"I Go to Pieces" is a song written by

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...

which became a Top Ten hit for

Peter and Gordon Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling single " A World Without Love". The duo had sever ...

on 20 February 1965. The duo's fourth single, it was their first not to be written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Del Shannon

Del Shannon had written "I Go to Pieces" for an R&B singer named Lloyd Brown whom Shannon discovered at a

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

nightclub. Shannon arranged and produced Brown's recording but was unable to find a label interested in releasing the track. Shannon did attempt to record "I Go to Pieces" in the August 1964 session at Mira Sound Studios NYC, which yielded his single "

Do You Wanna Dance "Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States ''Billboard'' Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Cliff Richard ...

" and its B-side "This is All I Have to Give." However Shannon was unable to cut a satisfactory vocal of "I Go to Pieces" before the three hours booked for the session ran out. Following the success of the Peter and Gordon version of "I Go to Pieces," Del Shannon recorded the song at

Bell Sound Studios Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by ...

in New York City in March 1965. Basing his version on the arrangement utilized by Peter and Gordon, Shannon's version of his own composition was effectively one of a number of covers of recent hits which comprised his album "One Thousand Six Hundred Sixty One Seconds with Del Shannon." Shannon also sang on the remake of "I Go to Pieces" by

Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a membe ...

on his 1981 album "Night Fades Away." Del Shannon's final remake of "I Go To Pieces" appeared on his album "Rock On!," which was posthumously released by

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

in 1991. It features a leaner arrangement (with Del Shannon not harmonizing with himself), little or no reverb on the drums, strings replaced by a synthesizer, and a sound typical of recordings produced or recorded by Lynne at this time. While Lynne produced other numbers on the album, this track was produced by Mike Campbell.

Peter and Gordon

"I Go to Pieces" passed to Peter and Gordon when that duo and Del Shannon, along with

the Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

, shared the bill for a tour of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the second half of 1964. At one of the tour's venues, Shannon pitched "I Go to Pieces" to the Searchers. singing it for the group in their dressing room. Peter and Gordon in the dressing room next door overheard Shannon singing "I Go to Pieces" to the Searchers, who weren't interested in it and, recognizing the song's potential to become a

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

-style hit, Peter and Gordon asked Shannon to let them record it. Peter and Gordon recorded "I Go to Pieces" at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

with John Burgess producing and

Geoff Love Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British arranger and composer of easy listening and pop versions of film themes. He became famous in the late 1950s, playing under the pseudonym of Manuel and The Music of The Mo ...

as arranger/conductor. As well as Peter and Gordon playing guitars, the session featured their guitar player, Eddie King, on

twelve-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

. Released in the UK on 20 November 1964, "I Go to Pieces" became the second consecutive Peter and Gordon single to miss the UK Top 50 but, as with their preceding release, "

Nobody I Know Nobody I Know is a song written by Paul McCartney (attributed to Lennon–McCartney) which Peter and Gordon recorded in an April 1964 session at Abbey Road Studio. Peter and Gordon had had a UK and US #1 hit with the McCartney composition " A W ...

," it became a hit in America, where the "

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

" craze was at its height. Released in the US in December 1964, "I Go to Pieces" entered the Top Ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 20 February 1965. The title track of Peter and Gordon's third US album release, "I Go to Pieces" was cited in 1999 by

Gordon Waller Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller (4 June 1945 – 17 July 2009) was a Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as Gordon of the 1960s pop music duo Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was the no. 1 million-selling single "A World Wit ...

as his favorite of the duo's songs. Peter and Gordon's first three singles had all been

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...

compositions, but "I Go to Pieces" began a series of four single releases by the duo which were covers of American songs. "I Go to Pieces" afforded Peter and Gordon an international hit, reaching number 11 in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

while in Australia the track was a double A-side hit reaching number 26 in tandem with its flip "Love Me Baby." "I Go to Pieces" was one of 150 songs which

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

requested its 1,170 stations not to play in the wake of the

September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

, drawing the comment from

Peter Asher Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

that: "I suppose a song about someone going to pieces could be upsetting if someone took it literally" (However, Asher did object to the inclusion of Peter & Gordon's "

A World Without Love "A World Without Love" is a song recorded by the British duo Peter and Gordon and released as their first single in February 1964. It was included on the duo's debut album in the UK, and in the US on an album of the same name. The song was wri ...

