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.
My Love Has Gone
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've lost again and it is you
I walk alone and think of things, we've said and done
Our love has flown, like spring it came and now has gone
Do you remember summer days
Walks on the shore and ?date café?
It's winter now, and like the leaves, these tears are falling for you
And soon the night skies turn to dawn
And still my memories linger on
You're world goes on it's true, but my world stopped when I lost you
Here comes the dawn, my life my love, now are gone
The lyrics of Del Shannon's song "My Love Has Gone" offer a poignant depiction of a breakup where one person lost their love, and the other person has already moved on with their life. The song begins with the singer expressing grief and devastation over the loss of their partner, who recently told them that they were through. The singer finds himself walking alone and reflecting on everything that they did together, while lamenting that love, once as lively and promising as spring, has now disappeared.
As the song progresses, the singer reminisces about the good times they had, recalling walking on the shore and spending time in a café. But now, as winter has arrived, everything seems to have lost its charm. The tears that the singer sheds for their lost love are depicted as falling like the leaves, withering and dying along with their broken heart. With the loss of their love, the singer is left to face the world alone.
The final verse of the song brings home the bleak reality that the singer is facing. As the night turns into dawn, the memories of their lost love continue to haunt them. The singer acknowledges that their former partner has moved on with their life and the world is still turning. But for the person who lost their love, time seems to have stopped. With the dawn comes the realization that their whole world has fallen apart without their love. The man's life as he knew it and his love have gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight you said that we were through
Our relationship came to an end today.
I've lost again and it is you
I'm heartbroken and you're the reason for my pain.
I walk alone and think of things, we've said and done
I'm alone and my mind replays the memories of our past together.
Our love has flown, like spring it came and now has gone
Our love was short-lived and just like spring, it disappeared suddenly.
Do you remember summer days
Do you recall the time we had during the summer?
Walks on the shore and ?date café?
We went on long walks by the beach and enjoyed coffee dates together.
It's winter now, and like the leaves, these tears are falling for you
It's a different season now, and I'm crying just like the leaves that fall during winter.
I've lost your love, now I must face this world alone
I lost your love and now I have to deal with this world on my own.
And soon the night skies turn to dawn
Nighttime will soon end, and the day will begin.
And still my memories linger on
Even though time has passed, my memories of you still remain strong.
You're world goes on it's true, but my world stopped when I lost you
You continue living your life but mine came to a halt after losing you.
Here comes the dawn, my life my love, now are gone
As the day breaks, I realize that both my life and love are gone because of your departure.
Contributed by Victoria S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
brickclimber
Beautiful
Terry Cullen
SUPERB, Rock on DEL.