The band was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two groups, Choise and The Golden Hammers. This led to an eight member band, with the unusual feature of having two vocalists, two drummers, two bassists and two guitarists. Their first single, Hey Rock 'n' Roll (written by the band), was released in April 1974. It reached number two in the UK singles chart. Showaddywaddy then went on to have a further 22 UK hits from this point until late 1982. The first few singles were all written by the band and these generally reached the top-20. However they had most of their biggest hits with pop versions of old '50s US rock 'n' roll songs, catchy tunes backed up by their colourful image, dance routines and numerous television appearances. Some of their best known covers are Three Steps To Heaven, Heartbeat, Under The Moon Of Love, You Got What It Takes, Blue Moon (based on the Marcels' interpretation), and I Wonder Why.
In total they had ten Top Ten singles, a Number One, and spent 209 weeks in the UK singles chart. At the peak of their popularity, this tally included having seven successive Top Five entries. Their biggest selling single was the aforementioned "Under The Moon Of Love", which sold 985,000 copies and gave the group its only UK Number One.
Band members
Current members
Romeo Challenger (born 19 May 1950, St John's, Antigua, West Indies) — drums (1973–present)
Rod Deas (born 13 February 1948, Scarborough) — bass (1973–present)
Ray Hatfield — guitars / vocals / (2017–present)
Rob Hewins — drums / guitars / vocals (2012–present)
Dean Loach — keyboards/ guitar / backing vocals (2012–present)
Andy Pelos — vocals / guitar (2012–present)
Billy Norman — bass guitar/ backing vocals (2018–present)
Former members
Paul Dixon — guitars / vocals / (2008–2017)
Dave Bartram (born 23 March 1952, Leicester) — vocals (1973–2011)
Trevor Oakes (born Trevor Leslie Oakes, 9 September 1946, Leicester) — guitars (1973–2008)
Al James (born Geoffrey Betts, 13 January 1946, Leicester - 16 November 2018) — bass (1973–2008)
Buddy Gask (born William George Gask, 18 December 1945, Leicester – 7 June 2011, Spain) — vocals (1973–1987)
Russ Field (born James Lewis Russell Field, 1 September 1949, Berwick-upon-Tweed) — guitars (1973–1985)
Malcolm "Duke" Allured (born 27 August 1945, Leicester) — drums (1973–1984)
Ray Martinez — guitars (1985–1995)
Danny Willson — guitars (1995–2009)
David Graham — saxophone (2009–2011)
Paint your picture
Showaddywaddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It hurts to be unkind, upsets the mind,
So I say to you, 'what's going on'?.
You really are my kind,
I've got the time spare for you.
And I like to paint your picture on my mirror,
And I'd see you as my reflection when I'm down.
I don't want to be your shadow,
When the night falls always I want you around.
You ask why, should you and I,
The favourites of our kind,
I'm really not so blind as I seem to be,
Why ask of me.
To take a little more time,
It really is no crime, you and me.
And I'd like to paint your picture on my mirror,
And I'd see you as my reflection when I'm down,
I don't want to be your shadow,
Because shadows disappear,
When the night falls always I want you around,
When the night falls always I want you around.
You and me, we both agree,
It hurts to be unkind, upsets the mind,
So I say to you, 'what's going on'?
You really are my kind,
I've got the time spare for you.
And I'd like to paint your picture on my mirror,
And I'd see you as my reflection when I'm down,
I don't want to be your shadow, because shadows disappear,
When the night falls always I want you around,
When the night falls always I want you around,
When the night falls always I want you around.
The lyrics to Showaddywaddy's song "Paint Your Picture" speak of a desire for connection and a need for kindness between two people. The singer tells the other person that they are their "kind" and they want to spend their spare time with them. The chorus repeats the desire to "paint your picture" on a mirror and see them as a reflection when feeling down, rather than being a fleeting shadow. The night falling symbolizes a time of loneliness and the singer longs for the other person to always be there with them.
The lyrics of the song convey a sense of vulnerability and a longing for closeness. The metaphor of painting the other person's picture on the mirror highlights the desire for a meaningful connection and a desire for the other person's presence even when they are not physically there. The song speaks to the importance of kindness in relationships and the negative impact it has when people are unkind to one another.
Line by Line Meaning
You and me, we both agree,
We are in harmony and have reached a consensus
It hurts to be unkind, upsets the mind,
Being unkind is not beneficial for anyone and can be emotionally taxing
So I say to you, 'what's going on'?
I am concerned and want to know what is happening
You really are my kind,
I feel a strong connection with you
I've got the time spare for you.
I am willing to dedicate time to our relationship
And I like to paint your picture on my mirror,
I visualize you in my life and admire you
And I'd see you as my reflection when I'm down.
You are a source of comfort and support for me during tough times
I don't want to be your shadow,
I do not want to be second fiddle or unimportant in our relationship
Because shadows disappear,
A shadow can easily be overlooked and forgotten
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
You ask why, should you and I,
You question the reasoning behind our relationship
The favourites of our kind,
We are highly regarded amongst our peers
I'm really not so blind as I seem to be,
I am aware and perceptive despite appearances
Why ask of me.
You should already know the answer or at least have an idea
To take a little more time,
To invest more effort and energy into our relationship
It really is no crime, you and me.
It is perfectly acceptable for us to prioritize each other
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
And I'd like to paint your picture on my mirror,
I visualize you in my life and admire you
I don't want to be your shadow, because shadows disappear,
I do not want to be overlooked or forgotten in our relationship
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
When the night falls always I want you around,
I want your presence and company even during dark times
You and me, we both agree,
We are in harmony and have reached a consensus
It hurts to be unkind, upsets the mind,
Being unkind is not beneficial for anyone and can be emotionally taxing
So I say to you, 'what's going on'?
I am concerned and want to know what is happening
You really are my kind,
I feel a strong connection with you
I've got the time spare for you.
I am willing to dedicate time to our relationship
And I'd like to paint your picture on my mirror,
I visualize you in my life and admire you
I don't want to be your shadow, because shadows disappear,
I do not want to be overlooked or forgotten in our relationship
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
When the night falls always I want you around.
I want your presence and company even during dark times
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: AL. JAMES, DAVID F. BARTRAM, JAMES L. FIELD, MALCOLM J. ALLURED, RODERICK S. DEAS, ROMEO A. CHALLENGER, TREVOR L. OAKES, WILLIAM G. GASK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sharon Dawber
These guys get better & better whether it's when I was a 10 year old child listening to her dad's Showaddywaddy Lps or as an adult listening to them all the time on You tube & Spotify.
Thanks to all of you for giving us so much listening pleasure over the years.
Loved seeing you at the folk festival you were outstabding.
It poured with rain but I danced & sung along with such enthusiasm xx
Alan O'Neill
Great song brings back so many memories and emotions
Andreas Blümel
The third track from the fantastic Trocadero-album, sung by Dave Bartram. It bring back lovely memories of the seventies 😍
elledible
You have some cracking tunes from the Wads on here. I was and still am a big fan!
June Helm
Seen the wads loads of times loved dave not seen them since he left the guy who took his place is good but in my opinion you can't replace a singer xx
Paula Walker
love this song great voice dave
Bengt Lunde
Still after many years i love this song
Sandra Kilroy
Love the song and the band x
Amanda Jackson
Absolutely love this song.
Julian Owen
Great song by a great great band