The Story of 'Runaround Sue'

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

People have long assumed that the "Sue" in Dion's Runaround Sue (1961) was named for his long-time wife, the woman Dion married more than 50 years ago. Turns out the song's namesake wasn't his spouse but a girl named Sue who worked at a Manhattan nightclub and didn't run around at all. This week in the Wall Street Journal (go here), I interview Dion for my "Anatomy of a Song" column in the Arena section, where he provides the entire story behind the No. 1 hit's conception and recording. Dion's new album, New York Is My Home, will be out on Feb. 12.

Dion is excpeptional for a number of reasons. For one, he was the fourth headliner on the Winter Dance Party revue tour of late 1958 and early '59. The other three artists with top billing—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (the "Big Bopper")—all died in an air crash in February '59. At the last minute, Dion gave up his seat on the plane to Richardson. For another, Dion is widely credited as pioneering the sensitive male teen in rock. Dion's songs in the late 1950s and early '60s were mostly about male heartbreak, often with a swaggering doo-wop feel. In this regard, he was an inspiration for the Beatles and other male rockers of the 1960s and beyond as well as hero to urban teens whose parents were too buy to talk about emotions and romantic confusion. For many who grew up in New York back then, Dion was a kid from the Bronx who sang what he and many other guys felt. And lastly, Dion is one of the last active artists from the golden age of rock 'n' roll. On a personal note, he's also a marvelous storyteller, extremely friendly and as hip as they come.

JazzWax clips: Here's Runaround Sue (to get rid of the yellow "like this" box that pops up in the clip, roll your your cursor over the box to expose the "x" in the upper right hand corner and click the "x")...

Pour yourself a cup of coffee. Here's Dion on tour in Belgium in 1963 appearing in front of an audience of teens who don't seem to understand much English. The 30-minute clip features the entire concert. Though the clip can't be embedded in this post, it's well worth the watch.

And here's my earlier WSJ interview with Dion on growing up in the Bronx and the story behind that fateful flight in 1959 (go here).

Used with permission by Marc Myers