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.
little town fl
Del Shannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
that little town flirt (Here she comes)
You're falling for her (oh)
And you're gonna get hurt
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
The temptation of her tender red lips
But you can hurt, hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
Here she comes (Here she comes)
With that look in her eye (Here she comes)
She plays around (oh)
With every guy that goes by
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can hurt, hurt
Yeah, you can get hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
I know how you feel
You think her love is real
You think this time she'll be sincere
But she thinks you've got a paper heart
When she starts to tear it apart
That's when she'll let you go, whoa, whoa, whoa
Here she comes (Here she comes)
Just look at that style (Here she comes)
She's looking at you (Oh)
Giving you that smile
But I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can hurt, hurt
Yeah, you can get hurt
Foolin' around
With that little town flirt
You better run and hide now boy (Here she comes)
You better pass her by, now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
You better run away now, yeah boy (Here she comes)
You better run and hide now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
You better pass her by now (Here she comes)
Del Shannonβs βLittle Town Flirtβ is a cautionary tale warning men to steer clear of a certain woman in their small town. The song describes the woman, referred to as the βlittle town flirtβ and warns the listener that if they get involved with her, they will inevitably get hurt. Shannon describes her as having a tempting quality that is hard to resist, but warns that she is not sincere and plays around with every guy who goes by. He advises the listener to stay away from her and to be wary of her false affection.
Shannon addresses the listenerβs potential feelings of love, explaining that the allure of her apparent love can be convincing. He argues that while the listener may believe that her love is sincere, the βlittle town flirtβ only perceives them to have a βpaper heartβ and will eventually tear it apart, leaving them hurt and alone.
Interestingly, Shannon goes beyond warning the listener to stay away from the βlittle town flirtβ and actually gives the listener advice on how to avoid her. He implores the listener to run, hide or pass her by if they see her in town, describing her movements and demeanor as if he knows her all too well.
Overall, βLittle Town Flirtβ tells a classic tale of a woman who preys on unsuspecting men in a small town. Through his lyrics, Del Shannon tells a story that speaks to countless people who have been lured into the wrong relationship and suffered the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Here she comes
The little town flirt is approaching
that little town flirt
Referring to the girl who is known for flirting with every guy in town
You're falling for her (oh)
You are getting attracted to her
And you're gonna get hurt
Implying that falling for a flirt will lead to a heartbreak
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
Acknowledging that it's difficult to resist temptation
The temptation of her tender red lips
Describing the girl's attraction
But you can hurt, hurt
Warns that the flirt can hurt you badly
Foolin' around
Referring to flirting with the girl without any serious intentions
With that little town flirt
Reiterating the subject of the song - the little town flirt
Here she comes
The flirt is approaching again
With that look in her eye
Describing how the girl looks at guys when she is flirting
She plays around (oh)
Tells how the girl is not serious and just plays games with guys' emotions
With every guy that goes by
Implying that the girl flirts with every guy in town
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
Acknowledging that the flirt is not trustworthy and will treat you badly
So your heart just better be strong
Advising to be strong and not to get affected by her flattery
I know how you feel
The singer understands the attraction and emotions that come with it
You think her love is real
Indicating that the guy is mistaken in believing that her flirting means love
You think this time she'll be sincere
Showing how guys keep hoping that the flirt will be sincere this time
But she thinks you've got a paper heart
Revealing that the girl believes the guy's heart is not strong and can be easily torn apart
When she starts to tear it apart
Implying that the flirt will hurt the guy emotionally
That's when she'll let you go, whoa, whoa, whoa
Revealing that the flirt will leave the guy when she is done playing games
Just look at that style
Describing the girl's attractive looks
She's looking at you (Oh)
The girl is flirting with the guy
Giving you that smile
The girl is using her smile to lure the guy
You better run and hide now boy (Here she comes)
Advising the guy to avoid the flirt and protect himself from heartbreak
You better pass her by, now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
Telling the guy to avoid the flirt when she is around
You better run away now, yeah boy (Here she comes)
Encouraging the guy to escape from the flirt's trap
You better run and hide now, yeah, boy (Here she comes)
Reiterating the advice to run away and protect yourself
You better pass her by now (Here she comes)
Advising the guy to completely avoid the flirt
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEL SHANNON, MARON MCKENZIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LepoVNI
Here she comes, that little town flirt
You're falling for her and your gonna get hurt
Yeah, I know it's so hard to resist
The temptation of her tender red lips
But you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
Here she comes with that look in her eye
She plays around with every guy that goes by
Yeah, I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
I know how you feel, you think her love is real
You think this time she'll be sincere
But you'll think you gotta paper heart
When she starts to tear it apart
That's when she'll let you go
Whoa whoa whoa
Here she comes, just look at that style
She's looking at you, giving you that smile
But I know she's gonna treat you wrong
So your heart just better be strong
'Cause you can get hurt, hur-hur-hurt
Yeah, you can get hur-hur-hur-hur-hurt
Foolin' around with that little town flirt
You bette run and hide now, boy
You better pass her by now, yeah boy
You better run away now, yeah
Karen Poteet
Such a talent.....gone too soon. Victim of depression, so sad. I still sing his songs.
robbysoaks
So great!! There was and never will be another quite like Del Shannon. I have thousands of records, but Del remains heavily in the rotation.
Paul Nash
Every song Del sang was a hit and we knew every word unlike today's crap.
J.D. Snyder
Del was the real deal! And that's abundantly obvious in this live performance of my personal favorite Little Town Flirt. Runaway was one of the first 45s I bought.
William Oxendine
One of the greatest voices America ever had sound as good live as a recording
Steve Th Mod
Awesome voice!! Boy could he hit those high notes!! As a song writer,Del Shannon to me was ahead of his time! His music is still popular today, so has more than stood the test of time! He was top of the tree when it came to writing beat ballad love songs, one of my favourites written by del for Peter and Gordon"i go to peices' Their harmony in that song reminds me of the Everly Brothers, who to me are the greatest duet harmony singer's of all time! So that's how great a song writer Del Shannon was, and his unique style with that high voice range that only the likes of Roy Orbison and Gene Pitney could achieve,shows what a great singer he was and as this video proves, what a great performer! So sad how such a talent took his own Life, but his
Songs will live on forever!
Rob O'Brien
This immensely talented man had several self penned classics
that sit comfortably in the lexicon of greatest ever songs .
Runaway still runs away with my heart and memories , even after all
these years .
Robert LoBianco
I remember being in Dad's 1961 Chevy wagon, leaving NJ on the way to CO. On our way through the PA Turnpike (back then there were 7 tunnels through the mountains) in serious thunderstorms. The radio was on and Runaway was on the radio, static from the lightning audible. Every time I hear that song, it takes me back to 1961, and it is haunting.
Shawn Powell
One of the greats. Terribly missed, rip Del.
honusbalonus
huge talent gone too soon , RIP Del