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.
Sea Of Love
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've been down two times
But now I'm drowning
Drowning in the sea of love
I've been here so very long
I've lost all my directions
But, baby when you came my way
I thought I had found perfection
It surely took me by surprise
I can't seem to control these tears
Falling from my eyes
I've been down one time
I've been down two times
But I'm drowning
Drowning in the sea of love
You know that I depend on you
For our love's not [Incomprehensible]
But now that you deserted me
I'm in desperation
But I'm in the middle of a bad love storm
It really took me by surprise
I look around and all I see
Is water coming over me
I've been down one time
I've been down two times
But I'm drowning, you hear me
Drowning in the sea of love
I've been down one time
And I've been down two times
But now I'm drowning
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning, you know I'm drowning
(Watch your love, watch your love, yeah, hey)
(Watch your love, watch your love)
I'm going down for the last time
Drowning in the sea of love, drowning
Drowning in the sea of love, drowning
Drowning in the sea of love, falling
Drowning in the sea of love, falling
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Watch your love, watch your love
Watch your love, watch your love
Watch your love, watch your love
Drowning in the sea of love, drowning
Drowning in the sea of love, drowning
Drowning in the sea of love, falling
Drowning in the sea of love, falling
One time, two times
Drowning, drowning in the sea of love
One time, two times
I'm going down two times
Drowning, drowning in the sea of love
I've been down one time
And I've been down two times
But I'm drowning
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Drowning in the sea of love
The lyrics to "Sea of Love" by Shakin' Stevens evoke the feeling of helplessness and desperation that comes with being in a tumultuous relationship. The singer has been "down" one or two times before, but he is currently "drowning" in the sea of love. He admits to being lost and directionless in the relationship until he met his partner, who he thought was the perfect match for him. However, a "strong wind" came into his life, causing him to lose control and cry uncontrollably. His partner's desertion has left him in a state of despair, as he feels that he has no one to turn to.
The metaphor of "drowning" is used throughout the song to describe the singer's emotional state. He feels like he is suffocating, unable to breathe or think clearly. The water imagery also represents the overwhelming feeling of being consumed by love, unable to escape its grasp.
Overall, the lyrics to "Sea of Love" paint a vivid picture of the highs and lows of a tumultuous relationship, where one can feel lost and desperate without their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been down one time
I've experienced heartbreak before
And I've been down two times
I've experienced heartbreak twice before
But now I'm drowning
But now I am overwhelmed by the pain and sadness of love
Drowning in the sea of love
Overwhelmed by the depths of love’s pain and sorrow
I've been here so very long
I have been experiencing heartbreak for a while now
I've lost all my directions
I have lost my way and my sense of purpose in life
But, baby when you came my way
But when you came into my life, I thought things would change
I thought I had found perfection
I had hoped that you would be the perfect person for me
But a strong wind came into my life
But something unexpected happened that shook my world
It surely took me by surprise
It caught me off guard and I wasn't prepared
I can't seem to control these tears
I am so overwhelmed with sadness that I cannot stop crying
Falling from my eyes
Tears are streaming down my face
You know that I depend on you
I have relied on you for stability and support
For our love's not [Incomprehensible]
Our love is not perfect, but it is still important to me
But now that you deserted me
But now that you have left me, I feel lost and alone
I'm in desperation
I am in a state of extreme sadness and despair
But I'm in the middle of a bad love storm
But I am in the midst of a difficult and tumultuous time in my love life
It really took me by surprise
It shocked me and I wasn't prepared for it
I look around and all I see
I am surrounded by my own sadness and pain
Is water coming over me
Feeling like I am drowning in sorrow
You hear me
Hope that someone is able to understand and hear my pain
I'm going down for the last time
I am slipping deeper and deeper into my pain, and fear this may be the end
Watch your love, watch your love, yeah, hey
Be careful with how you love, as it can cause tremendous pain
Watch your love, watch your love
Be mindful of the love you give, as it can lead to heartbreak
One time, two times
Through my repeated heartbreaks, I am still trying to find love
I'm going down two times
I am experiencing heartbreak yet again
Writer(s): David Essex, Philip Baptiste, George Khoury
Contributed by Julian D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MARIO
Beautiful song
dinatolding
Love this.