March 17, 2023     —–     Chart #187

Hello Music Friends,

Hey folks, welcome to another edition of Chart of the Week. This week we are going waaaaay back to 1961 and a hit that is presented in a doo-wop style. “Runaround Sue” is a rock and roll song, originally a US No. 1 Hot 100 hit for the singer Dion during 1961, after he split with the Belmonts. It was written by Dion with Ernie Maresca, and tells the story of a disloyal lover. The song ranked No. 351 on the Rolling Stone list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. In 2002, Dion was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for “Runaround Sue”.

According to Dion, he started to put the song together at an informal party for a friend’s birthday, where he started improvising lyrics and encouraged his friends to add doo-wop background harmonies to a clapping rhythm. He then took the idea to his friend, budding songwriter Ernie Maresca, and they developed the tune and lyrics together. Having recently split with the Belmonts, Dion then discovered another vocal group, the Del-Satins, and they rehearsed the song. The co-owner of Laurie Records (Gene Schwartz) liked the song, and it was recorded in summer 1961 at Bell Sound Studios in New York City.

The lyrics are sung from the point of view of a man whose former girlfriend, named Sue, was extremely unfaithful. He warns all potential lovers to avoid her at all costs, as Sue “runs around” with every guy she meets and never settles down with any man in particular. He advises: “now people let me put you wise, Sue goes out with other guys” and suggests that potential suitors should “keep away from Runaround Sue”.

Dion stated in his autobiography The Wanderer, that although his wife’s name was Susan, “Runaround Sue” had nothing to do with her. Elsewhere he stated that the name Sue was of a girl he had admired from a distance, and that “her name fit the lyric line perfectly.” However, during a 1990 interview with his wife on The Oprah Winfrey Show, they presented the story that the song was indeed about her. In the same autobiography, he stated that the inspiration for the song came from the song “Quarter to Three” by Gary U.S. Bonds, which had recently been released.

This song was released a little before my time, but it still rings familiar for me. Hope you enjoy.

Keep rockin’,

Stan Bradshaw