Bobbie Sue (song)

"Bobbie Sue"
Single by The Oak Ridge Boys
from the album Bobbie Sue
B-side	"Live in Love"
Released	January 18, 1982
Recorded	Autumn 1981
Genre	Country, Pop, doo-wop, rock and roll
Length	2:50
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Lieber Mike Stoller Wood Newton Dan Tyler Adele Tyler
Producer(s)	Ron Chancey
The Oak Ridge Boys singles chronology
"(I'm Settin') Fancy Free" (1981) "Bobbie Sue" (1982) "So Fine" (1982)

"Bobbie Sue" is a song written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Wood Newton, Dan Tyler, and Adele Tyler, and recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys. ^[1] It was released in January of 1982 as the first single and title track to the group's album of the same name. The song became the Oaks' sixth No. 1 single on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart. ^[2] In addition to its country success, "Bobbie Sue" also fared well on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 12 on that chart in the spring of 1982. ^[3] The single was certified RIAA Gold for sales of over 500,000 units. ^[4]

Background

The song is styled in the vein of a late 1950s/early 1960s rock-and-roll novelty song, as evidenced by its saxophone solo during the musical bridges.

Content

"Bobbie Sue," named for the song's main character (and described as "the sweetest grape that ever grew on the vine"), pertains to an 18-year-old woman's sexual awakening. The role of boyfriend, the song's protagonist, is filled by the lead singers.

After turning 18, Bobbie Sue rebels against her parents and decides to marry her boyfriend. Bobbie Sue's parents apparently disapprove of the relationship ("Her Daddy told her that she'd have to wait/Her Mama said don't make a big mistake"), but the young couple is determined to elope ("But we'll keep driving till we're out of state/And when they find us it'll be too late").

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 [5]	12
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [6]	19
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7]	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Singles	20
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Singles	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1982)	Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [8]	43

References

1. "Songview – Bobbie Sue". BMI/ASCAP. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 251.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 464.
4. "Gold & Platinum – Bobbie Sue". RIAA. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
5. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
6. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
7. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
8. "Talent in Acction" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 51. December 25, 1982. p. TIA-24. Retrieved June 22, 2021.

Works cited

• Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits." (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 ( ISBN   0-82-307553-2)).