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.
Stains on My Letter
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now my eyes are never dry,
So I'm writing this letter,
And I hope that you see,
That the stains,
On this letter,
Are my tears,
The stains on this letter,
Are my tears,
I thought that I could stand alone,
I said that I could get along,
But now my thoughts have changed,
And to prove it you'll see,
That the stains,
On this letter,
Are my tears,
Woah, yeah,
The stains on this letter,
Are my tears,
I guess I've had my way too long,
I've known it ever since you've gone,
Oh, darling, write me just a line,
Oh, please try to find the time,
Just say you love me,
And I pray there will be,
Stains on the letter you send me,
Woah, yeah,
Stains on the letter you send me,
Stains on the letter you send me.
In Del Shannon's song "Stains on My Letter," the singer expresses their emotions through writing a letter to their lover. The lyrics describe the singer's realization of their own vulnerability and the depth of their feelings. The songs suggest that the singer has been trying to convince themselves that they can be independent and live without their lover, but they are unable to hold back their tears, which leave stains on the letter.
The lyrics of the song portray the feelings of someone who has been deeply hurt and is now facing the truth of their own emotions. The singer recognizes that they have been trying to downplay their emotions and convince themselves that they can get along without their lover, but they are unable to control their tears. They hope that their lover sees the stains on the letter and understands how much they are hurting. The lyrics also express the hope of reconciliation with their lover and the desire to hear that they are still loved.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt and emotional plea for love and acceptance. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and pain that many listeners can relate to. Through the singer's struggles with their own emotions, the song highlights the universal human experience of love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought that I could cry,
I always thought I was strong enough to handle things without breaking down and crying
But now my eyes are never dry,
But things have changed, and I can't seem to stop my tears from flowing
So I'm writing this letter,
I'm writing this letter to express my feelings, because I can't seem to talk to you directly
And I hope that you see,
And I hope that you understand how much I'm struggling without you
That the stains,
That the tears that have fallen from my eyes
On this letter,
Have left their mark on this letter
Are my tears,
And are a physical representation of my pain and sadness
Woah, yeah,
The stains on this letter,
The marks left by my tears on this note
Are my tears,
Are evidence of the depth of my emotions and how much you mean to me
I thought that I could stand alone,
I believed that I could go on living without you and be fine
I said that I could get along,
I convinced myself that I could manage without you in my life
But now my thoughts have changed,
But now I realize just how much I need you in my life
And to prove it you'll see,
And to demonstrate how much I need you, I hope you'll see
That the stains,
That the marks left by my tears
On this letter,
On this note I'm sending you
Are my tears,
Are proof of the depth of my emotions and how much I need you
Woah, yeah,
The stains on this letter,
The marks left by my tears on this note I'm sending you
Are my tears,
Are tangible evidence of how much you mean to me and how much I need you
I guess I've had my way too long,
I recognize that I've been foolish to take you for granted and that I've had my own way for too long
I've known it ever since you've gone,
Since you left, I've realized just how much I need you and how wrong I was to push you away
Oh, darling, write me just a line,
To show that you care about me, please write me a note
Oh, please try to find the time,
I know you may be busy, but I hope you can make time for me
Just say you love me,
And please tell me that you still have feelings for me
And I pray there will be,
I hope that when I receive your note, there will be
Stains on the letter you send me,
Marks left by your tears on the note you send me
Woah, yeah,
Stains on the letter you send me,
Tangible evidence of your emotions and how much you still care
Stains on the letter you send me.
An indication that you understand my pain and are willing to work things out
Writer(s): Del Shannon
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Cassells
on Runaway '67 (Fake Live Mono Version)
Doesn't seem to be the 'fake live' version