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 Was Mine
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three in the afternoon,
I don't know when I'm coming back,
But I hope that it's soon,
See I never thought, never thought, that I'd have to leave your side, your side.
It's only physically,
But know that you will be on my mind,
'Cause in my eyes you were mine, you were mine.
No matter where you go,
I won't be very far,
'Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are,
'Cause love has no distance baby,
Love has no distance baby
No, not when it comes to you and me.
See she wrote me a letter,
Said the weather wasn't better,
But she said that she was doing fine,
I wanna see you face to face,
That's what she wrote to me that day,
And I knew that it was all a sign.
So I wrote back with this song,
Promise it won't be too long,
Wanna make up for all our lost time,
'Cause in my eyes you were mine, you were mine.
No matter where you go,
I won't be very far,
'Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are,
'Cause love has no distance baby,
Love has no distance baby
No, not when it comes to you and me.
So I'm going through these boxes.
My life's gone off track.
'Cause it's been three years.
She hasn't written back.
But in my eyes.
She's still mine.
And I know it sounds so stupid,
To be waiting this long,
But I'm still in love and I know I'm not wrong,
'Cause in my eyes,
She was mine.
No matter where you go,
I won't be very far,
'Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are,
'Cause love has no distance baby,
Love has no distance baby
No, not when it comes to you and
No matter where you go,
I won't be very far,
'Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are,
'Cause love has no distance baby,
Love has no distance baby
No, not when it comes to you and mep
“She Was Mine” by Del Shannon is a song about long-distance love and the struggle of maintaining a relationship while physically apart. The song opens with the singer hopping on a train in the middle of the afternoon, unsure of when he will be returning, but hoping it will be soon. He reveals that he never expected to be separated from his loved one, and although the distance between them is only physical, she is constantly on his mind.
The second verse explains that the couple has been writing letters to each other to stay connected, and the singer includes the lyrics of the song he wrote for her in response to her letter. The chorus emphasizes that their love has no distance, even if they are physically apart. The third verse reveals that three years have gone by, unanswered letters have accumulated, and the singer’s life has gone off track. Despite this, he still believes that she is his, and he is still in love with her. The song ends with the repeating chorus, emphasizing that even if they are not physically together, their love still binds them.
Line by Line Meaning
So I hopped on a train,
I left my love behind and took a train out of town
Three in the afternoon,
The time I departed
I don't know when I'm coming back,
I'm uncertain when or if I'll return
But I hope that it's soon,
I miss my love and want to come back soon
See I never thought, never thought, that I'd have to leave your side, your side.
I didn't expect to be separated from my love
It's only physically,
Although we're physically apart, our love remains
But know that you will be on my mind,
Thoughts of my love will always occupy my mind
Twenty four hours at a time,
Each day, I'll think of my love constantly
'Cause in my eyes you were mine, you were mine.
To me, you'll always be mine
No matter where you go,
No matter where my love goes
I won't be very far,
I'll always be spiritually close by
'Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are,
My love will always be in my thoughts
'Cause love has no distance baby,
Real love transcends distance
Love has no distance baby
True love is not affected by distance
No, not when it comes to you and me.
It's especially true for you and me
See she wrote me a letter,
She reached out to me in a letter
Said the weather wasn't better,
She mentioned the weather in her letter
But she said that she was doing fine,
She let me know she's okay
I wanna see you face to face,
She expressed the desire to see me in person
That's what she wrote to me that day,
Her words on the letter
And I knew that it was all a sign.
It gave me hope that we can be together again
So I wrote back with this song,
I responded with a song
Promise it won't be too long,
I promised that I'll return soon
Wanna make up for all our lost time,
I want to make up for the time we've spent apart
'Cause in my eyes you were mine, you were mine.
To me, you'll always be mine
So I'm going through these boxes.
I'm rummaging through some of my stuff
My life's gone off track.
My life hasn't gone according to plan
'Cause it's been three years.
It's been a long time
She hasn't written back.
I haven't received any response from her
But in my eyes.
But to me
She's still mine.
She'll always belong to me
And I know it sounds so stupid,
I know what I'm saying might sound foolish
To be waiting this long,
To wait for so long
But I'm still in love and I know I'm not wrong,
But my love for her is still alive, and I'm sure of it
'Cause in my eyes,
To me
She was mine.
She'll always be mine
Writer(s): Del Shannon, Roy Nievelt
Contributed by Adrian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
baratittafilmer
I love this song and I love you Del, always and forever,caro thanks rb for sharing
baratittafilmer
Just had to look in and listen to you Del, love you still,caro
Kelly Walker
This song is immortal as long as there is loss....
DSCW777
One of the songs Del sang from his soul. Someday maybe we will meet again....
novy 19
I still have an LP of him Total Commitment wherein this track was included and I love it most. Bought the LP BACK THE 60's.
Michael Dawson
One of the All Time Greats. He was unique like Pitney and Orbison. We will never see the likes again
Early Bird
i like this song thanks for sharing
Itz_thePain
Does anyone know the chords of the song??
Bebot / Max Philippines.
She was miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, but I let her go.....thanks for the memories.
maxbatch70
Why Del, you took your own life? You also brought along with you the fantastic 60's in the grave, RIP