Shannon (song)

"Shannon"
"Shannon"
Single by Henry Gross
from the album Release
B-side	"Pokey"
Released	February 1976
Genre	Soft rock
Length	3:50
Label	Lifesong
Songwriter(s)	Henry Gross
Producer(s)	Terry Cashman and Tommy West for Cashwest Productions, Inc.
Henry Gross singles chronology

"Shannon" is a 1976 song by Henry Gross. It became an international hit, reaching #6 and achieving gold record status in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song reached #1 in Canada and New Zealand.^[2]

"Shannon" was written about the death of a pet dog that belonged to Beach Boys member Carl Wilson. While touring with the Beach Boys in 1975, Gross visited Wilson's home in Los Angeles and in conversation said he had an Irish Setter named Shannon. Wilson replied that he, too, had an Irish Setter named Shannon, that had recently been killed when hit by a car.^[3]^[4]^[5]

The single went gold in the U.S.^[6] and became a worldwide hit, reaching #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Cash Box Top 100 in 1976. In Canada it reached #1. "Shannon" also reached #1 in New Zealand, but peaked only at #32 in the UK.^[6]

Musicians

Henry Gross: vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals
Allan Schwartzberg: drums
George Devens: percussion
Warren Nichols: bass
Philip Aaberg: piano, electric piano
Mike Corbett, Marty Nelson, Tommy West: background vocals

The Casey Kasem incident

"Shannon" is remembered for being the subject of a profanity-laced tirade by American Top 40 host Casey Kasem, while recording the September 14, 1985 show. A listener from Cincinnati, Ohio had requested "Shannon" as a "Long-Distance Dedication" (a regular feature of the show) to his own recently deceased dog, named Snuggles. Kasem was upset that the show's producers had placed the dedication immediately following the Pointer Sisters' hit "Dare Me", an uptempo song that he considered a poor lead-in to a sad song such as "Shannon". This did not originally air in the broadcast.^[7]^[8]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
Australia KMR^[9]	20
Canada RPM Top Singles^[10]	1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[11]	1
New Zealand^[12]	1
UK ^[13]	32
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[14]	6
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary^[15]	13
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[16]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)	Rank
Canada ^[17]	20
New Zealand ^[18]	5
U.S. Billboard ^[19]	47
U.S. Cash Box ^[20]	60

References

^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "The Linen: Soft Rock". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
^ "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-11..
^ "Henry Gross's Website"..
^ Streeter, Leslie Gray (7 January 2016). "Co-founder of Sha Na Na, Henry Gross, playing at CityPlace". PalmBeachPost.com. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
^ Kotal, Kent (6 January 2009). "The Real Story Behind the Henry Gross Hit "Shannon"". Forgotten Hits. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
^ ^a ^b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 237. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "Mental Floss' 10-fact salute to Casey Kasem". Mental Floss. 11 July 2009.
^ Corliss, Richard (2014-06-15). "Casey Kasem: The Voice of America". Time.
^ David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992"
^ "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-11.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-06-05. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
^ "Henry Gross - Shannon (song)". charts.nz. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
^ "Top 100 1976". top-source.info. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
^ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 103.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 5/29/76". Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-09-11.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
^ Musicoutfitters.com
^ Cashbox Magazine^{[dead link‍]}

External links

Listen to "Shannon" on YouTube

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[Breithaupt_2000-1] Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "The Linen: Soft Rock". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.

[2] "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-11..

[3] "Henry Gross's Website"..

[4] Streeter, Leslie Gray (7 January 2016). "Co-founder of Sha Na Na, Henry Gross, playing at CityPlace". PalmBeachPost.com. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 21 October 2024.

[5] Kotal, Kent (6 January 2009). "The Real Story Behind the Henry Gross Hit "Shannon"". Forgotten Hits. Retrieved 6 January 2009.

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-6] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 237. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[7] "Mental Floss' 10-fact salute to Casey Kasem". Mental Floss. 11 July 2009.

[8] Corliss, Richard (2014-06-15). "Casey Kasem: The Voice of America". Time.

[austchartbook.com.au-9] David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992"

[10] "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-11.

[11] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-06-05. Retrieved 2018-02-18.

[12] "Henry Gross - Shannon (song)". charts.nz. Retrieved 26 May 2018.

[13] "Top 100 1976". top-source.info. Retrieved 17 June 2016.

[14] [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]

[15] Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 103.

[16] "Cash Box Top 100 5/29/76". Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-09-11.

[17] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.

[18] "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".

[19] Musicoutfitters.com

[20] Cashbox Magazine^{[dead link‍]}

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