Kleinow and Ethridge instigated a reformation of the band in 1975 which continued through 1984. The band was reformed once again in 1985 and were disbanded for a final time in 2001.
The band best known as the "Flying Burrito Brothers" actually 'borrowed' their name from the original "Flying Burrito Brothers", composed of bassist Ian Dunlop and drummer Mickey Gauvin, bandmates of Parsons from the Boston-based International Submarine Band, plus any of a loose coalition of musicians, including Parsons himself from time to time. In a deliberate choice of focusing on just creating and playing music without the distractions of the music industry, in 1968 the original Brothers moved from Los Angeles to New York City. From this base they continued to tour the Northeast playing their eclectic traditional/rockabilly/blues/R&B-oriented version of rock, using the name "The Flying Burrito Brothers East" after Parsons' group became famous.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Parsons and guitarist/mandolinist/bassist/vocalist Chris Hillman thought this same moniker would be perfectly suited to the band they had been dreaming of since early 1968, when, as members of Roger McGuinn's band The Byrds, they created one of the first country-oriented rock albums, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. They immersed themselves in their vision in their house in the San Fernando Valley, dubbed "Burrito Manor", even replacing their wardrobe with a set of custom country-Western suits from tailor to the C&W stars, Nudie's Rodeo Tailors (Parsons's had marijuana leaf embroidery) and began a period of intensely fruitful creativity. At this juncture, the band also included pianist/bassist Chris Ethridge and pedal steel guitarist "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow.
Their first album The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) did not sell terribly well, being a radical departure from anything most of the record-buying public (either rock or country) had ever seen, but the group had a cult following which included several famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. Parsons soon became friends with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and left the group after 1970's Burrito Deluxe, which also saw the departure of Ethridge and addition of guitarist/dobro player/vocalist Bernie Leadon and drummer Michael Clarke (of The Byrds). Rick Roberts replaced Parsons and released a self-titled album with the group in 1971. Kleinow then left to become a session musician and Leadon joined The Eagles. Al Perkins and Roger Bush replaced them, and Kenny Wertz and Byron Berline joined as well, releasing The Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972), a live album. The band fell apart. Hillman and Perkins joined Manassas, while Berline, Bush and Wertz formed Country Gazette. Roberts reassembled a new group for a 1973 European tour, and then began a solo career before forming Firefall with Michael Clarke.
As Gram Parsons's influence and fame grew, so did interest in the Flying Burrito Brothers, leading to the release of Honky Tonks (1974), a double album, and the recreation of the band by Kleinow and Ethridge in 1975. Floyd "Gib" Gilbeau, Joel Scott Hill and Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram) also joined, and the band released Flying Again that year. Ethridge was then replaced by Skip Battin for Airborne (1976), followed by an album of unreleased early material, Sleepless Nights. For the next few decades, the group released albums and toured and had a country hit with "White Line Fever" (1980, a cover by Merle Haggard) and then became the Burrito Brothers. Headed by prolific songwriter and ace guitarist John Beland and Gib Guilbeau, and normally featuring Sneaky Pete, this incarnation scored moderately well on the Country charts in the early 1980s. Through numerous incarnations (including Brian Cadd for a time), the band released albums and toured throughout the 1980s up till 2001 when John Beland "officially" ended FBB. While the bands work during the 1980-1999 period was exceptional, after 1984 none of the many releases had any chart impact. Sneaky created a Burritos spinoff in his new band Burrito Deluxe, which featured Carlton Moody on lead vocals and Garth Hudson from The Band on keyboards. While a good band, there has never been any real continuity with the true Burritos and this group can not be considered anything more than a spinoff. Pete however, left the band due to illness in 2005, leaving no direct lineage to the original masters.
Gram Parsons died on September 19, 1973. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow died on January 6, 2007. Chris Hillman is still a very successful singer-songwriter, having been part of Souther-Hillman-Furay, McGuinn-Clark-Hillman, then going on to form the Desert Rose Band (1986-1993) with Herb Pedersen. He still sings with Pedersen today as Chris and Herb, having released "The Other Side" (2005).
