‘Wake up Little Susie’ is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. The song is best known in a recording by ‘The Everly Brothers’ who reached Number 1 with it on the ‘Billboard Pop Chart’ and the ‘Cash Box Best Selling Records Chart’, despite having been banned from the Boston radio stations for its suggestive lyrics. ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ also spent seven weeks atop the ‘Billboard Country Chart’ and got to Number 2 on the ‘UK Singles Chart’. The song was ranked at Number 318 on the ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine's list of ’The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time’.
In an appearance on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ during the 2000 U.S. presidential election, the then-Governor, George W. Bush named ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ as ‘his favourite song’. ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ was the first single filmmaker David Lynch bought.
The song is written from the point of view of a high school boy to his girlfriend, Susie. In the song, the two go out on a date to a cinema (perhaps a drive-in), only to fall asleep during the movie. They do not wake up until 4 o'clock in the morning; well after her 10 o'clock curfew. They then contemplate the reactions of her parents and their friends. Don Everly reported it had been banned in Boston as being too unacceptable in its message.
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I dedicate my song today to my youngest sister Susan. As the seventh child in a family of seven, Susan and myself were born at the opposite ends of the family spectrum. Being my parent’s firstborn, I was naturally nearer the trunk of parental opinion, and like all older brothers in the family tree, I have always held protective instincts for my little sister (the family twig) who has too often found herself on one of the outer branches of consensual thought.
Like all Forde family members, my sister Susan has always been a rebel within any establishment she has found herself a member of. Her greatest fault is that she probably doesn’t pay enough regard or deference to the view of her seniors to make herself too popular in the crowd, of which she would never regard herself as being a part of anyway. She works as an Area Manager in Social Work and I often view her as being too much of a ‘loner’, and far too independent and proud to ever ask for help or assistance unless it was a life-threatening situation.
Susan is so proud of her Irish roots, even though she was born in West Yorkshire; so proud that she got her surname legally changed to that of our maternal grandparents, ‘Fanning’.She even puts Shamrock in her summer salads instead of rocket but thinks that we don't know as she tries to get one over on her older and betters. Enjoy your day, little Susie. Love from your big brother Billy x.
Love and peace Bill xxx