them all around me and wondered
What to do
Like a temple in memory
A shrine in your name
To days I don't remember
To nights I can't reclaim
I took a part of my life
Pulled it all to pieces and tried to make a song
With a groove you could dance to, a tune you could hum
I sung to my reflection, looking for the one
Man sees the boy in his eyes
Boy sees the man, singing:
[Chorus:]
Shine on
I thought you were gone
I thought you gave in
Deserted me long ago
Shine on
You're somebody's son
You're laughing again
You're letting the feeling grow
I took a hold of myself; it's not how I planned
Pulled myself together and acted like a man
I got a face I must keep up - responsible me
I keep it on my shoulders for everyone to see
But man sees the boy in his eyes
Boy sees the man, singing:
[Chorus]
Letting the feeling grow
Giving the years back to me
Letting the whole world know
That somebody in there loves me
Man sees the boy when he cries
Boy sees the man clinging on to him
Man sees the boy in his eyes
Boy sees the man, singing:
Shine on
The song "Shine On" by Nik Kershaw is a reflection on the past, present, and future. The lyrics revolve around memories and the desire to reclaim them as well as the struggle to maintain a façade of maturity while still acknowledging the child within us. The opening line, "I took an hundred and ten pictures of you, Put them all around me and wondered what to do," suggests a sense of obsession with the past, and the desire to hold onto it while also acknowledging that it is something beyond our control. The lyrics continue with references to memories that cannot be reclaimed, and the singer's attempts to make sense of them by "Making a song with a groove you can dance to, A tune you can hum."
The chorus of the song consists of the phrase "Shine On" repeated twice, which serves as a call to embrace the present and let go of the past. It encourages the listener to "let the feeling grow" and to "let the whole world know that somebody in there loves me." The final line, "Man sees the boy in his eyes, Boy sees the man, singing Shine On," emphasizes the singer's struggle to reconcile the different parts of his personality and come to terms with his past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
I took an hundred and ten pictures of you
I captured every possible moment of you in my life and kept them all just to feel your presence.
Put them all around me and wondered
I surround myself with your memories and wonder what it would be like to have you back in my life.
Like a temple in memory
Your memories are like a sacred place in my mind and I worship them every day.
A shrine in your name
I have created a shrine in your name to pay homage to the person who once meant everything to me.
To days I don't remember
These memories are from the days which I cannot recall clearly any longer.
To nights I can't reclaim
And the nights where I wish I could go back and change or relieve one more time.
I took a part of my life
I took a part of my life and reflected on it.
About eighteen years long
That period spans a significant part of my life - 18 years.
Pulled it all to pieces and tried to make a song
I've reflected on my life and created a song, trying to give meaning to my experiences.
With a groove you could dance to, a tune you could hum
The song that I've made is catchy and upbeat with melody and rhythm that people can sway and hum along to.
I sung to my reflection, looking for the one
I sang my heart out while looking at my reflection, hoping to find what I'm looking for.
Man sees the boy in his eyes
I see a younger version of myself within the man I am now.
Boy sees the man, singing:
The younger version of me is singing this song that I am the writer of.
[Chorus:] Shine on
Despite everything, keep shining.
I thought you were gone
I thought I would have to face the world alone without you.
I thought you gave in
I thought you had given up on me and left me alone.
Deserted me long ago
I thought your presence had deserted me long ago.
You're somebody's son
You may belong to someone else as their child, but you will always hold a special place in my memories.
You're laughing again
I can hear your laughter once again in my heart - your happy memories which I always cherish.
You're letting the feeling grow
You're letting your carefree and happy memories flow and grow once again.
I took a hold of myself; it's not how I planned
I tried to get a grip on myself and my emotions, but things didn't go according to my plan.
Pulled myself together and acted like a man
I gathered my strength and tried to behave maturely to face life's challenges.
I got a face I must keep up - responsible me
I need to keep up a responsible image in front of everyone else around me.
I keep it on my shoulders for everyone to see
I carry this image on my shoulders for those around me to see and believe.
Letting the feeling grow
I want to let my emotions grow and be its own being.
Giving the years back to me
I'm trying to give back the youthful years to myself and relive them again.
Letting the whole world know
I want to share with the world how I feel and what your memories mean to me.
That somebody in there loves me
Even if you're gone, there is a part of me that still loves and holds onto your memories.
Boy sees the man clinging on to him
The younger me sees myself still holding onto my past, still longing for my lost love.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: NIK KERSHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miracle Baba
There is not a truer, deeper album than Kershaw's 15 Minutes, every song is a revelation
WynMills1
This is such an uplifting song, it makes your heart sing. Wonderful!
John Pisello
I think this song speaks to every middle-aged man's experience. Especially right after I lost my own father, this song made me cry every time I heard it. Even now it makes me very emotional.
Grant Tully
Love this song.Love this album.Man is a genious.
judson leach
Another AMAZING "Nik Song" !!!! (And the HITS just keep coming!) - Have you heard the new 2020 Album yet?!? INCREDIBLE !!!
Mahé
I love NK because he is a "surprise singer", i.e. there's always multiple little things he adds when singing like whoo whoo whoos, or singing tips and vocalizations that I absolutely adore because they bring much colors to the song and sometimes they make me melt literally. I think this is the sign of a great artist. Not only singing the musical score but making it spicy and more exciting to the listener. That's what I like in music and I think NK is the champion in the field. I'm a fan for ever. Not on every track but the 12 I'm stuck on almost every day I consider them as many strokes of genius. The bell, Little star, Billy, Shine on, 15 minutes, So quiet, Cloud nine, Somebody loves you, These little things, The wrong man, Wouldn't it be good, If I let you get away, The choosen ones...
judson leach
One of my FAVORITE Nik songs!
Retroactive
Beautiful song <3 Thanks!
michael maher
I was the drummer with the band that opened for Nik Kershaw in Hamburg when he was touring to promote 15 mins .All I can say is the album is mind blowing, and the one after .To Be Frank.inspirationl.
CCCRadio
Maybe the most beautiful song ever written...