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.
Diddle I
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diddle I act like a fool.
Love was a standing ovation,
I kept on breaking the rules.
Diddle you tell me you love me,
Diddle you ask me to stay.
Love had to be where I'm at,
Without you, baby what can I do,
Without you, baby I feel blue.
Diddle you tell me you love me,
Diddle I make you feel sad.
Love was a leading attraction,
All of the things that we had.
Diddle you tell me you love me,
Diddle I say you're all mine.
Love wasn't just an illusion,
And our love was easy to find.
Without you, baby what can I do,
Without you, baby I feel blue.
Well, if you ask me again before you count to ten,
I'll be ready to knock an you door.
Without you, life isn't fun anymore.
Well, if you ask me again before you count to ten,
I'll be ready to knock an you door.
Without you, life isn't fun anymore.
Diddle you tell me you love me,
Diddle I make you feel sad.
Love was a leading attraction,
All of the things that we had.
Diddle you tell me you love me,
Diddle I say you're all mine.
Love wasn't just an illusion,
And our love was easy to find.
Without you, baby what can I do,
Without you, baby I feel blue.
The lyrics of "Diddle I" by Shakin' Stevens speak about the dynamics of a romantic relationship, with the singer admitting to acting foolishly despite being told that they are loved by their partner, and feeling lost and aimless without their significant other.
The first verse sets the scene for the rest of the song, with the singer acknowledging that they have acted foolishly in response to their partner's declarations of love, even though they know deep down that love is something to be treasured and celebrated. The second verse continues in this vein, with the singer lamenting their past mistakes and wishing they could turn back time to make things right. The chorus emphasizes the depth of the singer's emotions, with the repetition of the lines "Without you, baby what can I do, without you, baby I feel blue" driving home the message that the singer is lost without their loved one.
The final verse introduces a note of hope, with the singer promising to be ready to "knock on your door" if their partner asks them to come back. However, there is a hint of desperation in this verse, as the singer admits that "without you, life isn't fun anymore." This line resonates strongly with anyone who has been in a relationship that has fallen apart, as it captures the sense of aimlessness and despair that can follow a breakup.
Overall, "Diddle I" is a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and relationships, and the ways in which our emotions can sometimes lead us astray.
Line by Line Meaning
Diddle you tell me you love me,
You say you love me,
Diddle I act like a fool.
I behave foolishly in response to your love.
Love was a standing ovation,
Our relationship was full of applause and admiration.
I kept on breaking the rules.
I continuously violated the norms of our relationship.
Diddle you ask me to stay.
You request that I remain with you.
Love had to be where I'm at,
For us, it was crucial to always be together.
But I turned my back as a rule.
Yet, I consistently rejected this important part of love.
Without you, baby what can I do,
I cannot bear the thought of being without you.
Without you, baby I feel blue.
My life is drab and joyless when you're not around.
Diddle I make you feel sad.
I cause you pain and sorrow.
Love was a leading attraction,
Our mutual love was a significant factor in our relationship.
All of the things that we had.
We shared so many cherished experiences.
Diddle I say you're all mine.
I claim you as my own.
Love wasn't just an illusion,
Our love was real and powerful.
And our love was easy to find.
Our affection for each other was straightforward and apparent.
Well, if you ask me again before you count to ten,
I promise to be ready for you at a moment's notice.
I'll be ready to knock an you door.
I'll be eager to see you and spend time with you.
Without you, life isn't fun anymore.
Life is dull and dreary without you by my side.
Contributed by Austin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Margit Salonen
GREAT GUITAR WORK. AND THIS IS SUCH A LIVELY FUN SONG. KEEP 'EM COMING.!
the king
Back in the 80's. I was a big fan of shaking Stevens and I saw him live afew times. He was my 80' s hero. I was also a member of his fan club.
Sue Streets
great record and play well after all these years nice song
Wayne Baker
Got to admit it I had not heard this fantastic rocker before it is rock n roll at its very best is this a album track
anthony belcher
Such a fantastic singer brilliant song 66
Martha Rios
Para todos mis grandes hermanos rokeros de donde sean gocenla y bailalan carnales
zofia zajac
Super muzyka !!!!
Nello Lolli
Un assolo di chitarra ECCELLENTE !!! Uno dei più bei ROCK n ROLL !!
Martha Rios
Nada mas de scucharla mis pies bailan solos
Omar Landeros
this is magnific!