Shannon - Henry Gross (1976) 5/12/23

Your opinion on whether today's highlighted song is a "Great Song of 1976" probably hinges on how you feel about your pets.

"Shannon" by Henry Gross is about the death of a dog. In fact, one dog in particular: Beach Boy Carl Wilson's beloved Samoyed named Shannon.

Henry was touring with the Beach Boys in the mid-70s and one day he was talking to Carl about his Irish Setter, also named Shannon. Carl mentioned that HIS Shannon had recently been hit by a car and killed, and he was quite broken up about it.

Henry could understand Carl's pain, and decided to write a song about it.

Of course, if you're going to write a song for a Beach Boy, you need to make sure it has beautiful Beach Boy style harmonies, and Henry delivered.

"Shannon" is sad, sentimental, and taps into the universal grief of anyone suffering from the loss of a pet.

Many pet owners (and dare I say Beach Boys fans) all over the world cried when they first heard the song.

Some people thought it was too sappy...but the song was a bona fide international hit, reaching #1 in Canada and Zealand. Here in the US, "Shannon" went to #6 on the Hot 100, and #13 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Henry became a one-hit wonder...but for pet owners, and many others..."Shannon" was--and still is--a "Great Song of 1976!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUUc0sNaQls

Tomorrow: Jackson's Tears Coming Soon: Great Songs of the '80s!