Bobbie Sue (song)

"Bobbie Sue" is a song written by Wood Newton, Dan Tyler and Adele Tyler, and recorded by American country music group The Oak Ridge Boys. It was released in January 1982 as the first single and title track to the group's album of the same name. That April, the song became the Oaks' sixth No. 1 single on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.[1]

"Bobbie Sue"
Single by The Oak Ridge Boys
from the album Bobbie Sue
B-side"Live in Love"
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1982
RecordedFall 1981
GenreCountry, Pop, doo-wop, rock and roll
Length2:50
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Wood Newton, Dan Tyler and Adele Tyler
Producer(s)Ron Chancey
The Oak Ridge Boys singles chronology
"(I'm Settin') Fancy Free"
(1981)		 "Bobbie Sue"
(1982)		 "So Fine"
(1982)

In addition to its country success, "Bobbie Sue" also fared well on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 12 on that chart in the spring of 1982.[2]

Background

The song is styled much in the vein of a late 1950s/early 1960s rock-and-roll song, as evidenced by its saxophone solo during the musical bridges.

Content

"Bobbie Sue," named for the song's main character (and described as "the sweetest grape that ever grew on the vine"), is in a sense about an 18-year-old woman's sexual awakening. The role of boyfriend, the song's protagonist, is filled by the singer.

The first verse establishes that the protagonist had heard about Bobbie Sue from a friend, and he quickly spends as much time with her as possible. After turning 18, Bobbie Sue begins to rebel against her parents — Robert and Ruth — and decides to marry her boyfriend. Bobbie Sue's parents apparently disapprove of the relationship ("Her Daddy told her that she'd have to wait/Her Mama said don't make a big mistake"), but the young couple is determined to elope ("But we'll keep driving till we're out of state/And when they find us it'll be too late").

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 12
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[5] 19
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Singles 20
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Singles 1

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 251.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 464.
  3. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  4. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  5. "The Oak Ridge Boys Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.

Works cited

  • Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits." (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)).
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