Oh Sherrie
Encyclopedia
"Oh Sherrie" is a song written by American singer Steve Perry
, Randy Goodrum
, Craig Krampf
, and Bill Cuomo. It was recorded and
released on Perry's Street Talk
album in 1984, his first solo album which he released while still a member of Journey
. The song is often regarded as an "honorary" Journey song, being credited to the band on several hit compilation album
s and in other media, largely due to its resemblance to the band's trademark sound, as well as their performances of the song on the Raised on Radio Tour
, which proved to be Perry's live swansong with the band.
The song was Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist and written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, who also appeared in the music video. The song hit number three on the pop chart
and number one on the rock chart in the United States, partly aided in its success by a music video
released to promote the song, which received heavy airplay on MTV
.
One of the song's co-writers, Bill Cuomo, performed the keyboard riff on "Oh Sherrie," and was the musician that was also responsible for the keyboard riff on Kim Carnes' signature song, "Bette Davis Eyes
," in 1981. Cuomo, Krampf and Perry had started composing the song at approximately midnight with little more than the simple chorus of "Oh Sherrie" and "Hold on, hold on" plus a few simple sounds. Sherrie Swafford had been in the room with them initially, but had gone to sleep because of the late hour.
Steve Perry (musician)
Stephen Ray "Steve" Perry is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music...
, Randy Goodrum
Randy Goodrum
Randy Goodrum is an American songwriter. Goodrum has written numerous popular songs, including Anne Murray's #1 hit "You Needed Me" and "Broken Hearted Me" , Michael Johnson's "Bluer Than Blue" , England Dan & John Ford Coley's "It's Sad to Belong" , Steve Perry's "Oh Sherrie" , DeBarge's "Who's...
, Craig Krampf
Craig Krampf
Craig Krampf is an American musician and songwriter.The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer. Since the 1970s, he has played on albums by other artists ranging from Steve Perry to Alabama to Kim Carnes to Flo and Eddie to Alice Cooper to Melissa Etheridge...
, and Bill Cuomo. It was recorded and
released on Perry's Street Talk
Street Talk
Street Talk is Steve Perry's first solo album, released in April, 1984.Street Talk contains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford. The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Rock chart, and the accompanying music...
album in 1984, his first solo album which he released while still a member of Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
. The song is often regarded as an "honorary" Journey song, being credited to the band on several hit compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s and in other media, largely due to its resemblance to the band's trademark sound, as well as their performances of the song on the Raised on Radio Tour
Raised on Radio Tour
The Raised on Radio Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Journey. The tour was the last with former lead singer Steve Perry. The tour started on August 23, 1986 at the Mountain Aire Festival in Angels Camp, California and ended Feb. 1, 1987 in Anchorage, Alaska. Opening acts for the...
, which proved to be Perry's live swansong with the band.
The song was Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist and written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, who also appeared in the music video. The song hit number three on the pop chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number one on the rock chart in the United States, partly aided in its success by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
released to promote the song, which received heavy airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
One of the song's co-writers, Bill Cuomo, performed the keyboard riff on "Oh Sherrie," and was the musician that was also responsible for the keyboard riff on Kim Carnes' signature song, "Bette Davis Eyes
Bette Davis Eyes
"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon and made popular by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes.-History:...
," in 1981. Cuomo, Krampf and Perry had started composing the song at approximately midnight with little more than the simple chorus of "Oh Sherrie" and "Hold on, hold on" plus a few simple sounds. Sherrie Swafford had been in the room with them initially, but had gone to sleep because of the late hour.
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... 50 Singles |
1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
| US Billboard Top Tracks | 1 |
See also
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1984
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)