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.
Without A Love
Shakin' Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
down in the deep blue see
then be a lonely man with-out a love of my own
a fish in the sea, with another to swim with me
and not a lonely man with-out a love of my own
Weeell
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love a love of my own
I'd rather be a dove
Up in a tree so high
then be a lonely man without a love of my own
A dove in a tree, so high it mean we fly
and not a lonely man with-out a love of my own
Weeell
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love a love of my own
I'd rather be a dove
Up in a tree so high
then be a lonely man with-out a love of my own
A dove in the tree, so high it mean we fly
And not a lonely man with-out a love of my own
Weeell
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
The lyrics of Shakin' Stevens's song Without A Love express his longing for love and companionship, which he compares to being a fish in the sea or a dove in the tree. He asserts that he would rather be any of those than a lonely man without a love of his own. The images of fish and doves are used in this song to represent the freedom and joy that a person would feel when they have someone to share their life with, swimming or flying together, exploring the world and enjoying the nature that surrounds them. The lyrics emphasize the importance of love and companionship in life.
The repetition of the chorus "without a love, a love of my own" emphasizes how essential the love of another person is to the songwriter. The emphasis is on the phrase "a love of my own," which suggests that he is not seeking just any love, but a specific kind of love- one that is personal, meaningful, and uniquely his own. The comparison of a person's happiness to that of a fish or dove swimming or flying with another shows the depth of real emotional connections that people crave.
In conclusion, the lyrics of Without A Love are simple yet powerful, expressing the singer's longing for love and companionship. By comparing himself to a fish in the sea and a dove in the tree, Shakin' Stevens emphasizes just how important human connection is to our wellbeing and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd rather be a fish
down in the deep blue see
then be a lonely man with-out a love of my own
I'd prefer to be a fish in the sea with another fish swimming beside me, instead of being a lonely man without anyone to love.
Weeell
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love a love of my own
This refrain highlights the singer's desperation for love and how unhappy he is without it.
I'd rather be a dove
Up in a tree so high
then be a lonely man without a love of my own
I'd rather be a dove flying high in a tree than a lonely man without a person to love.
A dove in a tree, so high it mean we fly
and not a lonely man with-out a love of my own
Being a dove flying high in a tree means freedom and joy, rather than the sadness of being without love.
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love, a love of my own
without a love a love of my own
The repetition of this line amplifies how important love is to the singer and how much he craves it.
Contributed by Adrian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.