“Just the latest in a long line of swinging sonnets penned for moi, heh heh – much better than ‘Jools and Jim’ but nowhere near as good as the Franglais ‘Switchblade Julie’. Working on the basis of fact that whenever any of my schoolteachers called “Julie!” half the class stood up, this should sell and sell. I mean, it’s a much shrewder move than recording a song called ‘Oh Zsa Zsa’. You know what this sounds like – it’s a Shakin’ Stevens Record. If it’s not number one for at least four weeks I shall eat a large leek, which is the welsh national emblem. Thank goodness he’s not a Scot.”

Burchill awarded Single of the week to ‘Where Do They Go?’ by Diana Dors. Also reviewed that week;

Bow Wow Wow – Go Wild In The Country
XTC – Senses Working Overtime
OMD – Maid Of Orleans
The Stranglers – Golden Brown
Spandau Ballet – She Loved Like Diamond
Modern Romance – Queen Of The Rapping Scene
Diana Ross – Mirror Mirror

That’s not even faint praise; that’s just fact. And maybe not even that – it might even have been 17 or 15.

And don’t go and follow this up with a record featuring another girl’s name, so you can make lots of easy sales…

14 January 1982. Also in the studio that week were; Dollar, Elkie Brooks, Altered Images, The Stranglers and Bucks Fizz, plus not only Zoo’s interpretation of ‘Don’t Walk Away’ but also the spectacle of The UK Disco Dance Champions displaying their winning moves to the sound of ‘Get Down On It’. Dave Lee Travis was the host.

28 January 1982. Also in the studio that week were; Tight Fit, Haircut 100, The Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, Elkie Brooks and Alton Edwards. Simon Bates was the host.

Actually don’t answer that.

I don’t know which was more effing painful!

*A Pilonidal Sinus is an infected tract under the skin between the buttocks. An infected abscess (ball of pus and surrounding skin infection) develops in and around the sinus.

even as quite a large shakey fan i don’t think i can defend this, bless him…

Totally hateful dross, knowing there were a load of women called Julie who would assume he was singing it about them.

There came a point in some artists careers where they could put anything on vinyl and it got to number 1 and this was an example. This is worse than any imported holiday hit from Spain and probably benefited from the strange patterns in the chart when sales were being taken in before Top of the Pops and then the chart the following Tuesday had a song barely moving or going down and then shooting up the following week.

I hated this man with a passion, which doesn’t help and can say with confidence that this is the worst number one up to that point.Worse than Joe Dolce by far.

The name of which was borrowed by Howard Chaykin for a minor character in his “American Flagg!” series.

I think that you’ll find that Zydeco is form of Cajun music that uses mainly acordion & washboard or feet as accompaniment.

Cajun is referring to the orginal French settlers in Canada ( then called Acadians ) that were kicked out of now Nova Scotia by the British and sailed down the east coast of the USA to end up in and around New Orleans which had already seen some French Settlement.

The Band has a great song about this called ” Acadian Driftwood “………

While ordering the Boothill CD, I noticed “Come See About Me” is one of the bonus tracks, also covered by Mr Barrett. Can anyone remember if Shaky’s own version was particularly cajun-y (or zydeco-y)?

Then she dumped him. And then, just to rub it in, the bloody thing went to Number One.

He quickly went back to playing Joy Division’s “Atmosphere” at full blast, whenever he got in from the pub. Order was (woh-woh) duly restored.

(NB – is this Cajun or Zydeco? My memory says it’s the latter, but then it’s been a long time since I heard Rockin’ Sidney’s “My Toot Toot”.)

It can’t all be as rubbish as “Oh Julie” though?