About The Song
The story had us gripped from the very first lyric. “Once I had a pretty girl, her name it doesn’t matter,” sang the great Del Shannon on his sophomore hit. “She went away with another guy, now he won’t even look at her.”
The song, of course, was “Hats Off To Larry,” the brilliant follow-up to Del’s huge debut hit “Runaway,“ which had hit No.1 in both the US and UK. In mid-September 1961, British record buyers proved it was no fluke, as “Hats Off” made its British chart debut.
The evocative and revolutionary “Runaway,” which featured a prototype synthesizer, the Musitron, had topped the American chart for four weeks in April and May 1961. It had three weeks at the British summit in June and July. Indeed, the single was still in the UK Top 50 list in its 21st week, on that mid-September countdown in which “Hats Off To Larry” made a confident debut at No.20.
John Leyton was holding at No.1 with the similarly melodramatic and romantic tale “Johnny Remember Me,” as Elvis Presley and Bobby Vee did Top 10 battle with home-grown stars such as Shirley Bassey, Helen Shapiro, Eden Kane, and Billy Fury. The Shadows were also racing up the chart with their latest 45, “Kon-Tiki.”
Del’s new hit had another connection with Vee: according to Shannon’s website, he wrote “Hats Off To Larry” in the dressing room of the Brooklyn Paramount Theater, where he made his major stage debut on a bill with Dion, soon after “Runaway” was a hit. Dion and Vee were present backstage to witness the creation of the new song.
Video
Lyrics
Once I had a pretty girl
Her name it doesn’t matter
She went away with another guy
Now he won’t even look at her
Hats off to Larry, he broke your heart
Just like you broke mine
When you said we must part
He told you lies
Now it’s your turn to cry, cry, cry
Now that Larry said goodbye to you
I know this may sound strange
I want you back, I think you’ll change
But there’s one more thing I gotta say
Hats off to Larry, it may sound cruel
But you laughed at me
When you said we were through
You told me lies
Now it’s your turn to cry, cry, cry
Now that Larry said goodbye to you
Hats off to Larry, it may sound cruel
But you laughed at me
When you said we were through
You told me lies
Now it’s your turn to cry, cry, cry
Now that Larry said goodbye to you
To you, to you