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.
Jezebel
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was you, Jezebel, it was you
And if ever the devil's plan was made to torment man
It was you, Jezebel it was you
Well, if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise
Deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue
Jezebel, it was you
It was you, Jezebel it was you
It would be better had I never known
A lover such as you
Forsaking dreams in the dark
For the silent call of your arms, Jezebel
Well, if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise
Deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue
Jezebel, it was you
Well if ever the devil's plan was made to torment man
It was you, night and day in every way
Oh Jezebel, Jezebel
Jezebel
is a song by Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens, released in 1990 as the lead single from his album, "Jezebel." The song is a cover of a 1950's hit by American singer Frankie Laine. The song tells the story of a woman named Jezebel, who the singer describes as a devil without horns, whose physical beauty and seductive ways lead him down a dark and painful path.
The first verse establishes the idea that Jezebel is a devil in human form, without the typical physical traits associated with demons. The singer blames Jezebel for the suffering of mankind, asserting that if there was ever a plan by the devil to torment man, it was made by Jezebel. The second verse continues to describe Jezebel's allure and deceitful nature, with her eyes representing paradise, but ultimately leading the singer to feel deceived and grieved.
The chorus repeats the accusation that Jezebel was the mastermind behind the devil's plan to torment man, with the singer beseeching her to stop the torment in every way. The final verse suggests that the singer wishes he had never fallen in love with Jezebel, as his dreams have been forsaken for her empty promises, leaving him lost in the darkness of her embrace.
Overall, the song paints Jezebel as a seductive and dangerous woman, representing the dangers of succumbing to worldly desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, if ever a devil was born without a pair of horns
If there was ever a devil who didn't always look like a typical villain or was easy to spot, it's you, Jezebel.
It was you, Jezebel, it was you
The devil referred to earlier is you, Jezebel.
And if ever the devil's plan was made to torment man
If there was ever a scheme devised by the devil to bring pain to mankind,
It was you, Jezebel it was you
You were the one behind it, Jezebel.
Well, if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise
If there were eyes that seemed like they would bring heaven on earth,
Deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue
But instead, they lied to me, hurt me, and left me feeling sad and miserable.
Jezebel, it was you
It was you who fooled me, Jezebel.
It would be better had I never known
I would have been better off if I had never met,
A lover such as you
A partner like you who caused me so much pain.
Forsaking dreams in the dark
I gave up on my aspirations,
For the silent call of your arms, Jezebel
Just for the quiet beckoning of your embrace, Jezebel.
Well if ever the devil's plan was made to torment man
If there was ever a plot orchestrated by the devil to hurt mankind,
It was you, Jezebel it was you
You were the one responsible, Jezebel.
Well, if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise
If there were eyes that seemed like they would bring heaven on earth,
Deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue
But instead, they lied to me, hurt me, and left me feeling sad and miserable.
Jezebel, it was you
It was you who fooled me, Jezebel.
Well if ever the devil's plan was made to torment man
If there was ever a scheme devised by the devil to bring pain to mankind,
It was you, night and day in every way
You were behind it all, constantly and consistently, Jezebel.
Oh Jezebel, Jezebel
Oh Jezebel, the one who caused me so much pain and sorrow.
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.