He began his career fronting the group Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets, managed by Paul Barrett. Also known as the The Sunsets, the 50s-esque rock n roll outfit originaled from Penarth, South Glamorgan. An early break for the band arrived when they were given a support slot for The Rolling Stones in December 1969. Yet, despite landing a recording contract with the seminal label Parlophone Records the following year, the band found success hard to come by. At least in their native Great Britain, they couldn't quite break through commercially, though they had hit singles in other countries. After seven years of constant touring and recording, Shaky left the band in 1977. He gained a lead role in Jack Good's "Elvis!" musical, which brought him praise from many critics.
Regular TV appearances on the revamped TV show Oh Boy led eventually to his first chart success, a reworked version of a Buck Owens song "Hot Dog", which Owens would go on to re-record using Stevens arrangement which had been created by pedal steel guitar player B.J. Cole.
In 1979, Shaky signed what was to be his most successful management deal with Freya Miller, and in 1981, he had his first UK number 1 with "This Ole House" and would have 10 more songs reach the top 5, including three number 1 hits with "Green Door", "Oh Julie" and "Merry Christmas Everyone", while "You Drive Me Crazy" and "A Love Worth Waiting For" reached number 2 in 1981 and 1984 respectively. His 1984 hit "Teardrops" featured Hank B. Marvin on guitar and Stevens has often featured famous musicians such as Albert Lee, Roger Taylor, Bonnie Tyler and more recently Tony Joe White on his recordings. In the mid 80s, Stevens reunited with former producer Dave Edmunds to record an album Lipstick, Powder and Paint and the Christmas smash "Merry Christmas Everyone".
The hits continued throughout the 1980s, making Stevens the biggest selling artist of the decade, and into the early 1990s. Chart successes also included his album Shaky reaching number 1.
It was in the 1990s, however, that Stevens took a lengthy break from recording and was stung by a court ruling requiring a substantial payout to former bandmates The Sunsets. In 1999, Shaky returned to performing and undertook tours that year and the year following. In 2004, things started to look up for Stevens he had a further platinum CD/DVD album in Denmark and a gold album in South Africa.
In 2005, he returned once again to the charts in the United Kingdom, with his greatest hits album The Collection, which reached the UK top 5. That year, he also appeared in the video to Tony Christie's and Peter Kay's #1 hit single "Is This the Way to Amarillo", alongside many other UK stars, including Ronnie Corbett, Jim Bowen, Michael Parkinson and Geoffrey Hayes. He was the winner on the reality television show, Hit Me Baby One More Time. This was quickly followed by a re-release of his cover and his own biggest hit sung in the show, ("Trouble" covering Pink's version) / "This Ole House"), which reached #20 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2005, his 33rd Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom.
In May 2007, Stevens released a brand new album in Denmark entitled Now Listen.
A Little Boogie Woogie
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight I've made my mind up
It's time to get it right
Just like we did before
Tonight's the night all right
And though I know you ain't quite sure
You're getting all excited 'cause you don't know what's in store
Is keep our little secret
Do what I tell you to
And leave the rest to me
I'm guaranteeing you
When I get in this kind of mood
I've got a little something I can introduce to you
(A little boogie woogie) ah ha
(A little boogie woogie)
(A little boogie woogie) all right
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I know I can find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
Hey today's the day I lay it on the line
The way to make you stay and keep me company
It's time to get my way 'cause night time is the right time
And when I'm feeling fine I like my action guaranteed
All right tonight's the night
I can't wait any longer
I'm turning out the light and locking up that door
You might put up a fight
But you'll be crying out for more
When you'll be getting what you really came here looking for
(A little boogie woogie) ah ha
(A little boogie woogie)
(A little boogie woogie) all right
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I know I can find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
All right tonight's the night
I can't wait any longer
I'm turning out the light and locking up that door
You might put up a fight
But you'll be crying out for more
When you'll be getting what you really came here looking for
(A little boogie woogie) ah ha
(A little boogie woogie)
(A little boogie woogie) all right
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I know I can find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I know I can find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
A little boogie woogie, woogie boogie woogie
Repeat to fade
The song "A Little Boogie Woogie" by Shakin' Stevens is about a man trying to convince a woman to join him in a night of boogie woogie dancing. They have done this before, but the woman is not quite sure about doing it again. The man promises her a good time and guarantees that he has something new to introduce to her. He asks her to keep their little secret and follow his lead. He knows that he can find a little boogie woogie in the back of his mind, and he wants to share it with her. The lyrics suggest that the man is confident, and he knows that the night will end with both of them having a great time.
