Oh Sheila
| "Oh Sheila" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Artwork for US and some other territorial releases | ||||
| Single by Ready for the World | ||||
| from the album Ready for the World | ||||
| B-side | "I'm the One Who Loves You" | |||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Ready for the World | |||
| Ready for the World singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Oh Sheila” on YouTube | ||||
"Oh Sheila" is a song by American R&B band Ready for the World. Released as a single in 1985, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart. It was the first of two chart toppers for the band on the Billboard R&B chart, preceding their 1986 number-one R&B hit "Love You Down".
The song is commonly misattributed to Prince, due to the similarities to his vocal and musical style, heavy use of the detuned rimshot sound of a drum machine, and the belief that the song's lyrics allude to frequent Prince collaborator Sheila E.
The use of a faux British accent during parts of the song was the preference of singer Melvin Riley Jr., who said "I like that kind of accent, so I thought I'd use that sound."