" on the list: " tssentiment sas true in crisis as it is in normal times. It's a totally pro-love sentiment and could only be helpful right now.") Peter and Gordon came back together after a gap of 37 years to perform "I Go to Pieces" at the

Mike Smith Tribute Concert Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

's House of Blues in New York City on 2 August 2005. The song is also one of the Peter & Gordon hits performed in the multimedia live show "Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir of the '60s and Beyond," which Peter Asher has been mounting across the US since 2010, with Asher's keyboardist Jeff Alan Ross harmonizing with Asher.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Remakes

Cotton Lloyd & Christian

"I Go to Pieces" was remade in 1975 by Cotton, Lloyd & Christian for the group's self-titled

20th Century Records 20th Century Fox Records (also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, or simply 20th Century Fox Film Scores and Fox Records) was a wholly owned subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The history of the label covers three dis ...

album release of August 1975 produced by group member Michael Lloyd with

Mike Curb Michael Curb (born December 24, 1944) is an American musician, record company executive, motorsports car owner, philanthropist, and former politician. He is also the founder of Curb Records where he presently serves as the chairman. Curb also ...

: released as a single, the track reached number 66 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', which magazine's

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

afforded the track a number 10 peak, as well as in Canada. In the UK the Cotton Lloyd & Christian version of "I Go to Pieces" almost accrued enough interest to bring the song for the first time into the UK chart then officially a Top 50: however the track lost momentum to stall at number 51 UK: in Australia the single reached number 62. The Cotton Lloyd & Christian version of "I Go to Pieces" became a major hit in the Netherlands reaching number 17 in February 1976 with the track being included on the Dutch release of the group's ''Number Two'' album. In 1976 the tracks from the ''Cotton Lloyd & Christian'' album - including "I Go to Pieces" - were utilized for the soundtrack of the

teen film Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens, or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with paren ...

The Pom Pom Girls ''The Pom Pom Girls'' (also known as ''Palisades High'') is a 1976 American film directed by Joseph Ruben. The screenplay was written by Ruben and based on a story by him and Robert J. Rosenthal. The movie was shot on location at Chaminade High Sc ...

'' with unsold copies of the ''Cotton Lloyd & Christian'' album being repackaged/redistributed as ''The Pom Pom Girls'' soundtrack album. The Cotton Lloyd & Christian single of "I Go to Pieces" was released in France in 1977 being branded as a soundtrack item from ''Lache-moi les baskets'' (the title for ''The Pom Pom Girls'' in its French release) and featuring a distinct

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

from the single's earlier releases, with the track "I Can Sing, I Can Dance" replacing "Mr. Rock 'N' Roll". Chris Christian of Cotton Lloyd & Christian would include "I Go to Pieces" in medley with "

Don't Worry Baby "Don't Worry Baby" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their March 1964 album ''Shut Down Volume 2''. Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, ...

" and "

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's ''United'' LP. The ...

" on his 1986 live album release ''Live at Six Flags''.

Other versions

Subsequent to the Cotton Lloyd & Christian version, Michael Lloyd would produce two further remakes of "I Go to Pieces" the first also for 20th Century Records: specifically a 1976 single release by

Leif Garrett Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik; November 8, 1961) is an American singer, actor, and television personality. He worked as a child actor, then in the 1970s became famous as a teen idol in music. He later received much publicity for his drug ...

which was the first attempt - and an unsuccessful one - to turn the teen actor into a hit recording artist. Then in 1981 Michael Lloyd himself had a self-produced solo single release of "I Go to Pieces" on

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. In 1979

Rachel Sweet Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962)
accessed May 2, 2014. is an American singer, television writer and actres ...

remade "I Go to Pieces", that track and "Sad Song" being recorded to augment Sweet's 1978 UK album release ''

Fool Around ''Fool Around'' is the debut album by American singer Rachel Sweet. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 13, 1978 by Stiff Records. The album was released in the United States in July 1979, by Stiff and Columbia Records, with a ...

