They began as Sharks as early as 1979 when high school friends Richard Black (considered to be the man from whom Guns N' Roses' front man Axl Rose stole most of his stage moves!) and Spencer Sercombe joined forces. The lineup for the Sharks changed regularly, with vocalist Black and guitarist Sercombe being the only staples. The Sharks released an independent album called Altar Ego in 1982.
By 1985 the Sharks had developed into Shark Island with a line-up of Michael Guy (guitar), Tom Rucci (bass) and Walt Woodward (drums). The band released an album of demos independently before being signed to Epic records. Shortly after, they had two songs included on the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack. In 1990 the band went from a five-piece down to four, when Black and Sercombe recruited a new band of Chris Heilmann (bass) and Greg Ellis (drums). The band were ready to set the world on fire with their first major label album, Law Of The Order. It contained killer singles such as "Paris Calling" and "Bad For Each Other", but went completely unnoticed by the record buying public.
In 1991 Black and Sercombe joined the one-off super group Contraband before heading back to Shark Island. New songs were recorded in 1992, but never released, and the band just faded away. Sercombe ended up joining the Riverdogs with Vivian Campbell (ex of Dio and now Def Leppard fame), and Heilmann played with Quireboys vocalist Spike in Spike's Soul Thing and Black worked with Jake E. Lee in the short-lived Bourgeois Pigs. In 2005 the band reunited with new drummer Glen Sobel and re-recorded some of their unreleased songs for the Gathering Of The Faithful album. In 2019, another album, Bloodline was released as well as a live album, Day Of The Dead: Alive in Zagreb.
Paris Calling
Shark Island Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lie in bed and I shake for you all alone
Far away in a foreign land, my memory takes its stand
Hard to take for a man like me, and hard for you to see
You believe what you want to believe
I must go where my soul wants to lead
I'm entranced by a land of romance, and a love thats still waiting
When I feel my love burning
Deep inside my heart
I hear Paris calling, every time
Seems there's nothing left that's right
Up and down the streets tonight
Tension builds inside my heart
Well, it tries to tear my world apart
I want to be where the night will remind me
Of the world in which you were beside me
It's a dream I have hidden inside for love
My love is still waiting
When I feel my love burning
Deep inside my heart
I hear Paris calling, every time
When I feel my love burning
Deep inside my heart
I hear Paris calling, every time
I called you up just to hear your breath on the phone
When I feel my love burning
Deep inside my heart
I hear Paris calling, every time
When I feel my love burning
Deep inside my heart
I hear Paris calling, every time
The song "Paris Calling" by the band Shark Island, portrays the feelings of a man who is in love with someone who is far away in a foreign land. In the first stanza, the singer is seen feeling very lonely and he calls up his beloved just to hear her breath on the phone. He feels so alone and helpless that even lying in bed makes him shake as he thinks of his beloved. The distance between them is causing a lot of pain for him and he tries to hold on to the memory of their love as he stands alone in a foreign land. Even though it is hard for him, he knows that it must be harder for his beloved to see him in such a lonely and insecure state.
In the second stanza, the singer admits that he wants to be where his beloved is, but his soul is also drawn to this land of romance. He is struggling with this inner conflict, but he admits that his heart is burning with love for his beloved. The city of Paris is like a beacon of hope, calling out to him and reminding him of his love. The singer wants to be reminded of his beloved's presence, as he hears the city calling out to him. He knows that his love is still waiting for him and this keeps him going through the struggle of being away from her.
Overall, the lyrics of the song reveal the innermost thoughts and feelings of a man in love, struggling with the distance between him and his beloved. The city of Paris becomes a symbol of hope, representing his love and longing for his soulmate. The chorus, "when I feel my love burning, deep inside my heart, I hear Paris calling every time" reveals this sentiment, as he feels that his love is always calling out to him.
Line by Line Meaning
Called you up just to hear your breath on the phone
I wanted to soothe my heart by listening to your voice and feeling your presence, even though you're not physically with me
I lie in bed and I shake for you all alone
I feel lonely, scared, and emotionally overwhelmed without you by my side
Far away in a foreign land, my memory takes its stand
I am physically distant from you in a foreign country, but my memories of you remain strong and vivid
Hard to take for a man like me, and hard for you to see
It's difficult for me, as a man, to express my emotions and the pain of being apart from you, and it's hard for you to fully understand my side of things
You believe what you want to believe
Your perspective and beliefs may differ from mine, and you choose to believe what makes sense to you
I must go where my soul wants to lead
I feel compelled to follow my heart and pursue what makes me happy, even if it means being away from you
I'm entranced by a land of romance, and a love thats still waiting
I am drawn to the romantic aura of Paris and the possibility of finding new love, but my heart still yearns for your love that's waiting for me
When I feel my love burning
When I feel intense passion and longing for you
Deep inside my heart
In the deepest part of my soul and emotions
I hear Paris calling, every time
I feel the pull of Paris and the potential for love every time I am overcome with passion for you
Seems there's nothing left that's right
Everything around me feels wrong and out of place without you
Up and down the streets tonight
As I wander the streets of Paris, I feel lost and aimless without you
Tension builds inside my heart
As my passion for you continues to grow, the tension and pain of our separation becomes unbearable
Well, it tries to tear my world apart
The pain and longing for you threatens to destroy my inner world and emotional stability
I want to be where the night will remind me
I desire to be in a place where the night and surroundings will remind me of the moments we shared together
Of the world in which you were beside me
I long to be in a world where you were physically present by my side
It's a dream I have hidden inside for love
The dream of being reunited with you and experiencing our love together again is something I hold deep within my heart
My love is still waiting
My love for you is unwavering, despite the distance and time apart
I called you up just to hear your breath on the phone
I longed to connect with you and feel closer to you, even if it's just by listening to your breath on the phone
Contributed by Sadie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JasonJackson-ft5bp
2023 still rockin this masterpiece!!!!
@TheFather89
The singer has awesome moves with his microphone stand and that's a hell of a drum kit! 🤘
@dragonlea13979
Richard Black took a lot of dance classes and yoga. It is the saddest story to come out of those days. Someone else watched hours and hours and hours of Richard performing, so they could copy him. (Spin would say that the “Imposter” was “influenced by Richard Blacks unique moves. When you copy every move someone else is known for, that goes so far past influence). Sadly the guys were locked in to a bad record company deal, at this critical time they couldn’t release anything. While the “Imposter” went on to have one of the most successful careers in Rock, stealing someone else’s signature moves. Then when Shark Island could release this song and started touring, Richard could no longer perform as one of the best frontmen ever, because everyone believed that Richard was copying the “Imposter”. The “Imposter” admitted it in his book, he was supposed to pay Richard $50,000. Of course he never paid a cent. Without those moves, the “Impostor” would never have a career in the stratosphere. It is such a travesty.
@TheFather89
@@dragonlea13979 Who Is "the imposter"?
@LiftLikeATigress
I wish i could go back in time and be my age now and live the 80s.... i hate the music now. 80s was so magical and had the BEST music. :'(
@barrysharpnack2642
Agreed, no other era can match the energy of 80s music. I was a teen then, and have not heard music nearly as good since those days.
@LiftLikeATigress
Barry Sharpnack 80s also had so much bands!!!! All equally as talentet, even though i have my favourites. I come across loads of rock bands i haven't heard of practically every time i search for 80s rock, its very unusual, Today girls go crazy over today's rock band "Mcbusted", but if they had real taste when listening to 80s early 90s rock music Mcbusted sounds like CRAP.
@scorpio-ncc1701
I agree with every word you said!
@bajaclaws
right on tigress you rock \m/
@windymoony
I have the same opinion as you.