Her first efforts were primarily poetry and before graduating from high school she had had several items of her light verse published by Walter Winchell and other newspaper columnists.
Her second song with Silver, "There Shall Be No Night", had its title taken from a then-current anti-Nazi play, and was recorded by the orchestras of Duke Ellington, Bob Chester, and Dick Jurgens.
The pair wrote "Sweet Sorrow" and "Just Like Taking Candy From a Baby", which were two opening and closing numbers in Tommy Tune's nightclub act.
[3] Shelley married Irving Rosenthal, the owner of New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park, and in 1960 she wrote the music and lyrics to a radio and television jingle called "Come on Over", which proved to be a catchy and effective promotions device.
She and Abner Silver wrote the plaintive tune, which remained a New York cabaret favorite for more than sixty years and became associated with performer Mabel Mercer.
Other artists covering the tune included Carmen McRae, Eydie Gorme, Dakota Staton, Connie Francis, Vic Damone, Arthur Prysock, Kevin Mahogany and Mel Torme.
Her New York Times obituary noted that she was a "memorable presence in her East Side neighborhood, where the sight of Ms. Shelley walking her five chihuahuas was a familiar one for many years.