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.
Bad Reputation
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said that you was always a good time girl
But it's alright baby, I know that you're lying.
I know that you've got, I know that you've got,
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
But that's alright.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
So just don't you ask me to give you up, that's no way.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
I'm here to stay,
Real life will some say is not so pretty,
Now I realize you may fooled around.
But it's alright baby, I won't let you down.
I know that you've got, I know that you've got,
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
But that's alright.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
But that's alright.
So just don't you ask me to give you up, that's no way.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
I'm here to stay, very day,
I'm here to stay, never going away.
But it's alright baby, I won't let you down.
I know that you've got, I know that you've got,
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
But that's alright.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
But that's alright.
So just don't you ask me to give you up, that's no way.
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
I'm here to stay,
Everyday never going away, I'm here to stay,
Yes, I'm here to stay, Yes. I'm here to stay.
Yes, yes, I'm here to stay, Yes, I'm here to stay.
The lyrics to Shakin' Steven's song "Bad Reputation" describe a man's defense and belief in a woman who has a negative reputation. The lyrics suggest that this woman has been labeled a "good time girl" and is therefore not to be trusted. However, despite the rumors, the man knows that the woman is lying and that she is not as bad as others make her out to be.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation, but that's alright" as a way for the man to justify his decision to stay with the woman despite the negative perceptions others may have of her. The lyrics also suggest that the man recognizes the complexities of real life and that the woman may have made some mistakes, but he is willing to look past them and not let her down.
Overall, the lyrics of "Bad Reputation" convey a message of loyalty and understanding towards someone who has been unfairly judged for their perceived reputation. It speaks to the idea that appearances can be deceiving and that it's important to look at someone beyond the rumors and hearsay.
Line by Line Meaning
Never could believe what they said about you
I never believed the rumors about you
Said that you was always a good time girl
They said you were promiscuous and always looking for a good time
But it's alright baby, I know that you're lying.
It's okay, I know you're not as bad as they say
You've got a bad reputation, bad reputation,
Your reputation is not good
But that's alright.
But I still like you
So just don't you ask me to give you up, that's no way.
Don't ask me to leave you because of your reputation
Real life will some say is not so pretty,
Some people say that real life is not as glamorous as rumors suggest
Now I realize you may fooled around.
I now understand that you may have had casual relationships
But it's alright baby, I won't let you down.
But that's okay, I won't judge you for it
Everyday never going away, I'm here to stay,
I'll be with you every day and never leave
Yes, I'm here to stay, Yes. I'm here to stay.
I'm making it clear that I'm committed to this relationship
Contributed by Christopher I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vania Rebouças
Música linda e inesquecível !
BlastFromYourPast
One of my favourite Shaky Tracks. When i first bought the album, i played this one a lot!
Nilton Borges
Bom demais! Que legal! Thanks from Brazil.
Gledes Vieira
Amo suas músicas.. ..lindas....maravilhosas..
Vania Rebouças
Lindo e espetacular !
Vania Rebouças
Lindo ! Adorei !
lindaLourdes Morais
Linda música . Gostei.Obrigada
Yvette Pereira
Simply love all his songs!!
Jenny Ryan
He still has a beautiful voice and is very good looking..
LINDA Atkins
love all shaky songs love this song thank you for the songs shaky love you 😍