Jealous Mind

Album: Untouchable (1973)
Charted: 1
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Songfacts®:

  • Alvin Stardust was the stage name of Bernard Jewry, a British singer, actor, and television personality. He began his career in the 1960s under the name Shane Fenton and had moderate success, with four singles reaching the British Top 40. In the 1970s, he adopted the persona of Alvin Stardust, a leather-clad character from the glam rock era. As Alvin Stardust, he clocked up seven Top 10 British hits between 1983 and 1984, including this chart-topper.
  • The lyrics of the song depict Stardust's fear of losing his romantic partner and his attempts to convince her to stay. He blames his feelings of insecurity and uncertainty in their relationship on his "jealous mind."
  • Songwriter, and music business executive Peter Shelley wrote and produced "Jealous Mind." In 1973, Shelley co-founded Magnet Records, taking on the role of director of A&R. He wrote and produced the label's first release, "My Coo Ca Choo," its follow-up "Jealous Mind," and two other Top 10 hits for Stardust, "Red Dress" and "You You You."

    As a solo artist, Shelley had hits with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog." Under his creative direction, by 1975 Magnet Records had become one of the UK's most successful independent record labels. He also helped sign Guys 'n' Dolls and Chris Rea to the label.
  • "Jealous Mind" was Alvin Stardust's only UK #1 single, topping the chart for one week. It could be argued this was the wrong song to reach the peak position, as "My Coo-Ca-Choo" is seen today as the classic Alvin Stardust record. That song stalled at #2 behind Gary Glitter's "I Love You Love Me Love."

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