This week for Song Lyric Sunday, Jim has asked us to find a song that mentions our names. After much thought, I decided on Susie Darlin’ by Robin Luke.
The Story
According to Songfacts, the Los Angeles born singer-songwriter Robin Luke has a sister named Susie who is 11 years younger, but this song is not about her. In 2010, he explained to Forgotten Hits: “I simply put her name on it to keep me out of trouble with the other girls at Punahou School (my high school and where President Obama graduated exactly 20 years after me in 1978). There have been many chat groups that say that I wrote this song upon her death, illness, and other gruesome such stories. Susie is alive and well and living in Columbia, Missouri!”
This song has been described as a “bedroom recording,” as it was literally recorded in a bedroom. Luke explained: “The bedroom was a bedroom (not a studio) and we used a primitive Ampex portable tape recorded with ‘sound on sound’ and one microphone. I would lay down a track and then put on earphones and sing over the original track(s) to put another one on. This went well until a mistake was made, and then we would HAVE TO START ALL OVER! It took about one month to get it right with seven tracks. That is why Susie Darlin’ sounds so ‘mushy’… because each time a track was laid down on top of the others it took a great deal of high fidelity away.”
There were 17 versions of this song, in four languages.
Versions
Susie Darlin’ written by Robin Luke English
| Susie Darlin’ | Robin Luke | June 1958 | First release Hit song | |
| Susie Darlin’ | Clyde Beavers | September 1958 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | John Laws | September 1958 | ||
| Susie Darling | Hal Burton | October 1958 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | Chris Howland | 1958 | ||
| Susie Darlin | The Q Brothers | 1958 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | Johnny Devlin and His Devils | February 1959 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | Tommy Roe | September 1962 | ||
| Suzy Darlin’ | Rocking Jo Jo and His Red Angels | 1992 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | Sweet Mikey C | 2009 |
Suzie darling written by Michèle Libert French
| Suzie darling | Richard Anthony | 1958 | First release |
Suzie Darling written by Eddy Roy French
| Suzie Darling | Les Bel Air | 1967 | First release |
Oh, Susie Darling written by Peter Moesser German
| Susie Darlin’ | Tommy Kent – Horst Wende Tanzsolisten | 1958 | First release | |
| Susie Darling | Tony Sandler | 1959 | ||
| Susie Darlin’ | Benny | April 1976 | ||
| Susie Darling | Rudolf Rock & Die Schocker | 1977 |
Querida Susy written by Óscar Madrigal Spanish
| Querida Susy | Óscar Madrigal | 1962 | First release |
The Lyrics
I stood a-watchin' all night long
I stood a-watchin' all night long
I stood a-watchin' till you went away
You were a girl of many charms
Oh, how I loved you in my arms
I never thought that you would ever go
Because I loved you so
Oh-uh, Susie darlin'
I thought that you knew
You were all the world to me
All my dreams come true
I stood a-cryin' all night long
I stood a-cryin' all night long
Cryin' and wishin' you'd come back to me
Thinking of all the dreams we knew
Now that you're gone they won't come true
My heart is empty without you
Nothin' there but misery
Oh-uh, Susie darlin'
I thought that you knew
You were all the world to me
All my dreams come true
Now-ow I stand a-watchin' all night long
I stand a-watchin' all night long
Knowing that life has nothing left for me
I'll wait around most patiently
Hopin' you will return to me
'Til that happy day I will always be
Watchin' all night long
Oh-uh, Susie darlin'
I thought that you knew
You were all the world to me
All my dreams come true
Ergo, the Ogre 
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