On this day (October 14) in 1957, the Everly Brothers started a seven-week run at the top of the country chart with “Wake Up Little Susie.” It also went to No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts in the United States. The song also became an international hit, landing within the top 10 in several other countries. However, some radio programmers believed the hit was too risque and banned it from the airwaves.
The controversy behind “Wake Up Little Susie” illustrates how much things have changed since 1957. The song is from the perspective of a teenage boy who fell asleep at the drive-in movie with his date and didn’t wake up until four in the morning. He’s panicking, wondering how to explain why they were out so late. There’s nothing in the lyrics about making out or hooking up. In fact, one verse points out that the movie was so boring that they fell asleep. Despite the innocent mistake, both kids are worried that they’ve ruined their reputations.
While it may seem wholesome and a little silly today, that wasn’t the case at the time. According to Songfacts, radio stations in Boston refused to play the song. The thought of two teenagers of opposite genders snoozing in close proximity was too racy for the city’s program directors.
The Everly Brothers Worked Hard for “Wake Up Little Susie”
Like many of the Everly Brothers’ songs in the 1950s and early ’60s, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant co-wrote “Wake Up Little Susie.” It was a tough song to write and record.
“We persevered with ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ for many hours,” Boudleaux recalled. “I started writing one night, kept trying to get my ideas down, but it just wouldn’t happen. Finally, I woke Felice, who took one listen to what I had so far achieved and came up with the final touches that I couldn’t get,” he explained. The Bryants weren’t the only ones who had problems with the song.
“The Everlys liked the song but, like me, had problems getting it right in the studio. They worked a whole three-hour session on that one song and had to give it up. They just couldn’t get it right,” he recalled. “We all trooped back to the studio the next day and got it down on the first take. That’s the way it happens sometimes.”
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The post On This Day in 1957, the Everly Brothers Were at No. 1 With a Controversial Single That Took Two Days To Record appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Clayton Edwards