Del Shannon - Drop Down and Get Me

Now here’s an interesting little slice of rock history. For anyone in the audience under a certain age, the name Del Shannon might mean less to you than the price of boba tea, or how to six-seven a rizzler (I’m told that means something, but like the birth of the Universe, the truth of it is obscured to me). But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn’t lie, and back when rock was Rock and Roll, all rights reserved, patent pending, Shannon was one of the names caught up in the burgeoning genre explosion. Off the back of his hit Runaway and more than several charting tracks along the way, he shed his country singing ways and defected to the good side, before alcoholism took control and his career was curtailed as the 1970s progressed.

Well, wait, then, where has this song come from, then? The twist in the tale here is a good one. A newly sober Shannon re-emerged in the 80s, bringing his early days back to the fore in his unique, easygoing style. Backed up by The Heartbreakers and produced by Tom Petty, Shannon would release a 1982 album that saw him climb charts and popularity yet again, nearly thirty years after his initial foray. Now that’s a comeback.

Tragically, Del Shannon would take his own life only a few years later, the peak of the second stage of his career only just beginning. Drop Down and Get Me, then, remains as a touchstone to a man whose legacy in rock is cemented, his image tainted only by the tragic circumstances of his death. All while being a breezy bit of classic rock nostalgia that many might not know but are likely going to love after today. Take it from me, kid – they don’t make ‘em like they used to. Back in my day, it was Badger Badger Mushroom, and we liked it.