Singalong! Last Kiss by Del Shannon

The Pearl Jam cover of this song was reallllly popular the summer I was living at my aunt's house in Vancouver.  Let me tell you, this song got to me big time.  The slow, heart-wrenching vocals made me get all teary-eyed every time I heard it.  Kind of an odd choice for a summer hit, but heck, we all need a juxtaposition now and again.  Then I heard the original version by Del Shannon.  It's light, upbeat, and happy sounding.  That's right, a song about a teenage boy who gets into a car accident with his girlfriend and holds her while she dies sounds happy.  Weird, but maybe more fitting for the summer.

LAST KISS

Del Shannon

Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world

We were out on a date in my daddy's car

We hadn't driven very far

There in the road, straight ahead

A car was stalled, the engine was dead

I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right

I'll never forget the sound that night

The screamin' tires, the bustin' glass

The painful scream that I heard last

Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world

When I woke up the rain was pourin' down

There were people standing all around

Something warm runnin' through my eyes

But somehow I found my baby that night

I lifted her head, she looked at me and said,

Hold me darling, just a little while

I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss

I found the love that I knew I had missed.

Well now she's gone

& even though I hold her tight

I lost my love, my life, that night.

Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world.