"Runaway" is a number-one Billboard Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon… Read Full Bio ↴"Runaway" is a number-one Billboard Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit. It was No. 472 on the 2010 version of Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and No. 466 on the 2004 version.

Singer-guitarist Charles Westover and keyboard player Max Crook performed together as members of "Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band" in Battle Creek, Michigan, before their group won a recording contract in 1960. Westover took the new stage name "Del Shannon", and Crook, who had invented his own clavioline-based electric keyboard called a Musitron, became "Maximilian".

After their first recording session for Big Top Records in New York City had ended in failure, their manager Ollie McLaughlin persuaded them to rewrite and re-record an earlier song they had written, "Little Runaway", to highlight Crook's unique instrumental sound. On January 21, 1961, they recorded "Runaway" at the Bell Sound recording studios, with Harry Balk as producer, Fred Weinberg as audio engineer and also session musicians on several sections: session musician Al Caiola on guitar, Moe Wechsler on piano, and Crook playing the central Musitron break. Other musicians on the record included Al Casamenti and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Joe Marshall on drums. Bill Ramall, who was the arranger for the session, also played baritone sax. After recording in A minor, producer Balk sped up the recording to pitch just below a B-flat minor. "Runaway" was released in February 1961 and was immediately successful. On April 10 of that year, Shannon appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, helping to catapult it to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for four weeks. Two months later, it reached number one on the UK's Record Retailer chart, spending three weeks in that position.

Runaway
Del Shannon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As I walk along, I wonder
A-what went wrong with our love
A love that was so strong

And as I still walk on
I think of the thing's we've done
Together, while our hearts were young

I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel a pain
A-wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery

And I wonder, I wo-wo-wo-wo-wonder
Why, why-why-why-why-why
She ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway
A run-run-run-run-runaway

I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel a pain
A-wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery

And I wonder, I wo-wo-wo-wo-wonder
Why, why-why-why-why-why
She ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway
A run-run-run-run-runaway

A run-run-run-run-runaway
A run-run-run-run-runaway

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Del Shannon's song "Runaway" are about a man who is walking in the rain, reminiscing about a lost love. He wonders what went wrong with their relationship, as they had a love that was once so strong. As he continues to walk, he thinks of the memories they shared together when they were young and their hearts were full of love. The man is in pain as he wishes his lover was with him to end the misery he is feeling.

The chorus of the song repeats the word "wonder," highlighting the man's confusion and desperation in trying to understand why his lover ran away. He wonders why she left and where she will go, as he refers to her as his "little runaway." The lyrics capture the heartbreak and longing of losing someone you love and the confusion that comes with it.

The song was written by Del Shannon and his keyboardist Max Crook, who also created the iconic keyboard instrument known as the Musitron, which is featured prominently in the song's intro. "Runaway" was released in 1961 and became a massive hit for Del Shannon, reaching #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It remains one of the most beloved and recognizable songs of the early 1960s.

Line by Line Meaning

As I walk along, I wonder
As I stroll down this path, I ponder

A-what went wrong with our love
What caused our once strong love to diminish?

A love that was so strong
Our love was once so robust

And as I still walk on
And as I continue down this path

I think of the thing's we've done
I reminisce about the experiences we shared

Together, while our hearts were young
Together, in the prime of our youth

I'm a-walkin' in the rain
I'm strolling in the rain

Tears are fallin' and I feel a pain
My tears pour as I experience anguish

A-wishin' you were here by me
I yearn for your presence beside me

To end this misery
So this torment may cease

And I wonder, I wo-wo-wo-wo-wonder
I contemplate, I wo-wo-wo-wo-wonder