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.
Hey Mae
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Hey Mae-ae)
Why don't you come on out
(Let's play-ay)
What do you say?
(Okay-ay)
I say today is a - a good day
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day to play
I asked the weather man
How does the weather stand?
He said, "The sun is gonna shine
I said, "Mmm, that'll be fine"
Hey-ey Mae
(Hey Mae-ae)
Why don't you come on out?
(Let's play-ay)
What do you say?
(Okay-ay)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day to play
Hey Mae
(Hey Mae-ae)
Why don't you come on out
(Let's play-ay)
What do you say?
(Okay-ay)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day to play-ay
We'll drink some soda pop
Go to the record hop
Where we can do the bop
Until her body flop
Hey Mae
(Hey Mae-ae)
Why don't you come on out
(Let's play-ay)
What do you say
(Okay-ay)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day
(Hey)
I say today is a - a good day to play-ay
Hey Mae, hey Mae
Why don't you come on out?
Hey Mae, ah, let's play
We'll go skating
Hey Mae, ah, let's play
Why don't you come on out?
And we'll hang about
And we'll hang about
And we'll hang about
…
In Shakin' Stevens's song Hey Mae, the singer is inviting his love interest to come out and play with him. He believes that today is a great day to have fun and enjoy each other's company. He confirms this by asking the weatherman, who informs him that there will be sunshine.
The lyrics show the playful and carefree nature of relationships, particularly during the teenage years. The singer wants to spend time with his girlfriend, enjoying simple pleasures such as drinking soda pop and going to the record hop to dance. The chorus of the song emphasizes his desire to spend time with her and echoes the sentiment that today is a good day to play.
Overall, the song evokes feelings of nostalgia, reminding listeners of the excitement and joy of young love and having fun with friends. The upbeat and catchy tune of the song also adds to the energy and lightheartedness conveyed by the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Mae
Addressing Mae, trying to convince her to come out and play
(Hey Mae-ae)
Using a playful nickname to address Mae
Why don't you come on out
Inviting Mae to leave wherever she is and join in the fun
(Let's play-ay)
Suggesting they engage in an enjoyable activity together
What do you say?
Asking for Mae's response to the invitation
(Okay-ay)
Mae agrees to come
I say today is a - a good day
Expressing the belief that the current day offers ideal conditions for an enjoyable time
(Hey)
Encouraging Mae with an exclamation
I asked the weather man
Recalling how he checked the upcoming weather forecast
How does the weather stand?
Inquiring about the current weather conditions
He said, "The sun is gonna shine
The weatherman reports a sunny day, which is a positive sign
I said, "Mmm, that'll be fine"
The singer approves of the forecasted weather as it's perfect for his plans
We'll drink some soda pop
Detailing one of the fun activities Mae and the singer could engage in
Go to the record hop
Another activity they can do together, a kind of dance party
Where we can do the bop
Suggesting the type of dance they might do at the record hop
Until her body flop
Using humor to describe Mae getting tired from dancing
Hey Mae, hey Mae
Another attempt to get Mae's attention
We'll go skating
One more suggestion for an enjoyable activity
And we'll hang about
Relishing the idea of spending time together
...
Repeating this last line to extend the song without substance
Contributed by Camden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.