Wake Up Little Susie
The Flying Burrito Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We both fell sound asleep, wake up little Suzie and weep
The movie's over, it's four o'clock and we're in trouble deep
Wake up little Suzie, wake up little Suzie
Well, what're we gonna tell your mama, what're we gonna tell your papa
What're gonna tell our friends when they say 'ooh la la'
Wake up little Suzie, wake up little Suzie
Well, I told your mama that you'd be in by ten
Well, Suzie baby, looks like we goofed again
Wake up little Suzie, wake up little Suzie, we gotta go home
Wake up little Suzie, wake up, wake up little Suzie, wake up
The movie wasn't so hot, it didn't have much of a plot
We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot
The Flying Burrito Brothers' song "Wake Up Little Susie" tells the story of two young lovers who, after a late night at the movies, have fallen asleep and awoken to find themselves in trouble. The lyrics suggest that Susie's parents and friends are expecting her home at a reasonable hour, and the fact that they have overslept will surely arouse suspicion. The urgency in the lyrics, as the two characters debate how to explain their situation, creates a sense of panic and desperation.
Despite the upbeat melody of the song, there is an underlying sense of foreboding and anxiety as the characters come to terms with the consequences of their actions. The lyrics "we're in trouble deep" and "our reputation is shot" suggest that their innocent night out has turned into something far more serious. The song captures the anxiety and vulnerability of young lovers who are caught up in circumstances beyond their control, and the fear of being caught and exposed.
Overall, "Wake Up Little Susie" is a catchy and memorable song that captures the hopes and fears of young love. The lyrics are cleverly written, creating a sense of tension and urgency that is mirrored in the upbeat melody. The song is a classic example of the storytelling approach of country music, and has stood the test of time as a beloved and enduring classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up little Suzie, wake up, wake up little Suzie, wake up
The singer is urging Suzie to wake up
We both fell sound asleep, wake up little Suzie and weep
Both the singer and Suzie fell deeply asleep
The movie's over, it's four o'clock and we're in trouble deep
The movie has ended, and it's now very late. The singer and Suzie are in serious trouble
Well, what're we gonna tell your mama, what're we gonna tell your papa
What're gonna tell our friends when they say 'ooh la la'
The artist and Suzie are concerned about the consequences of their actions, and what they will say to their parents and friends
Wake up little Suzie, wake up little Suzie
The artist continues to urge Suzie to wake up
Well, I told your mama that you'd be in by ten
Well, Suzie baby, looks like we goofed again
The singer had promised Suzie's mother that she would be home by 10 pm, but they have failed to keep that promise
Wake up little Suzie, wake up little Suzie, we gotta go home
The singer is reminding Suzie that they need to leave and go home
Wake up little Suzie, wake up, wake up little Suzie, wake up
The movie wasn't so hot, it didn't have much of a plot
We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot
The artist is still trying to wake Suzie, and explains that they fell asleep during a movie that wasn't very entertaining. As a result, they are now in trouble and their reputation is damaged
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, HOUSE OF BRYANT PUBLICATIONS
Written by: BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, FELICE BRYANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Allen
This is the previously unreleased version of Wake Up Little Susie that first appeared on the 2-LP Close Up The Honky Tonks compilation that was released in 1972. It also appeared on the 2-cd compilation that was released in England in 1996, Out of the Blue.
Geoffrey Groves
It’s on Cd from Australia
John Jackson
Sounds like the great Al Perkins doing bottleneck guitar.👍👍
Glicksman1
Bluegrass/rock version of this great classic song. Nice!
Pieter Toerien
This are great music i grow up with this
Daniel Sun
The only time ive ever seen this uploaded was on shark music and i would listen to this while coming on to acid waiting to goto ardmore music hall before a plethora of shows. Its a shame what happen to the guy who ran shark music, he spread magic like this. <3 rip and thank you for this savioe
Jeffrey Hall
Yeah,Al perkins!
thor Casúr
and some say 2/4 it's limited...
Mozzer
Mike doing his thing with Chris. Just think what the first Byrds gigs were like.
David Shakespeare
Sounds like the same version as "Last of the Red Hot Burritos"