Songfacts®:

• Born Michael Barratt in Cardiff, Wales, rock 'n' roll singer Shakin' Stevens was one of the most successful performers on the UK singles charts during the 1980s. This song was the third of his four #1 hits.
• The song featured an accordion backing provided by piano player Geraint Watkins, who also was a mainstay in Dave Edmunds' band during the 1980s.
  
  Stevens recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "The idea just came to me while we were rehearsing in Nomis Studios, in London, in January 1982. I said to Geraint Watkins, my keyboards player at the time, 'bring your squeeze-box I tomorrow, I've got an idea for a song'. I wanted to write something with a Cajun feel, and I think we got pretty near to that, although these days when we do it on stage we give it even more of a Louisiana feel."
• Stevens later admitted that he chose the name Julie simply because it rhymes with "truly."
• The song became a huge international hit and was later covered by Barry Manilow, whose version peaked at #38 in the US.