THE HIT HAMMER: Del Shannon's "Runaway"

(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)

Del Shannon - "Runaway"

Hit Number 1: April 24, 1961

Stay at Number 1: 4 Weeks

The early 60s had consisted of rock and roll's last gasps of popularity before the new thing to listen to was doo-wop and anything from the African American girl groups, such as the Shirelles, who we'd just seen in this blog. But rock and roll was still doing pretty well for itself in mid-1961, even though arguably the biggest rock and roll pioneer (Elvis Presley) was no longer doing his fun rock and roll bangers anymore. Rock and roll was not going to go away without a fight though, and one of the most iconic rock and roll songs would hit #1 for 4 weeks in 1961. That would be Del Shannon's "Runaway".

Charles Westover and his friend, keyboardist Max Crook, performed together as the "Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band", before winning a recording contract in 1960. Westover then changed his stage name to "Del Shannon" with his friend taking up the stage name "Maximilian". Their first recording session started out as a big failure, and the two were likely getting very frustrated, before their manager Ollie McLaughlin convinced them to record a song they had written called "Little Runaway". He thought it would be a good idea for them to record it, since it highlighted Maximilian's unique instrumental abilities. It's pretty safe to say that that was an outstanding call. After the song, which was renamed to just "Runaway", was released, it had instant success. Shannon eventually appeared on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand", which further propelled "Runaway's" success on the charts, until it finally landed at #1 and occupied that spot for 4 weeks.

It's pretty easy to see why this song blew up really quick. "Runaway" absolutely kicks ass! Everything fits together perfectly, from the rage and yet sadness in Shannon's voice, to the bluesy guitar strums, to Maximilian's top-notch keyboard playing, the song is a true gem in the rock and roll genre. (It had to have made Elvis proud) The story of the song isn't anything different from a lot of other songs; it's just about a guy who lost his lover, and he wonders where she is and why she left him. More often than not though, what makes or breaks a song is how it is delivered. Everyone involved in the production of "Runaway" did their jobs very well, and it's very clear when you hear the song. I honestly can't decide which I like more: the true grit and rage in Shannon's voice and the falsetto he uses in the chorus or the keyboard playing by Maximilian, and the solo he throws in there. It's a toss up.

Shannon was not a one hit wonder, but he didn't have very many other hits. He does have a pretty good and funny song called "Hats Off to Larry" which is about a guy who, like the guy in "Runaway", has been left by his lover. A guy named Larry hooks up with her and then dumps her. So the narrator praises him. (I like to pretend that the guy in "Runaway" and "Hats Off to Larry" is the same guy, and the girl that left him in "Runaway" was dumped in "Hats Off to Larry" as sort of a sequel. It makes it pretty fun! By the way, "Hats Off to Larry" made it up to #5, and it's an 8) Shannon hadn't charted for several years, so he turned to production instead, and had some moderate success doing that. As fate would have it though, Shannon would suffer from alcoholism, but eventually quit. Though later, he would even suffer from depression. He committed suicide in 1990 by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. That obviously sucks, and was very unfortunate. But Shannon sure made his mark in the rock and roll genre with a hell of a song.

GRADE: 10/10