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.
I Don't Care Anymore
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't believe that you found someone new
But now I plainly see
Love's not meant for me
So go ahead and go, walk out the door
'Cause darlin', I don't care anymore
I finally thought that I had found
But you're just like the others
You turned your back on me
I've always thought that you were meant for me
I always thought that love just had to be
Love's one thing I can't win
I'll never try again
So, go ahead and go, walk out the door
Darlin', I don't care anymore
Before you go there's just one thing I ask
A kiss from you, it's gonna be my last
This is the end, you see
Love's not meant for me
So, go ahead and go, walk out the door
Darlin', I don't care anymore
Darlin', I don't care anymore
In Del Shannon's song "I Don't Care Anymore," the singer is addressing his former love interest who has informed him that their relationship is over and that she has found someone new. The singer expresses disbelief and disappointment over this news, stating that he had thought they had something special. However, as he comes to the realization that love is not meant for him, he becomes apathetic towards the situation and tells his former partner to leave without any remorse. The singer laments that he has never been able to win at love and has decided to give up on trying altogether.
The song conveys a sense of resignation and finality as the singer declares that he doesn't care anymore. He requests one last kiss from his former partner, indicating that this will be the end of their relationship. As he watches her leave, he reaffirms his newfound indifference towards the situation, stating once again that he doesn't care.
Overall, the song expresses the pain and disappointment of a failed relationship and the singer's decision to move on and give up on love. It is a poignant and relatable portrayal of heartbreak and the difficulties of finding true love.
Line by Line Meaning
You're leaving me, you say that we are through
You have decided to leave me and end our relationship.
I can't believe that you found someone new
I find it hard to accept the fact that you have already found someone else after our break-up.
But now I plainly see
However, I now clearly understand and accept the situation.
Love's not meant for me
I have realized that love is not in my destiny, and I am not meant to find it.
So go ahead and go, walk out the door
You can leave now, and I won't stop you, as I am no longer attached to you.
'Cause darlin', I don't care anymore
My feelings for you have faded, and I have lost any concern about our separation.
I finally thought that I had found
I had believed that I had found the perfect partner for me.
The girl for me
Someone who was meant to be with me.
But you're just like the others
However, you turned out to be just like any other person, who doesn't care about me.
You turned your back on me
You left me alone and abandoned me.
I've always thought that you were meant for me
I had a strong belief that we were destined to be together.
I always thought that love just had to be
I had an unwavering belief that love was the ultimate aim and goal of my life.
Love's one thing I can't win
But after losing you, I have realized that love is one thing that I cannot achieve or attain.
I'll never try again
Therefore, I have decided to give up on my search for love and not try anymore in the future.
Before you go there's just one thing I ask
However, before you leave, I have a single request to make.
A kiss from you, it's gonna be my last
I want one final kiss from you before you leave forever.
This is the end, you see
After this kiss, our relationship will come to a definite end.
Love's not meant for me
And I shall leave behind any hope or expectation of finding love in the future.
So, go ahead and go, walk out the door
You can now leave, and I shall not stop you or come in your way.
Darlin', I don't care anymore
Finally, I want you to know that I have now lost all my feelings for you, and you don't matter to me anymore.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEL SHANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kelly Walker
One of Del's great ballads.
Roger M
Beautiful song...sounds so great especially in the evenings and nights. GREAT SINGER.
James Anderson
Thanks for all the kind words everyone. Due to recent deaths in the family and my being close to his age when he fell prey to the family curse of depression I'm having a significant amount of angst as well. Ironically I'm up for a singing part in a movie soon that also had another family member in the original.
Colin Purssey
The B side of "Hey Little Girl" . I'm finding with this song, like so many other of Del's B sides , as good a recording , or sometimes an even better one than the more popularized A sides. Three examples ; " The Answer To Everything" , "Kelly" , and "Don't Guild The Lily , Lily" . A consummately versatile artist !
Celia Smith
Amazing song.
kevin mckenna
ILOVE DEL SHANNON