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.
She
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And like a fool I believed her from the start
(She!) She said she'd never hurt me,
But then she turned around and broke my heart.
Why am I standing here
Missing her and wishing she were here?
(Hey!) She only did me wrong
(She!) She devoured all my sweet love,
Took all I had and then she fed me dirt
(She!) She laughed while I was crying
It was such a joke to see the way it hurt.
Why am I standing here
Missing her and wishing she were here?
(Hey!) She only did me wrong
(Hey!) I'm better off alone.
And now I know just why
she keeps me hanging 'round,
(Hanging 'round)
She needs someone to walk on
So her feet don't touch the ground
(Don't touch the ground)
But I love her! (Love her!)
I need her! (Need her!)
I want her! (Want her!)
Yeah! (Yeah!) Yeah! (Yeah!)
Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-She!
Why am I standing here
Missing her and wishing she were here?
(Hey!) She only did me wrong, now
(Hey!) I'm better off alone.
(She!) Why am I missing her?
(She!) I should be kissing her!
(She!) Why am I missing her?
(She!) I should be kissing her!
In Del Shannon's song She, the lyrics present the story of a man who fell in love with someone who turned out to be a heartbreaker. In the first verse, the singer explains how his lover told him she loved him, and he believed her from the start. She also promised never to hurt him, but she broke that promise and ultimately disillusioned him. The chorus implies that he is better off alone and that she only did him wrong.
In the second verse, the singer delves deeper into the ways in which his lover mistreated him. He expresses that she used him up completely, taking all he had to offer and then leaving him with nothing but dirt to show for it. She found joy in his misery and laughed while he cried. Nevertheless, the singer is still conflicted and questions why he is standing there missing her when she has caused him so much pain.
The third verse is a significant turning point in the song, as the singer begins to understand why his lover keeps him hanging around. She wants him to be her constant companion so that she can use him to elevate herself and walk above the ground. The chorus repeats, with the singer stating that he loves, needs, and wants her, but he is still better off alone.
Overall, the lyrics of She demonstrate the emotional turmoil that can come with loving someone who ultimately winds up hurting you. The singer shows an ability to recognize the situation for what it is, but he still struggles with letting go of someone he deeply cares about.
Line by Line Meaning
(She!) She told me that she loved me,
She expressed her love for me, and I naively accepted her declaration without hesitation.
And like a fool I believed her from the start
I was foolish and believed her at face value without questioning the sincerity of her words.
(She!) She said she'd never hurt me,
She promised me that she wouldn't cause me any pain or harm.
But then she turned around and broke my heart.
However, she didn't keep her promise and instead hurt me deeply, causing me emotional pain.
Why am I standing here
Missing her and wishing she were here?
Despite the pain she caused me, I still have strong feelings for her and desire her presence.
(Hey!) She only did me wrong
She only mistreated and wronged me.
(Hey!) I'm better off alone.
It is better for me to be alone and away from her harmful influence.
(She!) She devoured all my sweet love,
She consumed all of the love I had for her, leaving nothing behind.
Took all I had and then she fed me dirt
After taking all that I had to offer, she repaid me with something worthless and unpleasant.
(She!) She laughed while I was crying
She found humor in my moment of emotional pain and sadness.
It was such a joke to see the way it hurt.
My suffering was a source of amusement for her, which only added insult to injury.
And now I know just why
she keeps me hanging 'round,
I have come to realize why she keeps me close, even though she mistreats me.
(Hanging 'round)
She needs someone to walk on
So her feet don't touch the ground
She requires someone to use and manipulate for her own ego and self-importance, hence why she keeps me around.
(Don't touch the ground)
But I love her! (Love her!)
I need her! (Need her!)
I want her! (Want her!)
Yeah! (Yeah!) Yeah! (Yeah!)
Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-She!
Despite her negative qualities and mistreatment, my love and desire for her still linger and consume me.
Why am I standing here
Missing her and wishing she were here?
Despite the pain she caused me, I still have strong feelings for her and desire her presence.
(Hey!) She only did me wrong, now
(Hey!) I'm better off alone.
After recognizing the harm and mistreatment she inflicted upon me, I realize that I am better off without her in my life.
(She!) Why am I missing her?
(She!) I should be kissing her!
(She!) Why am I missing her?
(She!) I should be kissing her!
Despite knowing the toxic nature of our relationship, I still have intense feelings for her and cannot resist the urge to be near her.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@terrycullen3262
Strange that this didn’t chart. Rock on DEL.
@laineycrusoe
Some information about this song: according to the liner notes for Del Shannon's 'The Liberty Years' compilation, this was recorded 2nd November 1966 and released 20th December the same year. That means while it was the first version to be released, it was actually recorded AFTER The Monkees' version, which had been recorded across 15th and 27th August 1966 (their version was also the first to get any sort of airtime, as it appeared in an episode of the show that was originally broadcast 21st November 1966, a few weeks after Del Shannon's version had been recorded but a month before it was released). As well as writing the song, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart produced both versions.
@d.a.elliottjr.367
Del sounds real Garage here. Wish this was included on my Del Shannon Hits CD.
@joegongora2200
On the Vintage Years Lp it stated that Del Shannon released this song 1st. Then the Monkees soon afterwards released their version and it prevented Del Shannon’s version from climbing the charts. That’s because the Monkees were more popular with the masses since they had a TV show. Both versions are great Del Shannon’s version was verging towards a Psychedelic sound.
@geneward4438
What a perfect song for Del, who totally makes it sound like an original. “She turned around and stuck a dagger in my heart!”
@rslitman
I heard this song by Del Shannon briefly on WPGC in the Washington, DC, area before, but not long before, the Monkees' second album containing it was released.
@pauljoseph8691
His Liberty years were good ones. A lot of artistic freedom