Steve Perry – Oh Sherrie

“Oh Sherrie” is the debut solo single by American singer Steve Perry. Written by Perry, Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf and Bill Cuomo, the song was recorded and released on Perry’s first solo album Street Talk in 1984, which he released while still a member of Journey.

When this song took off, some fans wondered if he would return to Journey, or if the band would simply break up. Perry wasn’t the first to explore a side project: guitarist Neal Schon released albums with Jan Hammer in 1981 and 1982, and drummer Steve Smith made a jazz album in 1983. Perry wasn’t the group’s first frontman; he joined three albums in. In their original form, Journey was more of a jazzy, progressive rock outfit featuring the virtuoso talents of their seasoned pros, including Santana veterans Schon and Gregg Rolie.

Perry felt like he constantly had to prove himself within the group, but he was committed. He made this clear in an extra segment for the video of the last Street Talk single, “Foolish Heart,” where he shares some laughs with his Journey bandmates and says, “Let’s go cut a track.”

The song is often regarded as an “honorary” Journey song, being credited to the band on several hit compilation albums 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 video was shot at the historic entertainment venue the Park Plaza Hotel – now called the MacArthur, located at 607 South Park View St. in Los Angeles, CA.

The Medieval trumpet sounds at the beginning of the “Oh Sherrie” video signify the beginning of a royal wedding sometime in the distant past, but they also mark the launch of Steve Perry‘s brief, but memorable solo career. “Oh Sherrie” – the first single from his 1984 solo debut Street Talk – was written in honor of his real-life girlfriend Sherrie Swafford. In this post-Thriller era, music videos were getting increasingly elaborate, which Perry mocked by beginning the clip dressed as a prince in an ancient church before ripping the crown off and telling the director it had nothing to do with the song.

The song became a huge radio and MTV hit, rising to #3 on the Hot 100.

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Steve Perry - Oh Sherrie

Steve Perry - Oh Sherrie (Video)03:36

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