The song itself is upbeat and the lyrics are playful. The repetitive nature of the chorus is catchy, and the use of "boogie woogie" in the lyrics creates a fun and lighthearted mood. The song was a hit in the 1980s, and it still retains its popularity today. The music video for the song features Shakin' Stevens performing the song with a group of women dancing in the background. The video captures the energy and fun of the song, and it has become a beloved classic.
Line by Line Meaning
All right tonight's the night
Tonight is the night that I have been waiting for
Tonight I've made my mind up
I've decided that tonight is the night to do what I want
It's time to get it right
I need to make sure that everything goes according to plan
Just like we did before
I want things to go the way they did when we did this before
Tonight's the night all right
Tonight is going to be a great night
And though I know you ain't quite sure
I know that you are hesitant and uncertain
You're getting all excited 'cause you don't know what's in store
You are excited because you don't know what I have in mind
So what you've got to do
You need to follow my instructions
Is keep our little secret
We need to keep this between us
Do what I tell you to
You need to do exactly what I tell you to do
And leave the rest to me
I will take care of everything else
I'm guaranteeing you
I promise you
When I get in this kind of mood
When I am feeling this way
I've got a little something I can introduce to you
I have something special to share with you
(A little boogie woogie) ah ha
I have a fun and exciting surprise for you
(A little boogie woogie)
We are going to dance and have a great time
(A little boogie woogie) all right
Everything is going to be great
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
I know myself well enough and I usually know what I want
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
I always have some dancing and music in the back of my mind
Hey today's the day I lay it on the line
Today I am going to be honest and straightforward
The way to make you stay and keep me company
I want to spend time with you and have a good time
It's time to get my way 'cause night time is the right time
Now is the perfect time for me to get what I want
And when I'm feeling fine I like my action guaranteed
When I am feeling good, I want to be sure that I will have a good time
I can't wait any longer
I am very eager to get started
I'm turning out the light and locking up that door
I am ready to start, and I am making sure that we won't be interrupted
You might put up a fight
You might resist a little bit
But you'll be crying out for more
But I know that you will enjoy it and want more
When you'll be getting what you really came here looking for
You will find what you want and enjoy it
(A little boogie woogie) ah ha
We are going to dance and have a great time
(A little boogie woogie)
We are going to have a blast
(A little boogie woogie) all right
Everything is going to be great
'Cause when I'm inclined I usually find
I know myself well enough and I usually know what I want
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
I always have some dancing and music in the back of my mind
'Cause when I'm inclined I know I can find
When I am feeling confident, I know that I will find
A little boogie woogie in the back of my mind
Some dancing and music in the back of my mind
A little boogie woogie, woogie boogie woogie
We are going to have a great time dancing
Contributed by Blake S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-zz5wk8dr3w
2023 still love a little boogie woogie
@mariannereynolds492
Sing this very well
@mariakazubek6429
Super teledysk piękne wykonanie, fantastyczny taniec ❤
@sunnyshine2215
I remember this song! I was 6/7 years old and my Mum used to play it all the time 😁
@sandrazenig6958
Shakin Stevens ist der tollste Mann ❤
@welshlassie1421
I'm 43 and remember this on top of the pops. Fellow welshie. ❤️🏴
@christineclarkin
BRILLIANT
@trenaporter5088
Love this song hun it awesome ❤❤
@JohnSpeed-mi7hx
It was originally Gary Glitters song . Good cover version by Shakin Stevens.
@vigeram6041
Rocking roll is here to stay cos I'm a ROCKING ROLL BABY born in 19560's and understand that music is great what a tune thanking you on your excellent communication skills