Listen to it

no. but you're supposed to think it is.

I love that song. There's an unofficial remix circulating that mixes it in with "Too Sexy"--those songs blend together very well.

i have never heard it before. why are you meant to think it is a prince production?

wikepedia says: "Oh Sheila" is according to legend written about Sheila E.


whats the legend?

jethrouk said:

to get you to buy it?

jethrouk said:

It sounds a lot like Prince. Prince had become huge after Purple Rain, and a lot of people tried to cash in on his sound. Sheila was blowing up at that time too, and the rumors were that Prince and Sheila were dating, so a Prince-like song called "Oh Sheila" would naturally be assumed to be about Sheila E.

Reportedly, Prince and Sheila E. were riding together in a limo when "Oh Sheila" came on the radio. Sheila asked Prince, "When did you write this?" And he replied, "I didn't."

I love that song. It's my jam.

And if Prince made it, I could see him molesting a mic stand while performing it.

Wait....

That happens everytime he sings "Head"

Efan said:

But the truth is that Ready For The World loved Sheila E., and the song was a direct homage to her.

subdub23 said:

No it's not. Prince might have helped define a sound, but many copied it. Ready For The World was one of them.

for the 70 bazillionth time

NOOOOO

Cute song.

Ready for the World performed in my hometown while the single was climbing up the charts. I didn't go to the concert, but I DID meet them at the Holiday Inn. They were major penises!!!!!

A great imitation of the Minneapolis sound, one of the best I think amongst many. The melody was stolen nearly whole cloth from "Lady Cab Driver".

IAintTheOne said:

mozfonky said:

You know, I never picked up on that, but you're right. Hmmm, tres interesting.

I don't know that it should be demoted as an "imitation". It WAS the Mpls sound for sure. The people who imitated it never got anywhere with it. But the ones who embraced it and made it their own too are the ones who were respected more. RFTW had more than one hit of course, and people still love 'em.

No body ever mentions that it,s as camp as christmas...(ooh sailor)it's a great song tho it was more Princyfied than Prince.I need to dust down my copy, not heard it for ages...

PS I always LOVED "Digital Display".

Anyone remember "Ceramic Girl" and "Love You Down"???

Efan said:

I never heard that one, but I liked the mashup with The Glamorous Life,

ernestsewell said:

yes I dug all those songs back then

Joyinrepatition said:

You had to love their Jerri Curls Love Oh Sheila , but my favs from them is Late Saturday Night and Gently.

God I love that really fem "Goose/gander" part in the beginning of the song.


And why the hell did they try to put on that fake British accent?


It had all the elements for a major disaster, yet it's one of those songs from the 80s that I like.

jethrouk said:

You must be young. During the period of time between 83 and 85 Prince was king of the radio. Everybody was emulating his sound and trying to even copy his style of dress.


All the musical acts that sounded like Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson started moving away from that sound and trying to sound like Prince.

It was hilarious to hear all these men all of a sudden sing with exaggerated lisps and adding really really fem sounding sexual moans to their songs.

I swear to God at one point, I was expecting the heavy-metal bands to try to get in on the Prince band wagen.



Fortunately, as he would prove throughout the rest of his career, Prince knows how to kill any public rallying around him with a good P&R disaster and the days of Prince copycat bands were shortlived. Instead we had to endure 15 more years of Michael Jackson copying Prince's look from time to time, but with a creepy Chester molester vibe to it.
[Edited 5/11/09 7:39am]