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.
Come See About Me
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I'm lonely (for you)
Smiles have all turned to tears
But tears won't wash away the fears
That you're never ever gonna return
To ease the fire that within me burns
It keeps me crying baby for you
So won't you hurry
Come on boy, see about me
(Come see about me)
See about your baby
I've given up my friends just for you
My friends are gone
And you have too
No peace shall I find
Until you come back
And be mine
No matter what you do or say
I'm gonna love you anyway
Keep on crying baby for you
I'm gonna keep sighin' baby for you
So come on hurry
Come on and see about me
(Come see about me)
See about you baby
Sometime's up
Sometime's down
My life's so uncertain
With you not around
From my arms you maybe out of reach
But my heart says you're here to keep
Keeps me crying baby for you
Keep on, keep on crying baby for you
So won't you hurry
Come on boy, see about me (Come see about me)
See about you baby (Come see about me)
You know I'm so lonely (Come see about me)
I love you only (Come see about me)
See about your baby (Come see about me)
Hurry, hurry
The song "Come See About Me" by Shakin' Stevens is a classic example of a love song about separation and longing. The lyrics are about a person who is desperately missing their loved one who has left them, and the tears and loneliness that come with it. The opening lines, "I've been crying, 'cause I'm lonely (for you) / Smiles have all turned to tears," clearly convey the pain the singer is feeling without their partner.
The lyrics also touch upon the singer's willingness to sacrifice everything for their love. The lines "I've given up my friends just for you / My friends are gone and you have too" stand out in particular. This demonstrates the extent of the singer's devotion and how much they are willing to give up for their partner. They are willing to wait for their partner to come back, no matter how long it takes, as long as they come back to them.
The chorus of the song is the repeated plea for the partner to come back: "Come on boy, see about me / (Come see about me) / See about your baby." The singer is begging their lover to come back and ease their pain, and they are willing to forgive any wrongdoings that may have happened in the past.
Overall, "Come See About Me" is a poignant song about love and heartbreak, and it continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been crying
I have been shedding tears
'Cause I'm lonely (for you)
I am feeling lonely without you
Smiles have all turned to tears
All the happiness in my life has been replaced by tears
But tears won't wash away the fears
Crying won't ease the anxiety I have
That you're never ever gonna return
I fear you will never come back
To ease the fire that within me burns
To extinguish the burning passion within me
It keeps me crying baby for you
You make me cry constantly
Keeps me sighin' baby for you
I constantly long for you
So won't you hurry
Please make haste
Come on boy, see about me
Please come and check on me
(Come see about me)
See about your baby
Come and take care of your lover
I've given up my friends just for you
I abandoned my friends for you
My friends are gone
I don't have any more friends
And you have too
You left me as well
No peace shall I find
I can't find any peace of mind
Until you come back
Unless you return
And be mine
And become my partner again
No matter what you do or say
Regardless of your actions or words
I'm gonna love you anyway
I will still love you
Keep on crying baby for you
I'll continue to cry for you
I'm gonna keep sighin' baby for you
I won't stop longing for you
Sometime's up
Sometimes things are good
Sometime's down
Sometimes things are bad
My life's so uncertain
My life is unpredictable
With you not around
When you're not here
From my arms you maybe out of reach
You might be too far away for me to touch
But my heart says you're here to keep
But I believe that you're still with me
Keep on, keep on crying baby for you
I'll keep crying for you
See about you baby (Come see about me)
Come and check on me, my lover
You know I'm so lonely (Come see about me)
You know how lonely I am, please come and see me
I love you only (Come see about me)
I only love you, please come and see me
Hurry, hurry
Come quickly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Herbert Dozier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind