As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.
The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.
DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."
DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.
DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.
Shake Sugaree
Willy DeVille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't gonna tell
I'm goin' to heaven in a split pea shell
Oh, Lordy me, didn't we shake sugaree
Everything I have is down in pawn
I pawned my watch, an' I pawned my chain
[Even I don't deserve myself, so ?] ashamed
Everything I have is down in pawn
I've got a song to sing
Ain't very long
I'm gonna sing it right if it take me all night long
Oh, Lordy me, didn't we shake sugaree
Everything I have is down in pawn
I've got a secret
I ain't gonna tell
I'm goin' to heaven in a split pea shell
Oh, Lordy me, didn't we shake sugaree
Everything I have is down in pawn
The lyrics to Willy DeVille's song "Shake Sugaree" are evocative and suggest a sense of desperation and a search for solace. The singer has a secret but refuses to reveal it, perhaps due to personal shame or embarrassment. He imagines going to heaven in a split pea shell, a reference to the Biblical story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale and later rescued by a miracle. It reflects the singer's sense of hope that he will be saved from his troubles and taken to a better place.
The repeated phrase "didn't we shake sugaree" seems to be an allusion to an African-American folk tune of the same name that was popular in the early 20th century. It was often sung by field workers as they labored and had an upbeat, playful tone. But the words of "Shake Sugaree" are more melancholy and suggest that the singer has lost everything and is clinging to memories of happier times. He has pawned all his possessions, including his watch and chain, and is left with nothing but a song to sing.
The song has an elegiac quality and captures the desperation and hopelessness of someone who has hit rock bottom. But it also suggests the resilience of the human spirit and the power of music to bring comfort and hope. The singer's repeated assertion that he is going to heaven in a split pea shell is both poignant and hopeful, a reminder that even in the darkest times there is always the possibility of salvation and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a secret
I have a secret that I will keep to myself
I ain't gonna tell
I will not reveal my secret to anyone
I'm goin' to heaven in a split pea shell
I believe that I will go to heaven in a peculiar way
Oh, Lordy me, didn't we shake sugaree
My goodness, didn't we have a great time
Everything I have is down in pawn
All of my possessions have been pawned for cash
I pawned my watch, an' I pawned my chain
I even pawned valuable possessions like my watch and chain
[Even I don't deserve myself, so ?] ashamed
I feel ashamed for selling off my belongings
I've got a song to sing
I have a song that I want to share
Ain't very long
It is a short song
I'm gonna sing it right if it take me all night long
I will sing it correctly even if it takes me all night
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TAJ MAHAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pierrettereck4695
j'adore Willy, il est parti trop tôt, merci pour toute ces belles chansons, ce mélange avec l'accordéon est top
@eberhardweingart7990
Er war genial,und seine Musik unsterblich
@ullarose2000
for me he is the best
@MikhnevichNatalya
Это больше,чем прекрасно!❤️💓❤️💓💎я влюблена в этот звук от Вилли!
@EllaElsner-iy7sf
Ich habe nicht nur einen Lieblingssong, mir gefallen fast alle Songs von ihm. Er ist für mich immernoch der GRÖßTE !❤
@Jose-uc6ox
Un grandísimo artista
@karinbeutel5571
Ich liebe ihn und seine Musik♥️
@ingley5220
Seine Stimme ist unbeschreiblich faszinierend, wirklich einmalig.
@EllaElsner-iy7sf
@@ingley5220immer und immerwieder Willy Tag und Nacht !❤
@manmag4381
willy kills thinking ... he's voice is pure emotion ... directly to my heart