Classic Pop Icons

This week’s Song of the Week is one of the most infectious songs of the 1960s, Dion DiMucci’s “Runaround Sue.”

Although often credited to Dion and the Belmonts, “Runaround Sue” doesn’t feature his most famous backing group. Dion and the Belmonts would later reunite, but in 1961 he was a billed as a solo artist. The replacement for the Belmonts was the Del-Satins, who made a substantial contribution to Dion’s sound on “Runaround Sue” and other great records, such as “The Wanderer.”

Authorship

“Runaround Sue” was written by Dion and Ernie Maresca, who was a member of the doo-wop group, The Regents. Dion had already recorded Maresca’s “No-One Knows” with the Belmonts in 1958 and they would partner on several other hits, including “The Wanderer.”

Chart performance

“Runaround Sue” was released on Laurie Records in September 1961. It hit number one on the Billboard charts on October 17 and stayed on top for one week. The song made number 11 on the UK charts.

Covers

One thing all the covers I’ve heard of this song have in common is that they are significantly inferior to the Dion original. There are some fair attempts though.

Leif Garrett – “Runaround Sue”

Teen idol Leif Garrett recorded a sugar-coated version of “Runaround Sue” in 1977 and reached number 13 in the US. Leif was prone to recycling big hits from the previous decade and also recorded Dion’s “The Wanderer.”

Jerry Williams and The Violents – “Runaround Sue”

Swedish rock ‘n’ roller Jerry Williams (real name Erik Sven Fernström) covered “Runaround Sue” in 1965 with his band The Violents. It’s passable, but adds nothing to the original.

Fumble – “Runaround Sue”

British rock ‘n’ roll revivalists, Fumble, recorded “Runaround Sue” in 1974 and released it on their album “Poetry in Lotion,” which featured covers of classic songs from the rock ‘n’ roll era. The band toured with some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll, including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Bill Haley, and also co-starred in the West-End Musical “Elvis.”

Racey – “Runaround Sue”

Racey were a British pop group who had several hit singles between 1977 and 1982, several of which were covers of old classics, including “Such a Night” and “Little Darlin'”. One of their biggest hits was “Runaround Sue” which reached number 13 on the UK Charts in 1980. They had a pretty good stab at the song.

Status Quo also performed a a rockin’ cover on their album “Famous In The Last Century” in 2000.

Answer songs

“Runaround Sue” was such a popular hit that it inspired several “answer songs,” which ripped off the melody to varying degrees.

Ginger and the Snaps – “I’m No Runaround” (1961)

This song is written from Sue’s vantage point. Sue tells a very different story, asserting that she has been labelled a “runaround” by a former boyfriend who’s having trouble accepting that she just wants to be friends.

Linda Laurie – “Stay-At-Home Sue” (1962)

Linda Laurie assures us that far from being all over town having fun with the guys, Sue is in fact a stay-at-home type. Laurie’s song has the distinction of featuring the Del-Satins, who appeared on the Dion original.

Danny Jordan – “Runaround Sue’s Getting Married” (1962)

Danny comes to Sue’s defence, claiming that she is about to marry him and has never been promiscuous. The song includes comical taunts directed towards Dion, who Danny claims is just mad because he can’t have Sue.

Not surprisingly, none of these “answer records” were hits.

There will be a new Song of the Week on May 31.

Dion’s classic recording of “Runaround Sue” is available on several releases, including “Dion’s Greatest Hits.”