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.
Little Town Flirt
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
that little town flirt (Here she comes)
You're falling for her (oh)
And you're gonna get hurt
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
The temptation of her tender red lips
But you can hurt, hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
Here she comes (Here she comes)
With that look in her eye (Here she comes)
She plays around (oh)
With every guy that goes by
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can hurt, hurt
Yeah, you can get hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
I know how you feel
You think her love is real
You think this time she'll be sincere
But she thinks you've got a paper heart
When she starts to tear it apart
That's when she'll let you go, whoa, whoa, whoa
Here she comes (Here she comes)
Just look at that style (Here she comes)
She's looking at you (Oh)
Giving you that smile
But I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can hurt, hurt
Yeah, you can get hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
You better run and hide now boy (Here she comes)
You better pass her by, now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
You better run away now, yeah boy (Here she comes)
You better run and hide now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
You better pass her by now (Here she comes)
Del Shannon's song Little Town Flirt is a cautionary tale about a boy falling for a flirtatious girl from a small town who plays around with every guy who passes by. The opening lines of the song warn the listener about the titular character, who is dangerous and sure to cause heartbreak: "Here she comes, that little town flirt, you're falling for her, and you're gonna get hurt." The subsequent verses drive home the point that the girl is not to be trusted: "Here she comes with that look in her eye, she plays around with every guy that goes by." Shannon's lyrics also acknowledge the difficulty of resisting her charms: "Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist the temptation of her tender red lips."
The chorus of the song emphasizes the theme of heartbreak and the harm that can be inflicted by flirting with this girl. In the second verse, Shannon sings, "I know she's gonna treat you wrong, so your heart just better be strong." The third verse's lyrics describe the girl's perspective: "She thinks you've got a paper heart when she starts to tear it apart, that's when she'll let you go, whoa, whoa, whoa." The refrain "Foolin' around with that little town flirt" further emphasizes that the girl is not worth the trouble.
Line by Line Meaning
Here she comes
The girl everyone's talking about is about to arrive
that little town flirt
She's always playing around with guys
You're falling for her (oh)
You're starting to have feelings for her
And you're gonna get hurt
But you're going to regret it later
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
I understand the temptation is difficult to ignore
The temptation of her tender red lips
She's seductive and enticing
But you can hurt, hurt
You'll end up getting hurt
Foolin' around
Messing with her is not worth it
With that little town flirt
She's nothing but trouble
With that look in her eye
She has a particularly suggestive gaze
She plays around (oh)
She's always acting flirtatiously
With every guy that goes by
Flirting with guys is her favorite pastime
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
She's going to mistreat you
So your heart just better be strong
You have to remain resolute
I know how you feel
I'm aware of what you're going through
You think her love is real
You believe her affection is genuine
You think this time she'll be sincere
You're hoping she'll have actual feelings for you
But she thinks you've got a paper heart
In her mind, you're not strong enough to withstand her antics
When she starts to tear it apart
And when she proves it true, it'll hurt
That's when she'll let you go, whoa, whoa, whoa
She will break your heart and leave you behind
Just look at that style
She has an irresistible fashion sense
She's looking at you (Oh)
She's already set her sights on you
Giving you that smile
Her smile is very alluring
You better run and hide now boy (Here she comes)
It's best to avoid her entirely
You better pass her by, now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
Don't even bother trying to engage her
You better run away now, yeah boy (Here she comes)
Flee while you still have a chance
You better run and hide now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
She's nothing but trouble, so steer clear
You better pass her by now (Here she comes)
Avoid her at all costs
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Unison Rights S.L.
Written by: DEL SHANNON, MARON MCKENZIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnjock1948
They sure DO make them.
Del would have been my next favourite singer after the great Gene Pitney.
I have written a few songs in my time but got sick of all the dirt, jealousy, hypocrisy and sheer attempts, at trying to rip me off.
I know that they're good songs mainly because of my own listening experience and also the praise and admiration of other people, some who I don't even know.
Very sadly, quite a lot of publishers and producers are so greedy and such liars that they can't even hide it.
SELFISH P....S.
They want to give you dirt money for them and then sell them at the highest price to inept wouldbe's wannabe's and never will he's who are incompetent and unable to write a song.
The above NOT directed towards decent people.
Thanks all for reading this.
Jock.
LepoVNI
Here she comes, that little town flirt
You're falling for her and your gonna get hurt
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
The temptation of her tender red lips
But you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
Here she comes with that look in her eye
She plays around with every guy that goes by
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
I know how you feel, you think her love is real
You think this time she'll be sincere
But you'll think you gotta paper heart
When she starts to tear it apart
That's when she'll let you go
Whoa whoa whoa
Here she comes, just look at that style
She's looking at you, giving you that smile
But I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
You bette run and hide now, boy
You better pass her by now, yeah boy
You better run away now, yeah
thisistheworldtoday
Back when a singers voice was recorded without faking anything... no overdubbing or auto tuning... just raw talent like Del’s heard in its purest exceptional form.
brent hambly
Beatles stole his occasional/subtle overdub. THE REST IS HISTORY ( sorry, herstory?)
Listen carefully
Gail Rubio
Absolutely. Great songs and amazing talent. You could understand every word in the song. In 1968 I was pregnant with my daughter. I always listened to oldies but goodies. Driving in the car when she was in her 20’s and listening to an old song on the radio, she was singing every word! Stunned 😳. She knows lots of old songs. Guess heard them in my tummy and very young 😊
Mike Griffin
Heard this for the first time today, what a brilliant song, if only we could still make music like this!
Captain Lee
It’s called Her’s
salemst
I'm also old enough to remember this song when it came out coming on 60 years now. I can only say RIP, Del. We never knew you were hurting but hopefully you understand you brought a whole lot of joy into other peoples' hearts through your music/lyrics. No one sang like Del Shannon--his soul was in every song.
Mr. BLACKHAWK
I guess You haven't heard of Frankie Valli???
john ward
@salemst I was 16 when this song came out. A TV record hit or miss programme in the uk said, this song unlike Runaway is going nowhere and they voted it a miss. As we all know it was a massive HIT helped by me buying it.
Ann Browning
Wish he knew he’s still bringing people joy.
Sebastian Florida
@Ann Browning maybe he does ;)