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.
Lipstick Powder & Paint
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Shooby Dup Dooby Doo Waaah)
(Shooby Dup Dooby Doo Waaah)
(Shooby Dup Dooby Doo Waaah)
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Or is you ain't?
There goes my baby up a tree
Giggling and a wiggling her toes at me
Let me put my glasses on
I have such fun since she's been gone
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Is you is?
Or is you ain't?
Hound dog scratching fleas
Looking like she's in love with me
Licks my hand everywhere I go
I wish my baby loved me so
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Is you is?
Or is you ain't?
(Lipstick, lipstick
Powder and paint
Lipstick, lipstick
Powder and paint
Ahhhhhhhhh
Powder and paint)
Taller than the barnyard - ten feet high
Hide me till your man pass by
Don't you sneeze and don't you cough
If you get dusty I'll brush you off
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Is you is?
Or is you ain't?
What kind of love is that you make
The world starts a trembling and the buildings shake
Love me hug me once again
Let the roof and the walls come tumbling in
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Is you is?
Or is you ain't?
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Lipstick powder and paint
Is you is?
Or is you ain't?
Lipstick, powder and paint!
The song "Lipstick Powder and Paint" by Shakin' Stevens is a playful ditty about the power of feminine beauty and how it can transform ordinary men into lovestruck fools. The repeated refrain of "is you is or is you ain't" suggests the singer's uncertainty about whether his girl still loves him or not, but he is happy to be surrounded by the trappings of her femininity: lipstick, powder, and paint.
The first verse has the singer picturing his girl up a tree, wiggling her toes at him and making him laugh. He is wearing glasses, possibly to better see her, and he is having fun since she's not around. The second verse mentions a hound dog who is scratching fleas and looking like she's in love with him, but he wishes it was his baby who was showing him affection. The third verse is a bit more whimsical, with the singer teasing his girl that she's so tall that she could hide him from her man if he came around. She shouldn't sneeze or cough because he wants her to stay pristine for him.
The final verse portrays the singer as completely smitten with his girl, suggesting that their love is so intense that it shakes the world around them. The song ends with the singer repeating the words "lipstick, powder and paint." Overall, the song celebrates the charms of femininity and how they can make men feel alive and in love.
Line by Line Meaning
(Shooby Dup Dooby Doo Waaah)
N/A
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Is you is?
He's questioning whether the woman he's attracted to exists or not.
Or is you ain't?
He's wondering whether the woman he's attracted to is still single or not.
There goes my baby up a tree
He's watching his significant other do something that makes her happy.
Giggling and a wiggling her toes at me
His significant other is carefree and enjoys being silly with him.
Let me put my glasses on
He needs help seeing something clearly.
I have such fun since she's been gone
He has been enjoying life without his significant other.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Is you is?
He's questioning whether the woman he's attracted to exists or not.
Or is you ain't?
He's wondering whether the woman he's attracted to is still single or not.
Hound dog scratching fleas
He's comparing someone to a dog that is covered in itchy fleas.
Looking like she's in love with me
The dog is friendly and loving.
Licks my hand everywhere I go
The dog follows him around and is very affectionate.
I wish my baby loved me so
He wants his significant other to be as loving and affectionate as the dog.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Is you is?
He's questioning whether the woman he's attracted to exists or not.
Or is you ain't?
He's wondering whether the woman he's attracted to is still single or not.
Taller than the barnyard - ten feet high
He's trying to hide from someone who might see him and his significant other.
Hide me till your man pass by
He wants his significant other to help him stay hidden until the other person leaves.
Don't you sneeze and don't you cough
He wants her to be very still and quiet so they aren't discovered.
If you get dusty I'll brush you off
He's willing to take care of her and make sure she is okay.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Is you is?
He's questioning whether the woman he's attracted to exists or not.
Or is you ain't?
He's wondering whether the woman he's attracted to is still single or not.
(Lipstick, lipstick
N/A
Powder and paint
He's repeating his desire for a woman who takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick, lipstick
N/A
Powder and paint
He's repeating his desire for a woman who takes care of her appearance.
Ahhhhhhhhh
N/A
Powder and paint)
He's repeating his desire for a woman who takes care of her appearance.
What kind of love is that you make
He's questioning the love that he has in his life.
The world starts a trembling and the buildings shake
His love for someone is so powerful that he believes it could impact the world.
Love me hug me once again
He wants physical affection from someone he loves.
Let the roof and the walls come tumbling in
His love is so strong that he feels it could cause physical destruction to the world around him.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Is you is?
He's questioning whether the woman he's attracted to exists or not.
Or is you ain't?
He's wondering whether the woman he's attracted to is still single or not.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lipstick powder and paint
He's attracted to a woman who wears makeup and takes care of her appearance.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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