(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)
Dion - "Runaround Sue"
Hit Number 1: October 23, 1961
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
"Runaround Sue" could have very well never happened. And I'm not saying that because the song was almost not written, or Dion didn't want to record it, or anything like that. Instead, the reason why "Runaround Sue" may have never existed, is much more terrifying. On the plane with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), Dion DiMucci was invited to go on the plane with them, and perform with them while he was still with the Belmonts. He turned the offer down. Eventually, that plane would crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, and killed everyone on board. If Dion would have been on board, it surely would have killed him too, and "Runaround Sue" would have never happened. Which obviously would have been sad because he'd be dead, but also because "Runaround Sue" remains a staple on oldies compilations, and it's weird to think of a world where it doesn't exist.
Dion started out with his group, the aforementioned Belmonts, and they went by the name "Dion and the Belmonts". They had a few hits, the most noteworthy one being "Teenager In Love" which is an 8. However, that group didn't last very long and they split up, with Dion taking on a solo career. It didn't take long for him to run into some success, with "Runaround Sue" hitting the top spot in 1961, and another hit, "The Wanderer" peaking at #2. (It was stuck behind "Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler, which will appear in this blog very soon) "The Wanderer" is a 7. What's funny about both of these songs, is that they involve someone who is unfaithful and runs around with many other lovers. "The Wanderer" is a song about a guy who can't commit to just one girl, and roams "from town to town" going out with all kinds of different girls. Instead in "Runaround Sue", the girl (Sue) is the one who isn't faithful, and she likes to "go out with other guys". The narrator of the song warns other guys to stay away from her. One little fun fact about the song: Dion's wife name is Susan, but Dion kept claiming that the song was NOT about her, and it was all just a coincidence. But as it turned out, in an interview with his wife on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1990, it was revealed that the song WAS about her. Dion wrote the lyrics down after his wife asked for directions from another guy.
I think it's needless to say, but "Runaround Sue" absolutely rocks. It's in the usual doo-wop format, and sounds a lot like Gary U.S. Bonds' "Quarter to Three" that came before it. It starts out very slow, with Dion singing the words "Here's my story it's sad but true, it's about a girl that I once knew, she took my love then ran around, with every single guy in town", before launching into the song that we all know today. The damn thing is so catchy, it's so fun, and Dion, as it turns out, has an incredible voice that we didn't really see while he was with the Belmonts. We knew that he was a good singer, but on "Runaround Sue", he's a great singer. The way the song is delivered, I don't need much convincing to stay away from this "Sue" myself.
Even after all these years, if you were to play a complete stranger "Runaround Sue", there's a pretty good chance that they'd know it. If people had to choose one song that would be remembered for years, I think that "Runaround Sue" was a good choice. They don't come a lot more memorable, catchy, or fun than this.
GRADE: 9/10
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