Oh Sheila by Ready for the World

About

Named after a lyric from a song from their debut album called “Ceramic Girl,” They had a modest underground hit in Detroit and Flint with their first single “Tonight,” which was helped by airplay on the Detroit radio station WJLB, where the song was championed by a DJ called The Electrifying Mojo. This got them signed to MCA Records, who released “Tonight,” followed by “Deep Inside Your Love,” which both went Top 10 on the R&B charts. It was the third single, “Oh Sheila,” that was the breakout hit, going to #1 on the Dance, R&B, and Hot 100 charts. The song is commonly misattributed to Prince, due to similarity to his vocal and musical style, as well as the belief that the song’s lyrics allude to frequent Prince collaborator Sheila E. Ready for the World’s Melvin Riley denied any connection with the two artists, stating that the subject of the song was a fictional character. However, the song’s drum machine pattern and melody was inspired by the Prince song “Lady Cab Driver.”