Monday, November 29, 2010

Whose Rep Is He More Worried About?

In the song "Wake Up, Little Susie*", do you think the singer is more concerned with what's going to happen to him, or to Susie?

The chorus is what sticks with me, where he asks her what she's gonna tell her mamma, her pa, and all her friends when they say 'Ooh-la-la'. It comes off as his being more concerned what people are going to think about him, for keeping a girl out until 4 a.m., than about her. He does say their gooses are cooked, and their reputations are shot, but there's still the chorus, and I picture him driving her home, looking at her nervously before asking "Uh, what are you gonna tell your parents about tonight?" I suppose it was his responsibility, since he promised to have her home by ten, so the fault is his.

I can't decide whether he's worried he'll get a bad reputation, as no one will believe they're six hours late because they fell asleep in the theater, or if he's worried they will be believed, and he'll be ridiculed for it. Is it worse to be seen as a Casanova, wisking his girl off for some late night wooing, or a guy who can't stay awake until 10?

I think the tone of the song is why I don't think he's worried about Susie as much as himself. The whole time he's laying things out for her, it's this sort of jaunty, cheerful tune. The situation is dire, as far as teenage romance in middle America goes, but the music doesn't convey a sense of seriousness.

* Written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, as performed by the Everly Brothers.

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