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 Wild One
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, the wild one,
But I will always love you,
Everybody I know,
Calls you the wild one,
They say you're mean and cruel,
And you're always on the run,
They say I'm too blind to see,
And I'm gonna be so lonely,
If I fall in love,
With such a wild one,
Even Mom and Dad,
Feel the same way,
They say to let you go,
Or you'll break my heart someday,
You're a little wild I know,
But I can't let you go,
I'll always be in love with my wild one,
They never really tried to know you,
They don't understand your ways,
But I'll always be beside you,
No matter what they say,
If I give you time,
I believe you'll change,
All your funny little ways,
That make you seem so strange,
So let 'em call you the wild one,
I don't really care,
It doesn't bother me,
'Cause we got our love to share,
You're a little wild I know,
But I can't let you go,
I'll always be in love with my wild one,
Yeah, my wild one,
But I will always love you,
So let 'em call you the wild one...
In "My Wild One," Del Shannon sings about a person who goes by the nickname "the wild one." Everybody the singer knows refers to this person as the wild one and believes that they are mean, cruel, and always on the run. The singer's parents even advise him to let go of this person, fearing that their son's heart will be broken someday. However, despite the warnings, the singer refuses to give up on the wild one, professing his love and loyalty to them. He understands that they have their quirks, but he believes that with time, they will change.
The song's lyrics speak on the theme of love and loyalty despite what others may think or say. The singer's family and friends don't understand the wild one's behavior, but the singer chooses to ignore their opinions and follows his heart. He knows that the wild one is not perfect, but he loves them nonetheless. The message of the song is not to judge someone based on their reputation and to look beyond the surface level to understand them better.
Line by Line Meaning
They call you the wild one,
People refer to you as someone who is free-spirited and unpredictable.
Yeah, the wild one,
The singer acknowledges that the person being spoken about is indeed wild.
But I will always love you,
Despite others saying negative things about the person, the singer will always love them.
Everybody I know,
The artist is referring to their friends and acquaintances.
Calls you the wild one,
The people the artist knows refer to the person as 'the wild one.'
They say you're mean and cruel,
The singer's friends believe the person is cold-hearted and unfeeling.
And you're always on the run,
The person is often moving from one place to another.
They say I'm too blind to see,
According to the artist's friends, the artist is not capable of seeing the truth about the person they love.
And I'm gonna be so lonely,
If the artist falls in love with the person, they will be alone because the person is wild and unpredictable.
If I fall in love,
The artist is considering falling in love with the person they are talking about.
With such a wild one,
The wild and unpredictable nature of the person makes the singer uncertain about committing to them.
Even Mom and Dad,
The artist's parents are part of the group of people who call the person the wild one.
Feel the same way,
The singer's parents have the same opinion as the singer's friends.
They say to let you go,
The singer's parents are advising the singer to break off their relationship and move on.
Or you'll break my heart someday,
If the singer doesn't let go of the wild one, their heart will be broken in the future.
You're a little wild I know,
Despite being called the wild one, the person is only slightly wild.
But I can't let you go,
The artist is unable to end their relationship with the person they love, despite their wild nature.
I'll always be in love with my wild one,
The singer will continue to love the person, regardless of what others say or think.
They never really tried to know you,
The people calling the person the wild one have never made an effort to understand them.
They don't understand your ways,
The people calling the person the wild one can't comprehend the person's character and actions.
But I'll always be beside you,
The artist promises to stay by the side of the person they love, despite others' opinions.
No matter what they say,
The artist won't let others' opinions affect their relationship with the person they love.
If I give you time,
If the singer gives the person time, they may change their ways.
I believe you'll change,
The artist has faith that the person will alter their behavior.
All your funny little ways,
The person has peculiar and idiosyncratic habits and mannerisms.
That make you seem so strange,
The person's traits seem odd and peculiar to outsiders.
So let 'em call you the wild one,
The singer encourages the person to embrace the label of the wild one and not care what others think or say.
I don't really care,
The artist doesn't value others' opinions.
It doesn't bother me,
The negative opinions don't affect the artist's love for the person.
'Cause we got our love to share,
The singer believes that the love they share with the person is strong enough to overcome any criticism or negativity from others.
Yeah, my wild one,
The singer affectionately acknowledges the person's wildness.
But I will always love you,
The artist affirms their love for the person once more.
Writer(s): Del Shannon, Maron Mckenzie
Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@repeatrecords-vinyl3461
I love to see that there are actually still fans of this guy! I love em!
@StingrayLS7
Never herd this song before GREAT SONG.... ROCK ON DEL....
@dondanidon1
Love it! Thank you so much for sharing these wonders.. 8)
@oMRGREENTEAo
man....hit the nail right on the head for me.
@ariesbris
Go Del you are the greatest.
@mariaweiss100
don`t know this song before from him, super!!!! thank you
@hakkamantis
Great Song...
@soulman4692
Have heard it today on Rockabilly-Radio...!!!
@MrsFruchtzwerg33
soooo coool <3
@Delfan1961
@buriedinvinyl ....It's believed that most of Del Shannon's early session tapes (pre-1966) no longer exist. His managers of that time didn't protect the tapes. Some may have been stored at Bell Sound Studio, where many of the songs were recorded. Bell was out of business by the late 60's or early 70's, leaving thousands of reels of tape in a storage facility. Most were thrown out in the mid-to-late 70's. Odd tapes have occasionally turned up.