Wingfield, along with Paul Butler (guitar/vocals), John Best (bass), and Chris Waters (drums) formed blues-rock band Jellybread in 1968 while at Sussex University.
In 1971, Wingfield played the piano on the "B.B. King in London" album, and in the following year received similar credits for "Seventy-Second Brave", the Keef Hartley Band album. Wingfield played keyboards on Bryn Haworth's 1974 album, Let the Days Go By, and on his 1975 follow-up Sunny Side of the Street. In 1983, Wingfield played keyboards on Haworth's album, Pass It On. He also played on several albums by Colin Blunstone including his 1974 album Journey.
Over the same period, as a specialist in soul music Wingfield contributed regular articles and reviews to the monthly journal 'Let It Rock', and the weekly 'Melody Maker' among others.
Wingfield hit the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 1975 with "Eighteen with a Bullet", a pastiche doo-wop number involving word play on hit record chart positions (a bullet, in record-chart parlance, referring to a song still selling strongly and/or moving up the charts). It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on 23 August 1975 and, by the week ending 22 November 1975, the tune lived up to its name by charting at no. 18 – with a bullet. The song peaked at no. 15 a week later. It also reached no. 7 in the UK Singles Chart. Taken from the album, Breakfast Special, "Eighteen with a Bullet" later featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
As a performer, he played with the British soul band, Olympic Runners and Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes.
Wingfield played with Van Morrison at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival. Beginning with their 1983 reunion shows, Wingfield spent 18 years handling keyboard duties for The Everly Brothers.
He produced the first album by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and has played on sessions for The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, Van Morrison, Freddie King and Paul McCartney on his Run Devil Run album.
Eighteen With A Bullet
Pete Wingfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Do, (doop, doop) do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do, do, do-do-do-do)
(Do-do-do-do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
I'm picked to click now
So hold it right there little girl, little girl
We're gonna have big fun
I may be an oldie, but I'm a goodie, too
I'll last forever and I'll be good to you
Oh, yes I will
(Do, do, do, do, do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
I'm a super-soul sure-shot, yeah
I'm a national breakout
So let me check your playlist, mama
Huh, c'mon let's make out
I'm high on the chart
I'm tip for the top
But till I'm in your heart
I ain't never gonna stop
Never, never baby
We got a smash double-header
If we only stay together
Talkin' 'bout you
Talkin' 'bout me
(Do, do, do, do, do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
Yes I will
Be my A-side, baby, be beside me
Right now, right now I'm a single
But pretty soon you'll see
We'll have a hit first time
And won't be long we'll find
That we're raising a whole L.P.
Woo-hoo
You know I'm eighteen, woo-hoo, with a bullet
Yes I am, baby
I got my finger right there on the trigger
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull it
You better start makin' plans, baby
This old house is too small, now, now, now
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
(Shoop shoop shoop shoop, be doo be doo doo...)
The song "Eighteen with a Bullet" by Pete Wingfield is a fast-paced, upbeat track that revolves around an 18-year-old who has hit it big and is ready to take on the world. The singer is confident and ready to climb up the charts, even though he knows that he will face competition. He has his finger on the trigger and is eager to pull it, implying that he is ready to take action and make things happen. The song is essentially about pursuing dreams and not letting anyone stop you from achieving them.
