Top 10 Del Shannon Songs

Photo: Amy Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the singer-songwriter known as Del Shannon. Originally born as Charles Westover in 1934, this is the same Del Shannon who ended his own life in 1990 due to circumstances that still remain an unresolved mystery. Upon his death, Shannon’s widow blames the narcotic known as Prozac for playing a role in his suicide during a time when it appeared his career was showing signs of a comeback.

Before It Ended

Del Shannon fits the classic story of underappreciated talent during an era when competition among star wannabes was so intense that, unless you agreed to fit the mold laid out by the entertainment industry, you would not receive the recognition you deserved as an original artist who stayed true to your roots. Del Shannon didn’t want to be shaped into another fabricated icon that lacked realism. He wanted to be his own man, even if it meant not standing out above the already overcrowded talent pool of cookie-cutter talent. In 1958, his music career began after spending time as a carpet salesman. It wasn’t until 1961 that his efforts finally paid off, and he enjoyed a taste of that stardom until his alcoholism caught up with him during the 1970s. It wouldn’t be until 1978 that he’d sober up enough to get back in the music saddle again.

Top 10 Del Shannon Songs

#10 – Sea of Love

It was the first single from Del Shannon since returning to the music scene after his battle against alcoholism. “Sea of Love” was recorded and released with the album “Drop Down and Get Me.” Originally written, recorded, and released by one-hit wonder Phil Phillips in 1959, it was first covered by Marty Wilde in 1959 and then by Del Shannon in 1981. Shannon’s version charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number thirty-three, which wasn’t nearly as high as Phillips’s version, which peaked at second.

#9 – Two Kinds of Teardrops

Stemming from Del Shannon’s 1963 album “Little Town Flirt” is the single “Two Kinds of Teardrops,” which was released in 1963. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaks in fifth place. Australia’s Kent Report charts the song at number seventeen and on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty. On an international level, this song charted much better than in Del Shannon’s home country.

# 8 – Handy Man

“Handy Man” has been covered by many artists since it was originally co-written by Jimmy Jones and Otis Blackwell in 1959 and first released in 1960. It performed extremely well for Jones, reaching second on the US Billboard Hot 100 and third on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart. For Del Shannon, his version of “Hanky Panky” peaked at #22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also earned international recognition by placing at #17 with the Australian Kent Report and at number thirty-six on the UK Singles Charts.

#7 – Hey! Little Girl!

Recorded and released in 1961, Del Shannon’s single “Hey! Little Girl!” reached its highest UK chart position, placing second on the Singles Chart. Australia’s Kent Report is at #12, and the US Billboard Hot 100 is at #38. What makes this single stand out from his previous hits of the same year is its optimism, serving as a polar opposite of what had already been lost.

#6 – So Long, Baby

In 1961, Del Shannon released “So Long, Baby,” and the song once again performed better within the nations outside the US, as with the New Zealand Listener chart, it scored in eighth place, on the UK Singles Chart in tenth place, and with Australia’s Kent Report at 16th place. With the US Billboard Hot 100, it charted at number twenty-eight.

#5 – The Swiss Maid

The yodeling in the single “The Swiss Maid” seems to have contributed to the song peaking at number one on Australia’s Kent Report in 1962, after Del Shannon recorded it in 1961 under the original title “Swiss Fair Maiden.” On the New Zealand Listener chart, it peaked at #4, and on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart at #19, which fared better than #64 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

#4 – Little Town Flirt

The single “Little Town Flirt” was released in 1964, which charted at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song actually did its best with Australia’s Kent Report by peaking at the very top spot, while it placed fourth with the UK Singles Chart and seventh with the New Zealand Listener chart.

#3 – Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun)

In 1964, one of three hit singles to reach an American top ten rank was Del Shannon’s “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun),” which came in the ninth spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. This was also the case in Australia with its Kent Music Report. Meanwhile, on the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 3.

#2 – Hats Off to Larry

The second of three hit singles to break into the top ten of the US Billboard Top 100 music charts, coming from Del Shannon, is the song “Hats Off to Larry,” which peaked in fifth place in 1961. In Canada, it reached the top spot on the CHUM Hit Parade, while in Australia and New Zealand it peaked at number 2 in both countries. It once again established music fans outside the US warmed up to him and his music, even more so at the time than the locals.

#1 – Runaway

Not only was Del Shannon’s “Runaway” the most successful single of his career, but it also finally put him on the map as a legitimate music star on the airwaves in 1961. Clean across the most respected music charts, namely the US Billboard Hot 100, Canada’s CHUM Hit Parade, the UK Singles Chart, Australia’s Kent Music Report, and the New Zealand Listener, it peaked at the top spot. This global hit reached the top ten on various music charts worldwide and remains a cult classic today.