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.
You Never Talked About Me
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I overheard a conversation, honey
Yeah you we're talkin' to a guy named Jim
And the things that you we're tellin' him
You talked and talked so endlessly
Tears filled my eyes, I couldn't see
'Cause you never talked about me, honey
You talked about your past and future, honey
About the kind of man you thought would suit you, honey
And you told him what a man should do
If he wants to be love by you
You talked and talked so endlessly
Tears filled my eyes, I couldn't see
'Cause you never talked about me, honey
about me, honey
You told me there would be
Anyone else for you
You swore your love was true
How could you do this to me
Makin' me cry like that
My heart could die like that
The stars come out by the railroad station, honey
You carried on your conversation, honey
And then he kissed you and I heard you sigh
It was time for me to say goodbye
You kissed and kissed so endlessly
Tears fill my eyes, I couldn't see
'Cause you never talked about me, honey
About me, honey
The song "You Never Talked About Me" by Del Shannon is a heart-wrenching tale of unrequited love. The singer overhears a conversation between his love interest and another man named Jim at the railroad station. He listens as she talks endlessly about her past, her future, and the kind of man she wants to be with, but she never mentions him. The tears fill his eyes as he realizes that she doesn't feel the same way towards him.
The lyrics convey the emotions of hurt, betrayal, and unreciprocated love experienced by the singer. Del Shannon's melancholic voice adds to the pathos of the song. The singer is torn between his love for the woman and the pain of knowing that his affection is not returned. The lyrics highlight the importance of communication in relationships - the singer's love interest never talked about him to Jim, which led him to feel neglected and forgotten.
The song ultimately ends with the singer bidding goodbye to his love interest after seeing her kiss Jim. He realizes that he needs to move on, and the final stanza reflects his disillusionment with love. The song is a timeless classic, and its lyrics still resonate with the emotions of people who have experienced unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
I went down to the railroad station, honey
I went to the railroad station to find you.
I overheard a conversation, honey
I heard you talking to Jim.
Yeah you we're talkin' to a guy named Jim
You were talking to a man named Jim.
And the things that you we're tellin' him
You were telling him things.
You talked and talked so endlessly
You talked for a very long time.
Tears filled my eyes, I couldn't see
I started crying and couldn't see anything clearly.
'Cause you never talked about me, honey
You talked about everything except me.
about me, honey
Specifically, you didn't talk about me.
You talked about your past and future, honey
You talked about your past and the kind of man you want in the future.
About the kind of man you thought would suit you, honey
You talked about the kind of man that would be right for you.
And you told him what a man should do
You told him what it takes to win your love.
If he wants to be love by you
What a man needs to do to make you love him back.
You told me there would be
You assured me that there wouldn't be anyone else.
Anyone else for you
You wouldn't love anyone else.
You swore your love was true
You promised that your love was genuine.
How could you do this to me
How could you hurt me like this?
Makin' me cry like that
You made me cry so much.
My heart could die like that
You almost broke my heart.
The stars come out by the railroad station, honey
It started getting dark while you were still talking to Jim.
You carried on your conversation, honey
You didn't stop talking to Jim.
And then he kissed you and I heard you sigh
Then Jim kissed you, and I heard you sigh.
It was time for me to say goodbye
It was time for me to leave.
You kissed and kissed so endlessly
You kept kissing Jim for a very long time.
Tears fill my eyes, I couldn't see
I started crying and couldn't see anything clearly.
'Cause you never talked about me, honey
You never talked about me while you were kissing Jim.
About me, honey
Specifically, you kept kissing Jim and never talked about me.
Writer(s): Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman
Contributed by Lincoln Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Spacebeagle
Del said in an interview that the lights were very hot. His part was filmed in the USA as were most of the American acts. The film story was directed by Richard Lester who later went on to direct The Beatles "Help" movie. Thanks for putting up the whole clip again.
Richard Betz
The quality of this video is fantastic!
brickclimber
Del's music will live forever.
Rockyboycra
Yes his music will live in my family for generations of generations
Maureen Tilston
brickclimber only one DS unforgetable
mariaweiss100
He was one of the best rock´rollers!
Lillian Thomas
Absolutely loved this when I was a kid,14,maybe. Loved Del Shannon. RIP.
joe gongora
It's sad when the woman of your dreams doesn't acknowledge your existence. Del Shannon knew how to write songs & sing songs about that sort of thing. He wrote mostly about things that guys mostly wouldn't talk about. It's a cool song and yet Del Shannon had a large fan following.
skitty
Youre right, most male artists at this time didn't want to appear sensitive. The only other big artists I can think of that did this at the time were dion and maybe bobby vee
FeeniX
The sweat adds to the performance as the song is about a guy whose heart has just been broken, he shouldn't look comfortable.