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.
Mary Jane
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All you guys better keep away,
Don't let her be the one you dream of,
Because she's got that poison love
You heard me say,
Keep away,
From Mary Jane
Yeah,
She runs around from town to town,
I've never seen a guy tame her down,
She'll cause you aches and she'll cause you pain,
Her poison love will drive you insane
You heard me say,
Keep away,
From Mary Jane
Oh let me tell you now,
She'll treat you worse than a runaround sue,
There ain't no telling what she will do to you,
If she gives you that come on sign,
You better move on down the line,
I can tell you she sure is fine,
But she walks such a crooked line,
She'll cause you aches and she'll cause you pain
Her poison love will drive you insane,
You heard me say,
Keep away,
From Mary Jane
Oh play it for me now!
I can tell you she sure is fine,
But she walks such a crooked line,
She'll cause you aches and she'll cause you pain
Her poison love will drive you insane,
You heard me say,
Keep away,
From Mary Jane
Oh yeah,
Watch out for that crooked line now,
Yeah,
She'll get you!
The lyrics to Del Shannon's song "Mary Jane" are a warning to all the guys in town to stay away from the new girl who just moved in. The reason being, she has a reputation for causing trouble and heartache wherever she goes. The lyrics caution that she has "poison love" that will drive anyone insane who falls for her. The song highlights the danger of falling for someone who has a history of causing pain and warns the listener to keep away from Mary Jane.
The lyrics also mention that Mary Jane wanders from town to town and has never been tamed by any guy who's tried. The singer compares her to other notorious women, saying she'll "treat you worse than a runaround Sue" and "there ain't no telling what she will do to you." Despite all of this, the singer acknowledges that Mary Jane is beautiful, but advises that it's not worth it to get involved with her.
Overall, the lyrics of "Mary Jane" serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling for someone who has a history of causing trouble and heartache. The song reminds us that there's a price to pay for getting involved with someone who has a reputation for being toxic, and that it's better to stay away from such people altogether.
Line by Line Meaning
A new girl moved in town today,
A new girl came to this small town recently.
All you guys better keep away,
Boys should avoid her.
Don't let her be the one you dream of,
Do not let her be your daydream.
Because she's got that poison love
She has a destructive kind of love.
You heard me say,
I am warning you
Keep away,
Stay away from Mary Jane
From Mary Jane
From that girl named Mary Jane
Yeah,
Yes,
She runs around from town to town,
She moves from place to place frequently.
I've never seen a guy tame her down,
No man could make her settle down.
She'll cause you aches and she'll cause you pain,
She will hurt you emotionally and physically.
Her poison love will drive you insane
Her kind of love will make you crazy.
Oh let me tell you now,
Listen to me now.
She'll treat you worse than a runaround sue,
She will treat you with disrespect.
There ain't no telling what she will do to you,
No one knows what she is going to do.
If she gives you that come on sign,
If she shows interest in you,
You better move on down the line,
You should reject her.
I can tell you she sure is fine,
Although she is attractive,
But she walks such a crooked line,
She behaves dishonestly.
Oh play it for me now!
Start the music now!
Oh yeah,
Yes,
Watch out for that crooked line now,
Be careful of her dishonest behavior.
She'll get you!
She will trick you and emotionally harm you.
Writer(s): Del Shannon, Maron Mckenzie
Contributed by Stella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Cassells
on Runaway '67 (Fake Live Mono Version)
Doesn't seem to be the 'fake live' version