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)
The Party
Showaddywaddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we go again, just a bit of rock 'n' roll,
Don't try to fight it, just let it ease your soul,
I'm just a simple man, doing the best I can,
Well I can, woah man,
Won't try to tease you, just try to please you,
Don't wanna know your mind.
Lead guitar like you never played before,
Let me take you by the hand, let me show you what we got in store,
It's just a simple tool, . . . . . ?
Well you can, woah man,
Won't try to tease you, just try to please you,
Don't wanna know your mind.
Two-forty five and we gotta keep it up 'til four,
Dancin' in the garden, laying all around the floor,
The room won't hold no more, we gonna have fun galore,
Woah man, and we can
Won't try to tease you, just try to please you,
Don't wanna know your mind,
Don't wanna know your mind,
Don't wanna know your mind.
The Party by Showaddywaddy is an upbeat rock 'n' roll song that doesn't waste any time in getting the party started. The first lines give us an indication of what lies ahead as the singer announces that it is time for some rock 'n' roll and urges us not to resist the temptation. He then goes on to declare that he is just a simple man doing the best he can, but he is confident that he can please the listener with his music. The chorus reinforces this sentiment, with the singer assuring us that he won't mess with our heads, he just wants to have a good time and make sure we do too.
The bridge of the song is where things really get going, with the lead guitar taking center stage and the singer inviting the listener to join in the fun. He promises to show us what they've got in store and to use the music as a tool to make us feel good. The second verse is more of the same, with the added detail that the partygoers are dancing in the garden and lying around on the floor, having a great time. The song ends with the singer reiterating his desire to please and his lack of interest in knowing what the listener is thinking - all that matters is enjoying the music and the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we go again, just a bit of rock 'n' roll,
Starting off with another round of lively rock 'n' roll music
Don't try to fight it, just let it ease your soul,
Relax and enjoy the music without resistance
I'm just a simple man, doing the best I can,
I am an ordinary person, giving my best effort
Well I can, woah man,
I have the ability to please you
Won't try to tease you, just try to please you,
Not to toy with you, but to make you happy
Don't wanna know your mind.
I am not interested in your thoughts or opinions
Lead guitar like you never played before,
Playing the guitar in a new, exciting way
Let me take you by the hand, let me show you what we got in store,
Allow me to guide you towards what we have prepared for you
It's just a simple tool, . . . . . ?
Referring to the guitar as a basic, yet effective instrument
Well you can, woah man,
You also have the ability to enjoy the music
Two-forty five and we gotta keep it up 'til four,
The party will continue until 4 AM
Dancin' in the garden, laying all around the floor,
Dancing and having fun in the garden, even laying on the floor
The room won't hold no more, we gonna have fun galore,
The room is crowded, but that won't stop us from having an abundance of fun
Woah man, and we can
We can continue to have fun
Won't try to tease you, just try to please you,
We are not trying to play games, but rather make you happy
Don't wanna know your mind,
We are not concerned with your thoughts or opinions
Don't wanna know your mind,
We are not interested in hearing your thoughts or opinions
Don't wanna know your mind.
We would rather you just enjoy the party without overthinking
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sean Belfast
STILL THE BEST BUDDY AND AL IN THE BIG SHOW IN THE SKY
Jacob Riley
This song is awesome
Audrey Cotterill
This is brilliant loved them when I was a kid 😍😍😍😍
Paul Miller
RIP BUDDY GASK what a great vocalist also RIP GEOFF BETTS
Allan Moorhead
Love it.
Sean Belfast
now this is real music great group fan from the start r.i..p buddy
Frazer Spence. Pure Blood.
Buddy was by far the better singer.
Janice Janice
Great group I've seen them a few times don't remember this song though
DAVID ERRINGTON
This song starts the the second half of the current line up's gigs, immediately followed by Dancin' Party!
sara bird
RIP al and buddy we miss you sing in to gather again