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.
True Love
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honeymooners at last alone
Feeling far above par, oh, how lucky we are
While I give to you and you give to me
True love, true love
So, on and on it will always be
True love, true love
For you and I have a guardian angel on high
With nothing to do but to give to you
And to give to me love forever true
The lyrics to Shakin' Stevens's song True Love depict a couple who have just embarked upon their honeymoon. The pair are finally alone and away from the rest of the world, loving the moment they're in, feeling as though they're soaring, and how truly fortunate they are. It's clear that they're both giving to each other constantly, and in return, receiving true love - something that will remain constant, unchanging, and genuine. And just when you thought that couldn't get any better, the songwriter throws in an idea of a guardian angel watching over them.
The lines "While I give to you and you give to me, True love, true love, So, on and on it will always be, True love, true love" are undoubtedly the chorus of the song, and it's interesting to note that it might be deliberately simplistic in nature for the sake of relatability. This song seems to have captured the hearts of the masses due to its lines packed with lot of emotion, yet easy to understand them. "True Love" is a delightful serenade to love - to the way that it makes us feel, to the way that it flourishes over time.
Line by Line Meaning
Suntanned, windblown
We have just enjoyed a relaxing and romantic vacation
Honeymooners at last alone
As newlyweds, we finally have some private time together
Feeling far above par, oh, how lucky we are
We feel incredibly fortunate and content with our love and life
While I give to you and you give to me
We share a selfless and mutual affection for each other
True love, true love
Our love is genuine and unwavering
So, on and on it will always be
Our love is a constant and will never change
True love, true love
Our devotion is pure and everlasting
For you and I have a guardian angel on high
We believe that a higher power is watching over and protecting our love
With nothing to do but to give to you
Our angel's only task is to bless and enhance our love
And to give to me love forever true
Our angel's gift to me is eternal and genuine love from you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind