The group was composed of three brothers who first performed together professionally in the 1950s on the children's television show All Your Own. Initially performing as The King Three, they appeared on the BBC Television early in their career on Six-Five Special, and by 1957 had been named "top vocal group" in the reader's poll of NME. Their first hit on the UK Singles Chart was their cover of "A White Sport Coat", which hit #6 in 1957. In October 1960, they were again voted "top vocal group" in the NME reader's poll. They had a string of successful singles through 1961, after which time they continued recording but found their popularity waning.
Group leader Denis King later worked in composition for television, film, and musicals; among other things, he wrote the theme music for The Adventures of Black Beauty and Lovejoy.
Denis King (born July 25, 1939, Hornchurch, Essex)
Michael King (b. April 25, 1935, Barking, Essex)
Anthony King (b. January 31, 1937, Barking, Essex)
Singles
Parlophone Records
1957 "Marianne" / "Little By Little"
1957 "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)" / "Minne Minnehaha!" (UK #6)[4]
1957 "In The Middle Of An Island" / "Rockin' Shoes" (UK #19)[4]
1957 "Wake Up Little Susie" / "Winter Wonderland" (UK #22)[4]
1958 "Put A Light In The Window" / "Miss Otis Regrets" (UK #25)[4]
1958 "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane" / "Six-5 Jive"
1958 "Moonlight and Roses" / "Torero"
1958 "Sitting In A Tree House" / "Father Time"
1959 "Leaning on a Lamp Post" / "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"
1959 "Hop, Skip And Jump" / "Civilization"
1959 "Makin' Love" / "Caribbean"
1960 "Standing on the Corner" / "The Waiter And The Porter And The Upstairs Maid" (UK #4)[4]
1960 "Mais Oui" / "Gotta Feeling" (UK #16)[4]
1960 "Doll House" / "Si Si Si" (UK #21)[4]
1960 "Seventy-Six Trombones" / "I Like Everybody" (UK #19)[4]
1961 "Goodbye Little Darling" / "Tuxedo Junction"
1961 "The Next Train Out Of Town" / "Sabre Dance"
1961 "The Language of Love" / "Go Tell Her For Me"
1962 "King Size Twist" / "Oh! What A Fool I've Been"
1962 "Everybody Back To Our Place/ "Don't Fly Away Flamingo"
1962 "Nicola" / "Way Down The Mountain"
Pye Records
1963 "One Boy Too Late" / "I've Got That Feeling Once Again"
1963 "Anyone Else" / "The Rainbow's End"
Oriole Records
1964 "Real Live Girl" / "Every Time It Rains"
CBS Records
1965 "Mister Sandman" / "I Want To Know"
1966 "Jo Jo" / "Peculiar"
1966 "Remember When" / "Everytime I See You"
Page One Records
1966 "Symphony For Susan" / "My Time"
1967 "My Mammy" / "Some Of These Days"
1967 "My Mother's Eyes" / "I'm Old Fashioned"
Tupperware (EMI)[5]
1967 "There's No Business Like Our Business" EP: There's No Business Like Show Business / "High Society" / "The Tupperware Brigade" / "Good News"
Wake Up Little Susie
The King Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up, little Susie, wake up
We both fell sound asleep
Wake up, little Susie, and weep
The movie's over, it's four o'clock, and we're in trouble deep
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
Well, what are we gonna tell your Mama?
What are we gonna tell your Pop?
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say "Ooh la la"?
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
Well, I told your Mama that you'd be in by ten
Well, Susie baby, looks like we goofed again
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
We gotta go home
Wake up, little Susie, wake up
Wake up, little Susie, 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
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
Well, what are we gonna tell your Mama?
What are we gonna tell your Pop?
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say "Ooh la la"?
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
Wake up, little Susie
The King Brothers' song "Wake Up Little Susie" is a classic tale of teenage mishap and the consequences of staying out too late. The song is sung from the perspective of a boy, who wakes up next to his girlfriend, Susie, only to realize that they have both fallen asleep and missed their curfew, and now they are in trouble with their parents. The movie they were watching is over, it's four o'clock in the morning, and they have to figure out what to tell their parents, who are sure to be angry.
The boy is worried about what Susie's parents will think, as he had promised them that she would be home by ten. The lyrics "What are we gonna tell your Mama? / What are we gonna tell your Pop?" highlights his panic and the pressure he feels to come up with a convincing explanation. The repeated phrase "Wake up, little Susie" suggests that the two teenagers may be in a daze and struggling to fully comprehend the situation they are in.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up, little Susie, wake up
The singer is trying to wake up Susie in order to confront the situation they are in.
We both fell sound asleep
Both the singer and Susie fell asleep during the movie.
Wake up, little Susie, and weep
The singer is trying to make Susie feel remorseful for what they did.
The movie's over, it's four o'clock, and we're in trouble deep
The movie has ended and it's very late in the night, putting them in a difficult situation.
Well, what are we gonna tell your Mama?
The artist is asking Susie what they will say to her mother about the situation.
What are we gonna tell your Pop?
The singer is asking Susie what they will say to her father about the situation.
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say "Ooh la la"?
The singer is wondering what they will say to their friends if they find out about what happened.
Well, I told your Mama that you'd be in by ten
A promise was made to Susie's mother that she would be home by 10pm.
Well, Susie baby, looks like we goofed again
The artist is acknowledging that they made a mistake that will have consequences.
We gotta go home
They need to leave and return home.
The movie wasn't so hot
The movie they watched was not very good.
It didn't have much of a plot
The movie did not have a strong storyline.
We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot
The situation they are in has led to negative consequences for their reputation.
Wake up, little Susie
The singer is trying to wake up Susie again to emphasize the urgency of the situation.
Wake up, little Susie
The singer is repeating the phrase to continue making Susie aware of the situation.
Wake up, little Susie
The artist is urging Susie to wake up and face the consequences of their actions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Boudleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andy Mathewson
Well! Those boys certainly give Don and Phil a good run for their money!!
UncleBoko
I couldn't possibly comment - embarrassing would be a gross understatement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeffrey Edwards
Oh dear.