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.
As Long As I Have You
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I won't care at all
As long as I have you
Every kiss brings a thrill
And I know that it will
As long as I have you
Forget the past
You're not my first love
But you're my last
Take the love that I bring
Then I'll have everything
As long as I have you
Let's think of the future
Forget the past
You're not my first love
But you're my last
Take the love that I bring
Then I'll have everything
As long as I have you
In Shakin' Stevens's song As Long As I Have You, the lyrics express the singer's unconditional love and devotion for their significant other. The opening lines, "Let the stars fade and fall / And I won't care at all / As long as I have you," illustrate the idea that nothing else matters as long as they have their loved one by their side. They are willing to overlook anything that may come their way, as long as they are together.
Moreover, the lyrics convey the passion and excitement that come along with being in love. The lines "Every kiss brings a thrill / And I know that it will / As long as I have you" show that their love life is teeming with excitement and joy. The singer is so in love with their partner that every single kiss is thrilling and full of anticipation.
The chorus of the song, "Let's think of the future / Forget the past / You're not my first love / But you're my last / Take the love that I bring / Then I'll have everything / As long as I have you," encourages a focus on their present commitment and the potential of their future together. The singer looks only toward what is ahead, leaving their past behind. Despite having loved and lost before, they feel like they have found their forever love in their current partner.
Overall, the lyrics of "As Long As I Have You" beautifully capture what it means to be in love unconditionally and conclusively.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the stars fade and fall
I am not concerned about the destruction of the universe
And I won't care at all
Because your love is all that matters to me
As long as I have you
My love for you is enough to withstand anything
Every kiss brings a thrill
The passion that I feel for you is electric
And I know that it will
I am confident that our love will always be strong
Let's think of the future
Let's focus on the potential of our love
Forget the past
We cannot dwell on the mistakes that we have made
You're not my first love
I have loved before, but it doesn't matter
But you're my last
Because my love for you is eternal
Take the love that I bring
Accept my affection and devotion
Then I'll have everything
Because your love completes me
As long as I have you
I don't need anything else to be happy
Contributed by Camden J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.