Shannon followed up with "Hats Off to Larry", another big hit, and the less popular "So Long, Baby", another song of breakup bitterness. "Little Town Flirt", released in 1962 reached #12 in 1963 as did the album of the same name. After these hits, Shannon was unable to keep his momentum in the US, but became a sensation in England. In 1963, he became the first American artist to record a cover version of a Beatles song with "From Me to You".
Shannon returned to the charts in 1964 with "Handy Man", "Do You Wanna Dance", "Keep Searchin'", and "Stranger in Town" (1965), with the latter two songs themed about flight from pursuit in a dangerous world. A 1966 chart offering was Shannon's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb". In the late 1960s after a dry spell of hits, he turned to production. In 1969 he discovered a group called Smith and arranged their hit "Baby It's You". He then produced his friend Brian Hyland's million seller "Gypsy Woman" in 1970.
In the 1970s, Shannon's career slowed down greatly; the hates and fears he had turned into art in his earlier songs were turning into full-blown mental illness, and he was self-medicating with alcohol. He finally put the bottle down in 1978, and he was able to return to mainstream audiences with "Sea of Love" in the early 1980s from the album "Drop Down And Get Me" produced by Tom Petty.
In December, 1983, Shannon served as Grand Marshal of the Coopersville, Michigan Christmas parade and also performed a benefit concert at Coopersville High School.
Shannon enjoyed a resurgence in audience interest after re-recording a portion of his song "Runaway" (with new lyrics) as the theme for the television program Crime Story. Producer Michael Mann felt that this was one of the definitive songs of the era in which the program was set. Some fans of the show prefer the sharper lyrics ("Some live, and others die") as an alternate to the original words.
On 8 February 1990, while working on a comeback album with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, Shannon fatally shot himself in the head with a .22 calibre rifle. His wife thought his death might have been related to his recent use of the prescription drug Prozac. The album was released after his death and titled "Rock On!".
Shannon is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Crying
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I saw you last night you held my hand
So tight as you stopped to say hello
You wished me well you couldn't tell that I'd been
Crying over you, crying over you
Then you said so long left me standing all alone
Alone and crying, crying, crying, crying
I thought that I was over you but it's true, oh so true
I love you even more than I did before
But darling what can I do
You don't love me and I'll always be crying
Crying over you, crying over you
Yes now you're gone and from this moment on
I'll be crying, crying, crying, crying
Yes crying, crying over you
Del Shannon's song 'Crying' tells the story of a person who thought they had moved on from a previous relationship, but when they see their ex-lover, all the memories resurface and they can't help but cry. The song starts with the singer explaining how they were "all right for a while" and "could smile for a while" indicating that they were doing well without their ex-lover, until they saw them last night. The singer's ex-lover held their hand so tightly and stopped to say hello, wishing them well. But, the ex-lover didn't realize that seeing them had started the singer crying over them again.
The lyrics then express the singer's confusion and pain, as they thought they had moved on but realized that they still loved their ex-lover even more than before. However, the problem is that their ex-lover does not reciprocate these feelings, leaving the singer in a state of constant crying over their lost love. The song is an accurate portrayal of the complexity of dealing with heartbreak, as sometimes it's hard to let go even after moving on.
Overall, the song highlights the fact that sometimes it's hard to move on from a relationship, and even after trying to move on, seeing someone you used to love can evoke intense emotions and memories that can be hard to ignore.
Line by Line Meaning
I was all right for a while I could smile for a while
I was fine without you at first, I was able to be happy
But I saw you last night you held my hand
When I saw you last night, you touched my hand
So tight as you stopped to say hello
You greeted me with a tight grip
You wished me well you couldn't tell that I'd been
Even though you wished me well, you couldn't see that I had been
Crying over you, crying over you
Crying because of you, crying as a result of your actions
Then you said so long left me standing all alone
You said goodbye and left me standing by myself
Alone and crying, crying, crying, crying
Completely alone and crying so much
It's hard to understand that the touch of your hand can start me crying
It's difficult to comprehend that even the touch of your hand can make me cry
I thought that I was over you but it's true, oh so true
I believed I had moved on from you, but it's not the case
I love you even more than I did before
My feelings for you have grown stronger
But darling what can I do
I am helpless, there's nothing I can do
You don't love me and I'll always be crying
You don't love me and I'll always be upset about it
Crying over you, crying over you
Crying because of you, crying as a result of your actions
Yes now you're gone and from this moment on
You have left and now, going forward
I'll be crying, crying, crying, crying
I will continue to cry, cry, cry, cry
Yes crying, crying over you
Yes, crying because of you, crying as a result of your actions
Lyrics © DistroKid, Orbi-Lee Music, Barbara Orbison Music Company, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, R-Key Darkus
Written by: Joe Melson, Roy Orbison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Roger Eisinger
If Del Shannon only realized that he would still be missed today by so many fans, friends and family, things may have been different. We miss you Del!
linxj6
PROZAC!!! Killer drug. to think that this great man could have sill been here...
Valerie Deuchars
@linxj6 I no it is really really sad died far to soon just ah lovely man and ah brilliant singer god bless him💔
Lorraine Schryver
I saw Del Shannon playing at Disneyland in 1989. I stayed for 2 shows. He was amazing. No one can sing like Del Shannon. RIP Del.
brenutube08
To think this was performed live 27 years after 'Runaway'. Incredible.
Sure1ly one of the most underrated artists in the history of popular music.
Eliezer Pennywhistler
Who underrates him?
beltanetrex
Well the good news is my comment right here now is 8 years later from yours and they are still continuing with del Shannon tribute festivals. There's going to be one in June in Battle Creek of 2023. Tribute concert, a release of a new biography, and then the classic del Shannon car show. I'm hoping to go this year
Random Recordings
I'm astounded by the depth and perfect pitch of his voice. He puts all the emotion into this song that Roy did. A real tribute to his friend and very poignant as it probably came from the depths of the emotional distress he was in that ended his life.
Ann Blake-Tracy
He was in no emotional distress. He was exhausted from all the gigs he was doing as his career was taking off again & made the mistake of mentioning it to his doctor who then prescribed Prozac to him telling him it was NOT a drug but just a mineral it was missing in his brain. Only 15 days later he was dead. See his wife's testimony about it on ICFDA on YouTube.
Alan Cinquino
I feel for her, but how in the world did Bonnie not notice what Prozac was doing to Roy? Such a tragedy for both of them and all of us.