The Everly Brothers Had a Big Hit With This Innocent Song, Even Though It Was Banned at Some Radio Stations

In 1957, The Everly Brothers, made up of siblings Donald Everly and Phillip Everly, released “Wake Up Little Susie“. The song, written by husband-and-wife songwriting duo Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant, became The Everly Brothers’ second No. 1 single and their first on the pop charts.

But the success of “Wake Up Little Susie” is even more surprising since it was banned at some radio stations. A song about a high school student who accidentally fell asleep at his girlfriend Susie’s house, the subject matter was deemed too risqué for some radio stations in the late 50s.

“Wake Up Little Susie” says, “Wake up, little Susie, wake up / Wake up, little Susie, wake up / We’ve both been sound asleep / Wake up, little Susie, and weep / The movie’s over, it’s four o’clock / And we’re in trouble deep.”

One prominent radio station in Boston banned “Wake Up Little Susie”, along with a few other stations. Their refusal to play “Wake Up Little Susie” only helped the song achieve its massive success, at least according to the Bryants.

How Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant Wrote “Wake Up Little Susie” for The Everly Brothers

“Wake Up Little Susie” might seem like a light-hearted tune, but the two songwriters took it very seriously.

“I started writing one night, kept trying to get my ideas down, but it just wouldn’t happen,” Boudleaux Bryant recalls. “Finally, I woke Felice, who took one listen to what I had so far achieved and came up with the final touches that I couldn’t get. The Everlys liked the song, but like me, had problems with getting it right in the studio. They worked a whole three-hour session on that one song and had to give up. They just couldn’t get it right. We all trooped back to the studio the next day and got it down, first take. That’s the way it happens sometimes.”

In addition to “Wake Up Little Susie”, Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant wrote numerous other songs for The Everly Brothers, including “Bye Bye Love”. The song is the first single from The Everly Brothers’ eponymous debut. “Bye Bye Love” also became their first chart-topping country single. Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant also wrote “Problems”, “Poor Jenny”, “Take A Message To Mary”, and others. But “Wake Up Little Susie” remained a favorite among the songwriters.

“Coming out of their mouths, it was pure honey,” Felice Bryant tells Rolling Stone. “Anything they put their voices on seemed to blend like custard. I think they could sing the telephone book to me. The blend was unbelievable.”

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images