When I’m With You – Sheriff | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & Adult Contemporary (#1); 1989
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The saga of Sheriff’s rise to fame is a convoluted one so get out your scorecard! The Canadian quintet released its first single, You Remind Me, in 1982, and its third and last, When I’m With You, in 1983. A huge hit up north, When I’m With You, stalled at #61 in the U.S., and in 1985 the band disbanded.
Two of the five formed Frozen Ghost and achieved a similar lack of success in 1987 when Should I See stalled at #69. In 1989, a Las Vegas radio station added the six-year-old When I’m With You onto its current playlist, and soon the defunct Sheriff had a hit on its hands.
The three non-Frozen Ghost musicians were anxious to capitalize on When I’m With You‘s new-found fame, however, the other two weren’t, and that was that for Sheriff.
As things turned out, by 1990 Frozen Ghost was a one-hit-wonder band, while the other three “Sheriff’s” teamed up with two original members of Heart, and – as Alias – rose to #2 with More Than Words Can Say.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Stacy Heydon
Lyrics Written by:
- Arnold Lanni
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).