Del Shannon (30 December 1934–8 February 1990) (born Charles Weedon Westove… Read Full Bio ↴Del Shannon (30 December 1934–8 February 1990) (born Charles Weedon Westover in Coopersville, Michigan) was an American rock and roller who launched into fame with the No. 1 hit "Runaway" (1961) which introduced the musitron, an early form of the synthesizer played by "Runaway" co-writer and keyboard player Max Crook.

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.

World Without You
Del Shannon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Want you so much
Drives me crazy
Cuts me deep when you turn away
I got a dream
It's just a picture
A picture of you without me-e-e

Woah

I can't live my life without you
I can't make it on my own
We said love would last forever
Said we'd always be together

Don't ya know how much it hurts me
To see you walkin' at his side?
There's so much I want to tell you
But you'd only laugh and walk away-y-y

Woah

I can't live my life without you
I can't make it on my own
We said love would last forever
Said we'd always be together

Da, da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da

I can't live my life without you
I can't make it on my own
We said love would last forever
Said we'd always be together

Da, da-da-da-da-da-da

Da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Del Shannon's song "World Without You" express the agony of unrequited love. The singer is completely devoted to his love interest and cannot bear the thought of a world without her. The opening lines "Want you so much/Drives me crazy/Cuts me deep when you turn away" depict the singer's intense longing for her, which becomes unbearable when she rejects him. The song speaks about the singer's ideal world where he dreams of being with her, but the reality is different. He is painfully aware of the fact that his dream may never come true, hence the line "A picture of you without me-e-e."

The chorus is the central theme of the song, and it repeats twice, emphasizing the singer's desperate plea to his love. He proclaims that he cannot live without her and that they had promised each other to stay together forever. He feels betrayed when he sees her with another person, and he wishes to express his feelings to her, but he knows she will only laugh and walk away. The song's chorus underscores the devastating impact of an unrequited love and the emotional toll it takes on a person.

In conclusion, "World Without You" is a heart-rending song that portrays the emotional turmoil of someone deeply in love but not loved in return. The lyrics capture a painful experience that many people can relate to - the feeling of unrequited love.

World Without YouDel Shannon Lyrics

David Cassells

on Runaway '67 (Fake Live Mono Version)

World Without You
Del Shannon Lyrics