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.
Stand Up
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To have a girl like you
And it hurts me so
'Cause the things they're sayin' aren't true
They say that a boy like me
Can turn a good girl bad
So baby won't you tell 'em
You gotta
Stand up
And tell them that I love you,
Stand up,
Tell them that you love me too
Don't be afraid
'Cause I'll be right here by your side
Baby stand up
Baby won't you stand up
Don't let them brake up all of the love we've had so long
Stand up and let them know they're all wrong
Our love is strong
You gotta
Stand up
And tell them that I love you
Stand up
Tell them that you love me too
Don't be afraid,
'Cause I'll be right here by your side
Baby stand up
Baby won't you stand up
You gotta
Stand up
And tell them that I love you
Stand up,
Tell them that you love me too
Don't be afraid
'Cause I'll be right here by your side
Baby stand up
Baby won't you stand up
Baby won't you stand up
In Del Shannon's song "Stand Up", he pleads with his partner to stand up and defend their love against what others are saying. The lyrics make it clear that someone, or perhaps multiple people, have been telling his partner that she is too good for him and that he is not good enough for her. This is something that appears to be hurting Del and he wants his partner to share their feelings publicly. As he mentions, people have said that he is the type of boy that can turn a good girl bad, but he wants her to tell them about all the happiness they have experienced together. The song encourages his partner to disregard the opinions of others and not allow them to break up the love they have shared.
It's understandable that Del is upset and hurt by what people are saying about him and his partner. However, he is urging her to stand up for their relationship and show their love to the world. The line, "Don't let them break up all of the love we've had so long" demonstrates how deeply he cares for her and is willing to do whatever it takes to stay together. He wants to stand up together with his partner and show everyone that their love is strong and nothing can break them apart.
Overall, "Stand Up" is a plea for love and happiness to prevail over the opinions of others. It's about standing up for what you believe in and not letting anyone tear you down.
Line by Line Meaning
They say I'm not good enough
People are telling me that I am unworthy of having someone like you
To have a girl like you
To be in a relationship with someone like you, who I deem to be a good and valuable person
And it hurts me so
These comments are causing me emotional distress
'Cause the things they're sayin' aren't true
Their criticisms are unfounded and incorrect
They say that a boy like me
People are making assumptions about my character and personality
Can turn a good girl bad
They believe that being in a relationship with me will have negative consequences for you
So baby won't you tell 'em
I am asking you to speak up and defend our relationship
All the happiness that we've had
Explain to them the positive experiences we've shared together
You gotta Stand up
I am urging you to be brave and assertive
And tell them that I love you,
State that I am in love with you
Tell them that you love me too
Express your reciprocal love for me
Don't be afraid
Don't allow fear to hold you back from standing up for our relationship
'Cause I'll be right here by your side
Assure you that I will support you and stand with you
Don't let them brake up all of the love we've had so long
Don't allow their negative opinions to destroy our relationship which has lasted for so long
Stand up and let them know they're all wrong
Be assertive and correct their false assumptions about us
Our love is strong
Our relationship is built on a solid foundation of love and cannot be easily broken
Baby won't you stand up
Repeat the request for you to speak up in defense of our relationship
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@baratittafilmer
Miss you so much Del,caro thanks for sharing this.
@saguaroboy
I knew there had to be more kick-ass Del songs out there. Straight to my favorites! Thanks!
@oldschoolhero2006
the master himself, the incomparable DEL SHANNON with his greatest ''lost'' hit from 1966. he was truly a 1 of a kind musician and a wonderful human being. WE MISS YOU DEL. ILL SHAKE YOUR HAND WHEN WE MEET IN THE NEXT LIFE. AMEN.
@DSCW777
And a tip of the hat to Max Crook...that had to be Max at the keyboard on that soaring kick-ass organ break.
@happyolddude
There was 12 LP set issued by the American Del Shannon Appreciation Society and this track was on it. Incredible set all completed by Brian Young and a few friends from the Uk and myself from Australia. It also had many demos on it.
@fcaughli
A great song and more Musitron
@saguaroboy
@Delfan1961 Love the song- one of the first I learned to play on guitar!
@Delfan1961
@saguaroboy ...it was recorded November 3, 1966 (produced by Tommy Boyce) at the session which yielded Del's next single..."She". This track ("Stand Up") and "The House Where Nobody Lives" remained in the vaults, apparently forgotten, until the "Liberty Years" CD (1991) which included all three of that session's tracks.
@SylentEcho
According to Phil Swern, the original tape reel got tangled up and torn to ribbons. With the help of technology later on, it was restored and released.
@saguaroboy
@Delfan1961 Thanks- interesting info. What a powerhouse combo, Boyce and Shannon- and two tragic ends. I get a lot of joy out of Shannon's style and sound.