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.
Running Scared
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So afraid that he might show
Just running scared, what would I do
If he came back and wanted you? Just running scared - feeling low
Running scared - you loved him so Just running scared - afraid to lose
If he came back, which one would you choose? Then all at once he was standing there
So sure of himself, his head in the air
My heart was breaking, which one would it be? You turned around walked away with me
The Del Shannon song, "Running Scared," tells the story of a narrator who is afraid of being caught by another man who used to be involved with the woman he loves. The singers are in constant fear that this former lover will show up and cause a rift between them.
The lyrics use strong, declarative statements to convey the sense of constant tension between the singer and this other man. The singer feels helpless against this powerful emotion and describes himself as "just running scared" and "feeling low." He is afraid to lose the woman he loves, yet he is also afraid to stand up to the other man and risk losing her.
The bridge of the song takes a twist when the other man does finally show up. In that moment, the singer's heart is broken, as he contemplates the possibility that the woman he loves may choose the other man. However, the song ultimately ends on a hopeful note, as the woman ultimately chooses the singer and they walk away together.
Line by Line Meaning
Just running scared each place we go
Always anxious about our surroundings and what could happen
So afraid that he might show
Constantly worried that he might appear and cause trouble
Just running scared, what would I do
I'm living with constant fear and don't know how to handle it
If he came back and wanted you?
If he came back into the picture and wanted you back, what would happen?
Just running scared - feeling low
Continuing to live in fear, which is making me feel depressed and sad
Running scared - you loved him so
You were so in love with him and it makes me scared that he might come back and take you away from me
Just running scared - afraid to lose
I'm so scared of losing you to him that I'm constantly on edge
If he came back, which one would you choose?
If he came back into the picture, would you choose me or him?
Then all at once he was standing there
Suddenly, he was there in front of us
So sure of himself, his head in the air
He seemed very confident and proud
My heart was breaking, which one would it be?
I felt heartbroken and didn't know who you would choose
You turned around walked away with me
You chose me over him and we walked away together
Contributed by Benjamin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Perriny One
Damn. Couldn't quite hit that last note! Up until then, he's matching Roy, maybe even pulling off the break better than Roy.......but the last note is everything! So Roy gets the crown. But you have to hand it to Del for making me (us) FORGET about Roy.....until that last moment. Ah what the hell.....it was buried as an album track, deep on side 2 (Second to last song of the album, in fact - a not-uncommon place to put "misses" in album sequencing) Thanks for posting, I was intrigued to check this out!
Perriny One
@sunryse111 Oh my god, I hope I didn't overstate it! He hits it, it just doesn't soar to the heights Orbison does, who always just tosses off high notes like it's no big whoop. Del hits it, but doesn't quite have the control and expressiveness of Roy. Close, though! Better than I would be able to pull off, I can tell you that much! :D Thanks again, love Del!
sunryse111
I guess I am really getting old! I have listened to this over and over - and that last note sounds okay to me. But your comment is a good one and I am pinning it for all to see.
Terry Cullen
Stunning!!!!!
sunryse111
There was never anyone like him. If only he'd had more self-belief!
PhilGz
Excellent :-)
Yeshua Fink
Gracias por tu voz Del Shannon forever
maximiliano monopoli
Tenia una voz muy clara y fuerte. Gran musico lindas canciones. Apreciaba a Roy Obison,otro grande, gran cover
Boss Hogg
Bravo !
T Howard
Brilliant