In 1956 Tony formed his first band. In 1958, at 18, he began appearing on the BBC's Oh Boy, playing electric guitar. He was eventually offered a contract to perform at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany.
While performing in Hamburg between 1960 and 1963, Sheridan employed various backup bands. In 1961, one such band, who had met Sheridan during their first visit to Hamburg in 1960, and who worked with him on their second, was The Beatles (with their line-up at the time as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best). When German Polydor agent Bert Kaempfert saw the pairing on stage, he suggested that they make some recordings together. In 1962, after a series of singles (the first of which, "My Bonnie"/"The Saints" made it to #5 in the Hit Parade), Polydor released the album My Bonnie across Germany. The word Beatles was judged to sound too similar to the German Pidels (pronounced peedles), the plural of a slang term for penis, hence the album was credited to Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers. After The Beatles had gained fame, the album was re-released in Britain, with the credit altered to Tony Sheridan and The Beatles.
By 1967, Sheridan had become disillusioned with his Beatle-brought fame. As he was more concerned by the Vietnam War, Sheridan agreed to perform for the Allied troops. While in Vietnam however, the band that he had assembled was fired upon and one of the members was killed. Reuters reported that Sheridan himself had died. For his work entertaining the Allies, Sheridan was made an honorary Captain of the United States army.
In the early 1970s, Sheridan managed a West German radio programme of blues music, which was well-received. In 1978, the Star Club was reopened, and Sheridan performed there along with Elvis Presley's TCB Band.
On August 13, 2002, Sheridan released Vagabond, a collection largely of his own material, but also including a new cover version of "Skinny Minnie", a song he had years earlier recorded for his first album.
what i'd say
Tony Sheridan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and love your daddy all night long
All right, hey, hey, all right now
See the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
All right, hey, hey, mmm, all right now
Make me feel so good, make me feel so good right now
Make me feel so good, make me feel so good right now
Make me feel so good, make me feel so good
Mmm, see the girl with the red dress on
She can do the dog all night long
All right, hmm what'd I say, tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say
Ahhh, ohh, ahhh, ohh, ahhh, ohh, ohh
It's all right, it's all right right now
Baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right right now
Baby, it's all right, oh yeah!
Baby shake that thing, baby shake that thing right now
Baby shake that thing, baby shake that thing right now
Baby shake that thing, well I feel all right
The lyrics to Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers's song "What'd I Say" is about the singer's desire for his mother to treat him right and love him all night long. He is also describing the girls at the club who are dancing and shaking their bodies in a seductive way. He finds the girls attractive and pleasurable to watch as they move with their diamond rings and red dresses on. The singer is simply mesmerized by the girls and how they move as they do the "dog" all night long. He feels good watching them and he wants the girls to shake their bodies because it makes him feel all right.
The song is about sexuality and sensuality, which is common in rock and roll music. The lyrics suggest that the singer is in a club, perhaps with his mother or some other woman, and he is watching the different kinds of women who are dancing. The song's rhythm is made up of a danceable beat that expresses the energy of the club. The chorus and the repetitive sound of "ahh, ohh" in the background make the song an enjoyable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong
Addressing his lover as mama, he implores her not to do him dirty
Come and love your daddy all night long
He's requesting his lover to act upon physical desires with him throughout the night
All right, hey, hey, all right now
Implying satisfaction in the situation, he exclaims a feeling of jubilation
See the girl with the diamond ring
Pointing out a specific girl adorned with a diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
This girl has the ability to dance provocatively
All right, hey, hey, mmm, all right now
Expressing enjoyment of the current circumstance, the singer lets out a sensual sound
Make me feel so good, make me feel so good right now
He's requesting his lover to provide him with pleasure in the present moment
Mmm, see the girl with the red dress on
Spotting another girl, he is now identifying this one's ensemble
She can do the dog all night long
The girl in the red dress is good at performing a dance popular at the time
All right, hmm what'd I say, tell me what'd I say
Stopping mid-song, the singer knows the crowd is enjoying it so he asks rhetorically what he's said so far
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say right now
Repeating his prior words, he's trying to rouse the audience's excitement
Ahhh, ohh, ahhh, ohh, ahhh, ohh, ohh
Much like a crowd inciting chant, this is sung to keep the audience engaged
It's all right, it's all right right now
An affirmative response, he confirms it's acceptable in that moment
Baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right right now
As if talking to his lover, he's reassuring her that everything is alright
Baby, it's all right, oh yeah!
Another declaration of content, the singer affirms things are going well
Baby shake that thing, baby shake that thing right now
Commanding his lover to dance seductively in that moment
Well I feel all right
The song ends on a final note of satisfaction
Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Charles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind