At the age of seven, she was already singing and playing the guitar on stage.[1] When she and her family moved out west to San Jose, she appeared on the Hometown Hayride TV program. During World War II, she worked at a defense plant. She married when she was 17, and had a daughter at 20, but the marriage failed and she and her husband split up after three years. To keep supporting herself after her divorce, she returned to the nightclub scene in California. In San Jose, she won a talent contest, thus catching the attention of bandleader and radio/TV host Dude Martin. Martin invited Thompson to sing with his band, and this eventually led to their marriage. They recorded some duets together, including "If You Want Some Lovin'", which helped her get her own solo contract from Mercury Records in 1950.
Within only a year, she had divorced Martin to marry Hank Penny, a comedian and singer. Penny and Thompson hosted a TV show in Los Angeles together before eventually moving to Las Vegas. Thompson recorded separately and also with her husband for Decca Records. However, none of their songs ever gained any real success. In 1960, Thompson signed on with Hickory Records. In 1961, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" became a #5 hit on the pop charts, and she followed this up successfully with "Norman", which reached #3. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John D. Loudermilk. They both sold over one million copies, and were awarded with gold discs.[2]
In 1962, "Have a Good Time" was a Top 40 hit and in 1963, "Willie Can" was a minor hit. With her lighthearted and breathy voice, Thompson became a favorite among the teenage crowd of the time, even though she was in her late thirties. Two further hits, also written by Loudermilk, were "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)" and "Paper Tiger".
The sleeve notes accompanying this album, released in 1965 by Hickory Records, written by Joe Lucas, give a little more detail of Thompson's early life and recording career as follows: 'Looking at lovely Sue Thompson today, it's hard to visualise her as a child—a freckle-faced tomboy, more at home on a horse than playing with dolls and doing the little things small girls are credited with doing. Yet this is the picture of Sue Thompson during her childhood in Nevada, Missouri. Sue, an only child, startled her family when she showed a flair for singing and show business. No one in her family was remotely connected with this type of business in any way. Sue was given a guitar for her seventh birthday, and with the aid of a cousin, soon began to learn a few chords. This was it! From that time on Sue and the guitar became one. She entertained every chance she had at school, church and social functions. Sue's mother became ill, so the family moved to Sheridan, California, where Sue entered high school and once again began to entertain at every opportunity. She went to San Jose, California for her last two years of school and it was here that her first real break came. She entered a contest at San Jose theater—won—and was awarded a two week engagement on the stage and a movie part.'
Joe Lucas's notes continued 'After school Sue worked at other jobs, but kept busy with radio, TV and personal appearances. She decided to devote her full time to entertainment and has played successfully at the Golden Nugget and Show Boat Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Riverside and Golden Nugget Hotels in Reno, Nevada and many, many others. Statistics wise, Sue stands five feet one inch, weighs 106 pounds and has red-blonde hair. Early in 1961, she signed an exclusive recording contract with Hickory Records, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee. Her first release "Angel, Angel" did very well, but it was her second release "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" that spiraled into the top five best sellers in America and established her as a top rank recording artiste. If a clincher was needed, it was achieved when her third record came out called "Norman" which even surpassed "Sad Movies". Summing it all up, Sue Thompson is a great person with a wonderful future in view.'
"Paper Tiger" in 1965 was her last Top 30 hit. In the late 1960s, she went back to country music and released the album This Is Sue Thompson Country in 1969. In 1971 she worked with country music singer Don Gibson on some albums, and they had minor hits with "I Think They Call It Love", "Good Old Fashioned Country Love" and "Oh, How Love Changes". She recorded further solo singles for the country charts, like "Big Mable Murphy", which made the Top 50 in 1975 and "Never Naughty Rosie", her last chart single in 1976. She also performed mainly at the Las Vegas casinos and at clubs in Hollywood, like the Palomino Club. In the 1990s she settled in Las Vegas, and continues to perform from time to time.
James
Sue Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
James, James hold the ladder steady
I'm a' comin' down to your are-are-are-rms
I'm a' comin' down to your arms.
Now James and I we went to mama and showed her my diamond ring
She said "my poor little baby, you must be crazy, to think of such a
thing"
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
James, James hold the ladder steady
I'm a' comin' down to your are-are-are-rms
I'm a' comin' down to your arms.
Now James and I we went to daddy and said that we want to be wed
Daddy said "nope, you'll just have to elope" and laughed as he went to bed
But James, James hold the ladder steady
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
James, James hold the ladder steady
I'm a' comin' down to your are-are-are-rms
I'm a' comin' down to your arms.
I'd hate to see 'em in the morning when they both completely flip
He'll be sayin' "they can't", she'll be feeling faint
And I'll be kissing my husband's lips
So James, James hold the ladder steady
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
James, James hold the ladder steady
I'm a' comin' down to your are-are-are-rms
I'm a' comin' down to your arms.
James, James hold the ladder steady
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
James, James hold the ladder steady
The song "James" by Sue Thompson tells the story of a woman who is determined to be with her lover, named James, despite opposition from her parents. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and desperation, as the woman packs her things and prepares to climb down a ladder to be with James. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the importance of James and the urgency of the situation.
In the first verse, the woman asks James to hold the ladder steady as she climbs down to his arms. The second verse reveals that the woman and James went to see her mother to show her the diamond ring that James had given her as they planned to marry. However, the mother disapproves and believes that the woman is crazy to think of marriage. In the third verse, the couple goes to see the woman's father to ask for his blessing, but he laughs and tells them they'll just have to elope.
Overall, the song portrays a quest for love and the trials of overcoming parental disapproval. The woman's determination to be with James despite the obstacles is a universal theme that many can relate to and that has made the song a beloved classic.
Line by Line Meaning
James, James hold the ladder steady
The singer is asking James to keep the ladder steady so she can climb down into his arms
James, James I'm packed tonight I'm ready
The singer is telling James that she is packed up and ready to leave, likely to be with him
I'm a' comin' down to your are-are-are-rms
The singer is excited to be coming into James' arms
Now James and I we went to mama and showed her my diamond ring
The artist and James went to the artist's mother and showed her a diamond ring, likely to tell her about their engagement
She said "my poor little baby, you must be crazy, to think of such a thing"
The artist's mother thinks that the idea of the artist and James getting married is crazy, considering their young age or other circumstances
Now James and I we went to daddy and said that we want to be wed
The singer and James also approached the singer's father to tell him about their desire to get married
Daddy said "nope, you'll just have to elope" and laughed as he went to bed
The singer's father rejected the idea of them getting married and told them they'll have to elope (run away to get married), then went to bed laughing
I'd hate to see 'em in the morning when they both completely flip
The artist is anticipating that her parents will be upset when they find out she eloped with James
He'll be sayin' "they can't", she'll be feeling faint
The artist imagines her father protesting that they can't get married, while her mother becomes emotionally overwhelmed
And I'll be kissing my husband's lips
The artist is looking forward to being with James and being his wife
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOUDERMILK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
freeguy77
A fun song! A 1962 release, when she was 37, already married for 20 years, and a daughter when she was 20. A #17 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Born on July 19, 1925, now 91. A belated Happy Birthday to Sue Thompson!
Murray Wood
Wow ! this song was one of the many many that came out of an era when songs were simply fun to sing along with & totally enjoy What a great time to grow up in.. No skimpy clothing required to produce such bouncy happy songs.. So much better than the stuff that is peddled out today Peggy Wood (Aotearoa)
Chintana Raktham
This is one of my favorite songs by Sue Thompson way back when I was in High School.
James Moore
When I was a young boy in the 60s my mum and dad you to call my name and then add hold the ladder steady I am now 62 and just found this song, I play it to remind me of those happy carefree days
Mm
Kkrnbrcht
Thank you for that story, love how these people got going with their careers. Brings back lots of great memories for many I am sure, it did for me!
SnowyBookWyrm
i listened to this in the car with my grandma, i still think its real sweet
barbara piazza
I was 2 years old when my sister played this song for me. I fell in love with this song andade her play this song over and over for many days.i have Ben searching for this song for a long time and so happy I found it!
larrynealwaxmuseum
One of my all time favorites by Sue Thompson. Liked her PAPER TIGER as well from 1965. RIP!
Larry N. Boyington aka Larry Neal, former curator of the Wax Museum on the big 1520 KOMA
623Margie
Loved this song, the song remembers when, back to 1961, what great years they were.
Paula Sipe
My sister and I used to play this song over and over when we got out portable record players back in the mid 70's. We used to fight over whose record it actually was...lol.