Susie Q (song)
| "Susie Q" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dale Hawkins | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Treat Me this Way" | |||
| Released | May 1957[1] | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | 1957 in KWKH Radio, Shreveport, Louisiana[2] | |||
| Genre | Rockabilly | |||
| Length | 2:13 | |||
| Label | Checker | |||
| Writer(s) | Dale Hawkins, Stan Lewis, Eleanor Broadwater | |||
| Dale Hawkins singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
| "Susie Q." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
| from the album Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
| A-side | "Susie Q. (part one)" | |||
| B-side | "Susie Q. (part two)" | |||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | January 19, 1968 | |||
| Genre | Roots rock, acid rock, psychedelic rock | |||
| Length | 8:39 (album version) 4:35 (single version) |
|||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Writer(s) | Dale Hawkins, Stan Lewis, Eleanor Broadwater | |||
| Producer | Saul Zaentz | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Susie Q" is a song by Louisiana-born singer and guitarist Dale Hawkins (1936–2010).[3] He wrote the song himself, but when it was released, Stan Lewis, the owner of Jewel/Paula Records, and Eleanor Broadwater, the wife of Nashville DJ Gene Nobles, were also credited as co-writers to give them shares of the royalties.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Original version
Hawkins cut "Susie Q" at the KWKH Radio station in Shreveport, Louisiana.[2] "Susie Q" was a late rockabilly song which captured the spirit of Louisiana and featured guitar work by James Burton, who also worked with Ricky Nelson, among others.[5]
Sometime after the recording, the master tape of "Susie Q" was sold to Checker Records in Chicago, which released it as a 45 RPM single in May 1957.[1] The single peaked at numbers 7 and 27 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides[2] and Hot 100 charts, respectively.[6]
Hawkins' original version is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[7]
[edit] Cover versions
The song has been covered by numerous artists.
[edit] Creedence Clearwater Revival
Perhaps the most famous cover version is by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their debut album released in 1968. This song was one of their first big hits, and was the band's only Top 40 hit that was not written by John Fogerty, peaking at #11, but made the top ten on some charts.[8] The album version clocks in at 8:37. The single version is split into parts one and two. One difference is that in the single version, the jam session during the coda is omitted in part one. Instead, it fades out with the guitar solo right before the coda which fades in in part two on the B-side.
John Fogerty stated in a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone magazine that his purpose in recording "Suzie Q" was to get the song played on KMPX, a funky progressive-rock radio station in San Francisco, which is why the song was extended to eight minutes in length.[9]
[edit] José Feliciano version
Puerto Rican musician José Feliciano released his version of "Susie Q" as a single which reached #84 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] His version was rearranged and features several different lyrics.
[edit] Other cover versions
- In 1957, the Canadian vocal group The Crew-Cuts released covered this song as a single by Mercury Records.
- In 1963, blues-rock guitarist Lonnie Mack covered it, in an instrumental version released both as a single and on his debut album The Wham of that Memphis Man.
- In 1963, "Suzie Q" appeared on the album Surfin with the Astronauts.
- Gene Vincent covered the song in 1964 for his Columbia Records album Shakin' up A Storm.
- The Rolling Stones covered it on their album 12 X 5 released in 1964 in the U.S., and The Rolling Stones No. 2 released in 1965 in the U.K.
- Johnny Rivers recorded it live in 1965 on his album Meanwhile Back at the Whisky à Go Go.
- Quicksilver Messenger Service performed a cover in 1966-7.
- A cover version by Flash Cadillac was featured in the film Apocalypse Now.
- The Everly Brothers also covered the song.
- Linda McCartney covered this song in Jamaica, leading to the name "Suzy and the Red Stripes."
- The Velvet Underground are also known to have covered the song on rehearsals and live at the beginning of their career.
- Johnny Rivers also covered the song in 1979.
- A cover version by Gene Summers appeared on his album The Ultimate School of Rock & Roll issued in 1997.
- Mexican singer Luis Miguel recorded a Spanish version in 1987 for his album Tambien es rock ("It's also rock").
- Phish covered this song in their Vegas 96 show.
- The Sugarman 3 covered this song as "Suzy Q" on their debut 1998 album Sugar's Boogaloo.
- Bobby McFerrin covered this song on his 1988 album Simple Pleasures.
- Suzi Quatro made a techno-styled version of the song in 1990. The album it was featured on was also entitled 'Oh Suzi Q' The original version also featured as her intro music at live concerts for several years.
- The Chuck Fenech Band covered this song on their 2010 Tax Free EP album.
- Dr. Tequila covered this song as part of the track "Who Dat? Bayou Medley" on their CD Dr. Tequila 2010.
- Johnny Winter
[edit] References
- ^ a b Nielsen Business Media, Inc (May 6, 1957). "Reviews of New R&B Records". Billboard: 69. http://books.google.com/?id=sx0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69&dq=%22Dale+Hawkins%22+863#v=onepage&q=%22Dale%20Hawkins%22%20863&f=false. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits. United States: Record Research/Billboard. p. 236. ISBN 0823082830.
- ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (February 16, 2010). "Dale Hawkins dies at 73; early rock musician wrote 'Susie-Q'". Los Angeles Times. p. AA5. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-dale-hawkins16-2010feb16,0,6454798.story.
- ^ "Denver Westword - Music - Say That You'll Be True By Marty Jones". Westword.com. 2000-10-12. http://www.westword.com/2000-10-12/music/say-that-you-ll-be-true/. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ Bill Millar (1990). "Rockabilly: Was This the Purest Style in Rock?". In Ashley Brown. The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Volume. 1 (Reference ed.). Freeport, New York: Marshall Cavendish. p. 102. ISBN 1854360161.
- ^ "Dale Hawkins - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p18155/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by Song (Q-S)". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. http://web.archive.org/web/20070911013642/www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-by-name-qs/.
- ^ Fong-Torres, Ben (April 5, 1969). "Creedence C'water At the Hop". Rolling Stone (30): p. 9.
- ^ Michael Goldberg (1993). Jann S. Wenner. ed. "Fortunate Son: John Fogerty - The 1993 Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone (United States: Jann S. Wenner). http://riverising.tripod.com/john-interviews/rollingstone2.html. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ "José Feliciano - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jos-feliciano-p3099/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
