Runaround Sue
| "Runaround Sue" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Runaway Girl" |
"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, in a doo-wop style, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961 after he split with the Belmonts. The song ranked No. 342 on the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[3] The song was written by Dion with Ernie Maresca, and tells the story of a disloyal lover.
Lyrics
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.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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Leif Garrett cover
| "Runaround Sue" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "I Wanna Share a Dream With You" |
"Runaround Sue" was covered by Leif Garrett in 1977. The song was the second of four releases from his debut album, all of which became U.S. chart hits. All four songs were covers of major hits from 1959 to 1963, including Dion's two biggest hits. Of the four, "Runaround Sue" was the most successful for Garrett. In early 1978, his version reached number 13 on Billboard and number 18 on Cash Box. The song also reached number 15 in Canada.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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Other cover versions
- In 1980, English group Racey released a cover version which reached number 13 on the UK charts.
- John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band covered the song in 1983, for the movie Eddie and the Cruisers.
- Gary Glitter also covered it on C'mon... C'mon The Gary Glitter Party Album (1997).
- G-Eazy sampled the song in his 2011 album The Endless Summer.[13][14]
- Human Nature covered the song on their 2014 album Jukebox.
References
- ^ Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p. 220. ISBN 0-86241-385-0.
- ^ Richie Unterberger. "Runaround Sue - Dion | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "500 It is also now believed to be running wild again after the Mighty Hibees had a running cover of it going for most of the recent Edinburgh derby. GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - Lever hit parades". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "Dion Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1961/Top 100 Songs of 1961". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1978-04-02. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "1978 Year End". Bullfrogspond.com. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (March 28, 2014). "A Rapper Appropriating Dion's Cool". New York Times.
- ^ Stewart, Allison (February 14, 2013). "G-Eazy's musical education is an ongoing process". Chicago Tribune.
