"Shannon" | ||||
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Single by Henry Gross | ||||
from the album Release | ||||
B-side | "Pokey" | |||
Released | February 1976 | |||
Genre | Soft rock [1] | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | Lifesong | |||
Songwriter(s) | Henry Gross | |||
Producer(s) | Terry Cashman and Tommy West for Cashwest Productions, Inc. | |||
Henry Gross singles chronology | ||||
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"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]
"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]
Weekly charts
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