The Story and Meaning Behind “Shake You Down,” Gregory Abbott’s ’80s Smash That Proved Old-School Soul Never Goes Out of Style

Soul ballads weren’t exactly burning up the charts with regularity circa 1986. Nobody told Gregory Abbott, however, which is a good thing, because he went ahead with “Shake You Down” anyway and walked away with a No. 1 hit.

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The unlikely style of Abbott’s hit single was in keeping with the unconventional path he took to major music success. Here’s a look back at “Shake You Down,” one of the most soulful hits of the ‘80s.

From Academia to the Charts

Gregory Abbott was working as a college professor at an esteemed university in California prior to recording his debut album in 1986. But it wasn’t like he simply had an epiphany one day while standing at the chalkboard and decided music was his calling.

He had always played and written music prior to making it a career. And he had done some professional dabbling here and there as both a performer and a producer. Still, it was quite the leap he made when he recorded the Shake You Down album in 1986.

Consider he was already in his 30s when he made this decision, which is about a decade or more later than the typical artist gets rolling. On top of that, he decided to jump into the deep end without too much help. Not only did Abbott write every one of the eight songs on the album, but he also produced the record as well.

Shimmy and “Shake”

Instead of releasing a single that was indebted to the beat-heavy R&B of the day, Abbott went the other direction. “Shake You Down,” with its lush, melodic soul foundation, sounds as if it could have been recorded by legends like Donny Hathaway or Al Green. Abbott even includes a little bit of a spoken-word section to throw back to the ‘70s.

With the title of a song, he created a new phrase for the soul lexicon. When this author asked him about it for the book Playing Back the ‘80s: A Decade of Unstoppable Hits, Abbott admitted the phrase came out of nowhere:

“My crazy brain is making stuff up all the time. On a serious note though, I was trying to express what a lover feels like when he is planning his love attack on the subject of her affection. He’s going to ‘shake her down.’”

What is “Shake You Down” About?

“Shake You Down” sets us down in the middle of a crowded dance floor, where the narrator is keeping an eye on the woman he desires. And he won’t be keeping his feelings to himself for much longer: And you know, ooh girl, that I’m not shy / I’m glad you picked up on my telepathy.

We find out they’ve been separated for some reason (Ooh, I been missing you), but our protagonist is determined to rectify that: I’ve got the remedy, yes I do / Now give me just a little time. Their mind meld becomes evident as the song progresses, suggesting a body meld won’t be far behind: You read my mind / Girl I wanna shake you down.

“Shake You Down” is a boudoir song that relies on Abbott’s easygoing but undeniably passionate vocals to carry much of the load. And he does an amazing job of it. In that manner, this former professor taught ‘80s pop audiences the virtues of old-school soul.

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