The Meaning of “Runaway” by Del Shannon and Why It Sounded Unlike Anything Else on the Jukebox

A simple minor chord strummed on the guitar sets the mood for the 1961 smash hit “Runaway.” The tinkling piano, upright bass, drums, and baritone saxophone back the simple figure. Del Shannon would go on to have other hits, but none as big as his debut about a girl who is nowhere to be found. 

The Setup

In the first few lines, Shannon establishes the situation of a love that is no more. In just a few words, he tells us he’s alone. He is confused, and the disappearance blindsides him.

As I walk along, I wonder
What went wrong with our love
A love that was so strong

The Origin

Shannon was performing in Battle Creek, Michigan, when he lost his guitarist. While searching for a replacement, his drummer recommended Max Crook, a keyboardist who experimented with electronics. He had developed an instrument called the musitron with a unique sound. 

Shannon shared the story on Later with Bob Costas in 1989: “‘Runaway’ was done onstage in Battle Creek at the Hi Lo Club one night when Max hit an A minor and a G. And, I said, ‘Wow, what a great change that was.’ So, I said, ‘Look, follow me, everybody, follow me.’ It was only Max, a bass player, and me, so I started playing, and Max followed me all through the song. I’d call out, G, F, E, and I just followed this whole structure of song. And the next day, I wrote the words to it.” 

The song continues as the narrator further sets the scene. He’s clearly heartbroken at the loss of this girl.  

And as I still walk on, I think of
The things we’ve done together
While our hearts were young

The song shifts to a major key, and a feeling of hope comes with it. The clouds seem to be parting, but the sun never does break through. Feelings of sadness, confusion, and, finally, acceptance are conveyed as Shannon hits the great falsetto crescendo. We are still waiting for some resolution. Where is this little girl? 

I’ma-walkin’ in the rain
Tears are fallin’, and I feel the pain
Wishin’ you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wo-wo-wo wonder
Why… why-why-why-why-why
She ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway
A run-run-run-run runaway

The solo comes in at this point. In 1961, this was a new sound unlike any other records on the jukebox.

Crook was interviewed in 2017 and said, “I was his keyboard player. We played together at the Hi Lo Club in Battle Creek, which is now a bank parking lot. We came up with the idea for the song up on the stage at the Hi Lo Club, and that bridge actually came to me in less than five minutes. Just something to fit in there, and I had the musitron already. It was an electronic device. I just played it on that, and it all seemed to fit together.”

The chorus repeats, and it fades out. Two minutes and 20 seconds of pop perfection. The girl is never found. There is never any resolution. She’s gone.

The Big Break

An Ann Arbor, Michigan disk jockey named Ollie McLaughlin heard the song and encouraged Shannon to record it. He took the demo recording to Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Talent Artists in Detroit. They connected Shannon to Bigtop Records, and a recording session was arranged in New York City, produced by Balk, to record the version of “Runaway” that became the big hit. McLaughlin would go on to produce future hits for Shannon. 

Success

At its peak, “Runaway” was selling 80,000 copies a day. Shannon was not prepared for how quickly he became a star. He was added to the bill at the Broadway Paramount with Dion and Jackie Wilson in New York City. The song shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the biggest-selling song of 1961 in the UK.

Covers

Lawrence Welk recorded an instrumental version that reached No. 5 in Hong Kong. The Small Faces, Elvis Presley, Bonnie Raitt, Narvel Felts, and The Misfits all recorded versions of the song.

In 2017,  Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows was looking to record some old songs, “When we decided to expand the album and add new tracks, everyone in the band chose a song that would be interesting to cover. [Guitarist] Zacky Vengeance came up with the idea of doing a punk-rock version of the Del Shannon classic. While in the studio, [guitarist] Synyster brought up our old friend [Vandals guitarist] Warren Fitzgerald, saying it’d be great to have him play on the track and give the song the kind of reckless abandon he’s known for with the Vandals.”

Said Vengeance, “I’ve always loved ‘Runaway’ and the dark undertone hidden behind the upbeat doo-wop track. You can hear sincere anguish in his voice. I raised my hand to add a little punk rock flair to the vocals, have some fun, and give the fans a little something to talk about.”

Rerecording

In 1986, Shannon rerecorded the song for the NBC show Crime Story, and sang the song on Late Night with David Letterman. His career received a major boost. He guested on a Smithereens album and recorded with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra. Following the death of Roy Orbison, it was rumored Shannon would be his replacement in The Traveling Wilburys. It was not to be, as the singer took his own life on February 8, 1990. The Wilburys recorded a version of “Runaway” as a tribute. 

I’ma-walkin’ in the rain
Tears are fallin’, and I feel the pain
Wishin’ you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wo-wo-wo wonder
Why… why-why-why-why-why
She ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway
A run-run-run-run runaway

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Photo by David Redfern/Redferns