How Steve Perry Delivered a Classic Track on His First Solo Try

Members of popular bands who go solo have to expect a certain level of scrutiny when they make that move. If you come out of the gate with something less than special, it can be a tough beginning from which to recover.

Steve Perry easily cleared that hurdle with his first solo single. “Oh Sherrie” reached an impressive commercial peak while living up to the standard of what he delivered on the regular as a member of Journey.

Solo Steve

Journey dominated the arena rock scene in the early 80s. Once Jonathan Cain joined the band, giving them a stellar songwriting trio along with Steve Perry and Neal Schon, they started churning out arena-friendly hits with impressive consistency. The albums Escape and Frontiers, released in 1981 and 1983, were multiplatinum monsters.

But such success also requires a relentless pace. After touring behind Frontiers, the band decided to take some time away from the grind. That hiatus gave the individual members the chance to pursue other projects, including solo work. As the voice of the band, Perry was a natural for just such a move.

Considering his status atop the rock world, Perry had the choice of whatever collaborators he wished. He went out to left field a bit in choosing Randy Goodrum as his chief co-writer for the Street Talk album in 1984. Goodrum had made his mark with adult contemporary artists like Anne Murray and Michael Johnson. But Perry’s instincts were right on the mark, as “Oh Sherrie” proved.

Perry’s Power Play

Perry began “Oh, Sherrie” with co-writers Craig Krampf and Bill Cuomo, coming up with the musical structure and the main refrain. He had a melody in place without any real lyrics in the verses. That’s when Goodrum entered the picture, basing the words on what he observed between Perry and the person who inspired the title.

Sherrie Swafford was Perry’s girlfriend at the time. She even starred in the popular video for the song. Perry came up with the clever idea to sing the opening lines a cappella, which both grabbed the attention of listeners and showcased his incredible pipes.

“Oh Sherrie” was an absolute juggernaut from the moment it was released. With Perry still riding high on the coattails of Journey’s success, the song simply added to the momentum of his star turn. It topped out at No. 3 in 1984. Only one song (“Open Arms”) by his day-job band ever did any better on the pop charts.

Behind the Lyrics of “Oh Sherrie”

“You should have been gone,” Perry sings in that unforgettable opening section to “Oh Sherrie”. “Knowing how I made you feel.” That sets the tone for the song in that the narrator understands that there have been rocky times in their relationship. And it’s not one-sided. “But I want to let go,” Perry sings. “You’ll go on hurting me.”

Still, their connection outweighs the negatives. “But you know that there’s a fever,” Perry sings on his way into the refrain. “That you’ll never find nowhere else.” That chorus suggests that what they’ve created is bigger than both of them: “Oh, Sherrie, our love holds on, holds on.”

Perry returned to Journey for the 1986 album Raised On Radio. The success of “Oh Sherrie” almost made it seem like the band had never left. And although Sherrie Swafford didn’t “hold on” with the singer, she can always boast that she’s the subject of one of 80s pop’s most heartfelt love songs.

(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

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