"Wake Up Little Susie" | ||||
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Single by The Everly Brothers | ||||
from the album The Everly Brothers | ||||
B-side | "Maybe Tomorrow" | |||
Released | September 2, 1957 | |||
Recorded | August 16, 1957 | |||
Studio | RCA Victor (Nashville) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 1:57 | |||
Label | Cadence | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
The Everly Brothers singles chronology | ||||
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"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, [2] issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337. The Everly Brothers record reached No. 1 on the Billboard Pop chart and the Cash Box Best Selling Records chart, despite having been banned from Boston radio stations for lyrics that, at the time, were considered suggestive, according to a 1986 interview with Don Everly. [3] "Wake Up Little Susie" also spent seven weeks atop the Billboard country chart [4] and got to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was ranked at No. 318 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [5] In 2017, the 1957 recording by The Everly Brothers was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [6]
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. The boy fears that having stayed out so late, they've both now lost their good reputations.
Chart (1957–58) | Peak position |
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US Honor Roll of Hits ( Billboard ) [8] | 1 |
Chart (1957–58) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK | 2 |
US Best Sellers in Stores ( Billboard ) [9] | 1 |
US C&W Best Sellers in Stores ( Billboard ) [10] | 1 |
US Most Played by Jockeys ( Billboard ) [11] | 1 |
US Most Played C&W by Jockeys ( Billboard ) [10] | 1 |
US Most Played R&B by Jockeys ( Billboard ) [12] | 1 |
US R&B Best Sellers in Stores ( Billboard ) [13] | 1 |
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [14] | 5 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] | 27 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [16] | 5 |
"Wake Up Little Susie" | ||||
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Single by Simon & Garfunkel | ||||
from the album The Concert in Central Park | ||||
B-side | "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" | |||
Released | 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, country, rockabilly | |||
Length | 2:20 | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Simon & Garfunkel singles chronology | ||||
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Simon and Garfunkel have cited the Everly Brothers as strong influences on their own music. Their live version of "Wake Up Little Susie", recorded in the duo's concert in New York's Central Park on September 19, 1981, reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and is the duo's last Top 40 hit. [17]
During Simon and Garfunkel's "Old Friends" tour in 2003–2004, they performed this song and others in a segment with the Everly Brothers, who toured in support.[ citation needed ]
"The Sound of Silence" is a song by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia's 7th Avenue Recording Studios in New York City for their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released that October to disappointing sales. An overdubbed electric remix was released the following year and went to number one on the Billboard singles chart.
"Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the year prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Central Los Angeles. The song's origins lie in multiple different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page, and the Hollywood Flames. Its authorship was the subject of a bitter legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release.
"Roxanne" is a song by British rock band the Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting and was released as a single on 7 April 1978, in advance of their debut album Outlandos d'Amour, released on 3 November. It was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. When re-released on 12 April 1979, the song peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by American vocal quartet Four Tops from their fourth studio album, Reach Out (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most widely-known Motown hits of the 1960s and is today considered the Four Tops' signature song.
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 6, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface. A mid-tempo R&B and soul ballad, composed in the key of D-flat major, the song's lyrics speak about growing up and learning to let go. The song garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom noted Houston's vocal maturity in the song.
"Run to You" is a song performed by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on June 21, 1993, by Arista Records as the fourth single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992). It was written by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich, and produced by David Foster. Originally intended to be a break-up song, it was approved by the production and stars. However, a month later, the director of The Bodyguard called, saying he liked the song so much, but he'd rather have it to be a love song so the entire song was rewritten, except for the title.
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is in AABA form.
"Change the World" is a song written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick and recorded by country music artist Wynonna Judd. A later version was recorded by English singer Eric Clapton for the soundtrack of the 1996 film Phenomenon. Clapton's version was produced by R&B record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is a song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin. The song was written for the 1934 film Dames, in which it was performed by Dick Powell. Several other successful recordings of the song were made in 1934, and it later became a hit for the Flamingos in 1959 and Art Garfunkel in 1975.
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was subsequently covered by American singer Thelma Houston in 1976 and British duo the Communards in 1986, with both versions achieving commercial success.
"Mrs. Robinson" is a song by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968). The writing of the song was begun before the 1967 film The Graduate, which contained only fragments of it. The full song was released as a single on April 5, 1968, by Columbia Records. Produced by Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Halee, the song was written by Paul Simon, who offered parts of it to movie director Mike Nichols alongside Art Garfunkel after Nichols rejected two other songs intended for the film. The Graduate's soundtrack album uses two short versions of "Mrs. Robinson". The song was additionally released on the Mrs. Robinson EP in 1968, which also includes three other songs from the film: "April Come She Will", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", and "The Sound of Silence".
"Again" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, being the only new song from his first Greatest Hits album, released in 2000. Written, arranged and produced by himself, "Again" was initially set to be on his sixth studio album; however, Kravitz found that the song didn't fit the tone of the album, releasing it instead as the lead single from the compilation on September 22, 2000, through Virgin Records. The mid-tempo rock ballad finds Kravitz wondering if he will ever see his former lover again and if they will reunite once more.
"I Need to Know" is a song by American singer Marc Anthony for his eponymous fourth studio album. It was released as the lead single from the album on August 16, 1999. Written and produced by Anthony and Cory Rooney, "I Need to Know" is a song about a man who longs to know how a woman feels about him. The song blends the musical styles of several genres, including R&B and Latin music; the instruments used include synthesized violin and piano sounds, timbales and congas. Anthony recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, translated by Angie Chirino and Robert Blades, titled "Dímelo".
"Fakin' It" is a song recorded by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel for their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968). The song was initially released only as a single on July 7, 1967 through Columbia Records. It was later compiled into the second half of Bookends.
Bridge over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on January 26, 1970, by Columbia Records. Following the duo's soundtrack for The Graduate, Art Garfunkel took an acting role in the film Catch-22, while Paul Simon worked on the songs, writing all tracks except Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Bye Bye Love".
"I.G.Y. " is a song written and performed by American songwriter, singer and musician Donald Fagen. It was the first track on his platinum-certified debut solo album The Nightfly, and was released in September 1982 as its first single. It charted within the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock, R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts.
"Here We Go Again" is a country music standard written by Don Lanier and Red Steagall that first became notable as a rhythm and blues single by Ray Charles from his 1967 album Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. It was produced by Joe Adams for ABC Records/Tangerine Records. To date, this version of the song has been the biggest commercial success, spending twelve consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 15.