“Oh Julie” by Shakin’ Stevens Meaning
In “Oh Julie”, the singer pleads with a love interest named Julie, to stay in his life and solely love him. The questions raised by the singer seem to imply that Julie may either not be as interested in him anymore or may not be proving her feelings for him through her actions.
He pleads desperately with her to love him only and not to leave him. His fear of being jilted by Julie is strongly captured in the chorus as he keeps telling her not to deceive him, grieve him or leave him alone. Throughout the song however, the singer dares Julie to be exclusive to him if she truly loves him, signifying that this may just be an unstable relationship that needs a dose of trust.
Facts about “Oh Julie”
Although we may never hear about Shakin’ Stevens in the 21st century, he was a very successful artist during the 1980s. Throughout that decade he managed to top the UK Singles Chart an impressive four times, with “Oh Julie”, being released on 8 January 1982, marking one of those occasions. And just the note, this song also reached number 1 in several other territories, including the below:
- Austria
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Shakin’ Stevens wrote this track himself. Its producer is Stuart Colman (1944-2018), and it served as the lead single from Stevens’ album “Give Me Your Heart Tonight” (1982), as presented by Epic Records.
Over the years, many have wondered if the titular Julie is someone real whom Stevens once knew. Some fans of this song have said she’s real whereas others have said she isn’t. But what really is the truth? The truth of the matter is that Julie isn’t a real person in Steven’s life. It’s rather a name he chose due to the fact that it rhymes perfectly with the word “truly”, a word which is utilized regularly throughout the song.
Whereas Stevens’ version of this track didn’t catch on Stateside, Barry Manilow’s 1982 cover did, making it onto the Billboard Hot 100.
Summary
Oh Julie mainly expresses the writer’s plea for exclusivity, affection and attention from a love interest who may be losing interest.
Song’s Success in the UK
This was the third single of Steven’s career to hit the number 1 position in the UK. His first was with a song titled “This Ole House”. That being said, it is vital that we mention that “Oh Julie” holds the distinction of being Steven’s first self-composed song to hit number 1. His other two singles that achieved that feat were both covers.
In 1982, precisely 23 songs achieved the feat of getting to the number 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart. “Oh Julie” was one of these distinguished songs. And it achieved this brilliant feet on the 30th day of January of the said year. This was after it had removed Bucks Fizz’s “Land of Make Believe” from the first position. “Oh Julie” enjoyed being a UK #1 hit for just a week before being replaced by Kraftwerk’s “The Model”/ “Computer Love”.
The success of the song helped immensely in propelling its album into the Top-Ten status in UK. Actually the album went as far as reaching a peak position of number 3 on UK’s Official Albums Chart.
Singles Produced by “Give Me Your Heart Tonight”
Aside from “Oh Julie”, this album was supported by four other singles, including “Shirley” (which was also a top-10 hit). Below is the full list of singles from the album:
- “Vanessa”
- “I’ll Be Satisfied”
- “Give Me Your Heart Tonight”
- “Shirley”
- “Oh Julie”
Who plays the accordion on “Oh Julie”?
The accordion you hear so prominently on the track was played by a Welsh musician named Geriant Watkins.