The lyrics also touch upon love and relationships, with the singer asking a girl to be beside him and promising to last forever and be good to her. He boasts about being high on the chart and tip for the top, but also acknowledges that until he is in her heart, he won't stop trying. The overall message of the song seems to be about the pursuit of success, not just in music but in life in general.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm eighteen with a bullet
I'm young and on the rise, ready to make my mark
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
I'm ready to take action and seize my opportunity
I'm picked to click now
I'm the hot new thing, about to break out
I'm a son-of-a-gun
I'm a force to be reckoned with, unstoppable
So hold it right there little girl, little girl
Stop right there, I want to get to know you
We're gonna have big fun
We're going to have a great time together
I may be an oldie, but I'm a goodie, too
I may be a classic, but I still have staying power
I'll last forever and I'll be good to you
I'll endure through the ages and treat you well
I'm a super-soul sure-shot, yeah
I'm confident and skilled, ready to succeed
I'm a national breakout
I'm poised to become a nationwide sensation
So let me check your playlist, mama
Let's compare our tastes and see if we're compatible
Huh, c'mon let's make out
Let's kiss and get closer together
I'm high on the chart
I'm climbing the music charts, becoming more popular
I'm tip for the top
I'm poised to reach the pinnacle of success
But till I'm in your heart
But I won't be truly successful until I have your love
I ain't never gonna stop
I won't give up until I achieve my goals
We got a smash double-header
We have two great songs that will be big hits
If we only stay together
If we work together and stay committed
Talkin' 'bout you
I'm talking about how great you are
Talkin' 'bout me
I'm talking about how great I am
Be my A-side, baby, be beside me
Be my top priority, my partner in success
Right now, right now I'm a single
I'm a solo artist at the moment
But pretty soon you'll see
But soon we'll be a duo, and a great one at that
We'll have a hit first time
Our first single together will be a smashing success
And won't be long we'll find
Before long we'll realize
That we're raising a whole L.P.
That we're putting together a whole album, and it's going to be amazing
You know I'm eighteen, woo-hoo, with a bullet
I'm 18 and unstoppable
Yes I am, baby
I'm confident and determined
You better start makin' plans, baby
You better start planning for our future success
This old house is too small, now, now, now
I've outgrown my previous level of success and need something bigger
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
I'm emphasizing my determination to succeed
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
I'm repeating my previous statement for added emphasis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIAM P. WINGFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adonfffunk
(Do, do, do, do, do, do-do-do-do)
(Do, (doop, doop) do, do, do, do)
(Do, do, do, do, do, do-do-do-do)
(Do-do-do-do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
I'm picked to click now
I'm a son-of-a-gun
So hold it right there little girl, little girl
We're gonna have big fun
I may be an oldie, but I'm a goodie, too
I'll last forever and I'll be good to you
Oh, yes I will
(Do, do, do, do, do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
I'm a super-soul sure-shot, yeah
I'm a national breakout
So let me check your playlist, mama
Huh, c'mon let's make out
I'm high on the chart
I'm tip for the top
But till I'm in your heart
I ain't never gonna stop
Never, never baby
We got a smash double-header
If we only stay together
Talkin' 'bout you
Talkin' 'bout me
(Do, do, do, do, do...)
I'm eighteen with a bullet
Got my finger on the trigger, I'm gonna pull it
Yes I will
Be my A-side, baby, be beside me
Right now, right now I'm a single
But pretty soon you'll see
We'll have a hit first time
And won't be long we'll find
That we're raising a whole L.P.
Woo-hoo
You know I'm eighteen, woo-hoo, with a bullet
Yes I am, baby
I got my finger right there on the trigger
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull it
You better start makin' plans, baby
This old house is too small, now, now, now
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I
(Shoop shoop shoop shoop, be doo be doo doo...)
Anthony G
My whole life I swear this was a group of Soul Brothas singing this song 🤯
Darlene Battle
So did I. The date today is 2/10/23 and the I'm just finding out what the man looks like. I never thought about it in 1975 when I was fourteen, just loved the song-- my whole family loved it. And yes, we thought it was a group of men. Today this news blows me away.
Anthony G
@Darlene Battle exactly we’re all mind blown 🤯 😆
Anderson de Sousa
Man, me too!
Stephen Petersen
Me to
Stephen Petersen
Me to
siriusfeline
When the falsetto voice transitions into his natural vocal range in this line "I may be an oldie, but I'm a goodie, too" - it's almost too rich, powerful and beautiful to bear. Wow.
Mom Knows Treasures-MKT
❤
Francisco Aguilar
I remember growing up as a young teenager listening to 104.3 oldies Chicago station, and I will sit there with my cassette recording all the songs that I love and this is one of them. I love my childhood.
Mom Knows Treasures-MKT
Yes I got a boombox when I was 12 and used to record the radio (now I’m 50)