'' for its US release. The new tracks were both produced by David Mackay and Barrie Guard; Sweet had wanted to work with Mackay on the basis of his work with

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

. "I Go to Pieces" was issued as the lead single for the US release of ''Fool Around'' in August 1979: the track did not chart in the US but did reach number 39 in Australia. "I Go to Pieces" has twice appeared on the ''Billboard'' C&W chart, the first time in 1988 when

Dean Dillon Dean Dillon (born Larry Dean Flynn; March 26, 1955) is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Since 1 ...

took the song to a number 39 peak, the track being a single off Dillon's ''Slick Nickel'' album. In 1990 an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

remake of "I Go to Pieces" by

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

reached number 31 C&W: the number had been a Southern Pacific concert staple since the band's 1984 inception before being recorded in the summer of 1989 for their January 1990 album release ''Country Line'' album with the track being issued as a single in February 1990 - the month of its composer Del Shannon's death - although it only gradually accrued support to reach the C&W Top 40 that May. Southern Pacific member

Keith Knudsen Keith A. Knudsen ( ; February 18, 1948 – February 8, 2005) was an American rock drummer, vocalist, and songwriter. Knudsen was best known as a drummer and vocalist for The Doobie Brothers. In addition, he founded the band Southern Pacific with ...

would allege resistance to the band's version of "I Go to Pieces" from C&W radio: "ten or so big &Wstations...wouldn't even test it. We heard rogram directors saythings like - 'Well, there's no music on it'...Or - 'Well, I liked it, but that's an old Pop song owe can't use it.' Meanwhile, on the stations that did play it, it was the most requested record that we ever had."

Guys Next Door ''Guys Next Door'' is an American television series aired on NBC in the 1990–1991 season as part of its Saturday morning lineup. It featured a boy band performing comedy sketches and spoofs, as a combination of New Kids on the Block with ''The ...

performed "I Go to Pieces" on their self-titled TV series, the video being shown in the episodes broadcast 27 October 1990 and 17 November 1990. Although not included in the US edition of the group's self-titled 1991 album release, "I Go to Pieces" was included in the UK edition of ''Guys Next Door'', the UK edition featuring an additional five tracks to the US edition's ten. Besides the

remake (featuring vocals by Del Shannon) on Lofgren's 1981 ''Night Fades Away'' album, "I Go to Pieces" has also been recorded by

David Frizzell David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country musician, Lefty Frizzell. His career started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the 1980s. Biography Frizzell wa ...

(''My Life is Just a Bridge''/ 1993),

Sonny Geraci Emmett Peter "Sonny" Geraci ("Jer-ah-see"); November 22, 1946 – February 5, 2017) was an American singer, best known as lead singer of musical groups The Outsiders and Climax. Biography Geraci first became known as the original lead vocal ...

(''On the Verge''/ 2000), the Ian Mitchell Band (''Suddenly You Love Me''/ 2008),

Joe Pernice Joseph T. Pernice (born July 17, 1967) is an American indie rock musician and writer, who has fronted several bands, including the Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline, The New Mendicants and the Pernice Brothers. Originally from Holbrook ...

(''It Feels So Good When I Stop''/ 2009), Colleen Peterson (''Takin' My Boots Off''/ 1978), Streetnix (''Listen''/ 1993),

Gyllene Tider Gyllene Tider (; "Golden Times") was a Swedish pop group fronted by Roxette singer, guitarist and songwriter Per Gessle. They were one of the best-selling Swedish bands ever and have had numerous hits in Scandinavia, starting with the break-th ...

(

of 1982 single "Flickan I En Cole Porter-Sång"),

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

( ''Bobby Vinton''/ 1988),

Albert West Albertus Petrus Enricus Gerardus Westelaken (2 September 1949 – 4 June 2015), better known by his stage name Albert West, was a Dutch pop singer and record producer. He was the lead singer of The Shuffles from 1963 to 1973. He was born in ...

(''West & Friends''/ 1988), and

the Wynners The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s. The group consists of Alan Tam (lead vocals), Kenny Bee (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Bennett Pang (lead guitar), Danny Yip (bass), and Anthony Chan (drums). History Beginning ...

(''Love & Other Pieces''/ 1975). A rendering in Italian as "Il mare non-racconta mai" was a 1967 single release by

Camaleonti I Camaleonti ("The Chameleons") are an Italian pop group from Milan, mostly active between the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Background I Camaleonti were formed in 1963 in Milan. The original line-up included Livio Macchia (guitar), Anton ...

( it). Also the Finnish rendering "Palasiksi Hajoan" was recorded by Rock Ola & the Charades for their self-titled 1993 album.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1964 singles 1975 singles 1988 singles 1990 singles Del Shannon songs Southern Pacific (band) songs Peter and Gordon songs Song recordings produced by John Burgess Dean Dillon songs Columbia Graphophone Company singles Song recordings produced by Michael Lloyd Capitol Records singles Warner Records singles Songs written by Del Shannon Torch songs 1964 songs