Wake Up Little Susie | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: (D/A) D5 | F G F :||
Chorus 1
||: D | D | D F | G F D :||
Wake up, little Susie, wake up.
Wake up, little Susie, wake up.
Verse 1
| G D5 | G |
We’ve both been sound asleep.
| G D5 | G |
Wake up little Susie and weep.
| G D5 | G5 D5 |
The movie’s over, it’s four o’clock.
| G D5 | G |
And we’re in trouble deep. Wake up, little Susie.
| A | G | A | A |
Wake up, little Susie.
Verse 2
| A E | A |
Well, what are we gonna tell your mama?
| A E | A |
What are we gonna tell your pa’?
| A E | A E |
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say
| A N.C | N.C |
“Ooh, la, la”? Wake up, little Susie.
| D | A7 | D | D |
Wake up, little Susie.
Verse 3
| D | D | D | D7 |
Well, I told your mama that we’d be in by ten.
| G | G | G | G |
Well, Susie, baby, looks like we goofed again.
| A | G | A |
Wake up, little Susie. Wake up, little Susie.
| A N.C | D5 | F G F | D5 | F G F |
We gotta go home.
Chorus 2
Wake up, little Susie, wake up.
Wake up, little Susie, wake up.
Verse 4 (as verse 1)
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.
Verse 5 (as verse 2)
Well, what are we gonna tell your mama?
What are we gonna tell your pa?
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
Outro
||: D F G :|| to fade
Wake Up Little Susie Chords: Decoding the Complex Progressions and Key Shifts
The chord progressions in Wake Up Little Susie are more complex than I initially anticipated.
We start in the key of D but “borrow” the IV and V from the key of C, which you could also interpret as a bIIIx – IV in D.
In subsequent verses, we use the I, IV, and V from the key of D, then shift to the key of A before returning to D.
The chorus chords are reminiscent of the intro to their first hit, Bye Bye Love. Here are the chorus chords:
||: D (I) | D | D F (bIIIx) | G (IV) F D :||
Next, the verse starts on chord IV:
| G (IV) D5 (I) | G | G D5 | G |
| G D5 | G5 D5 | G D5 | G |
| A (V) | G | A | A |
The genius part comes next, where the progression shifts to a new key and moves differently:
| A E | A | A E | A |
| A E | A E | A N.C | N.C |
| D | A7 | D | D |
In the key of A, we loop between I and V. After a stop, we return to the key of D and transition back into the chorus.
There’s a full analysis of this late ’50s smash hit, adapted to work for a single guitar in a band setting, with TAB for all sections. Plus, I’ve included a bonus Chet Atkins lick!
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Wake Up Little Susie – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
After going through the TAB details, this two-page chord chart will be perfect as you take to the stage.
Wake Up Little Susie Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Wake Up Little Susie chord chart PDF, page 1 and Wake Up Little Susie chord chart PDF, page 2.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to these files: Wake Up Little Susie chord chart iReal Pro, page 1 and Wake Up Little Susie chord chart iReal Pro, page 2.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, although that doesn’t sound like the best idea to me, perhaps use a capo instead!
Wake Up Little Susie Built on Evident Success!
The Everly Brothers seemed to follow the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” when they recorded Wake Up Little Susie, just six months after their first hit, Bye Bye Love.
Written once again by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the song shares many similarities with their earlier hit, but with a twist—this time, there are three key changes (as discussed above).
Wake Up Little Susie soared to #1 on all U.S. Billboard charts and reached #2 in the U.K.
In 1982, Simon & Garfunkel, who had originally started as an Everly Brothers tribute act, performed a cover of the song during a live show, and it peaked at #5 in both the U.S. and Canadian charts.
When the duo reunited in 2003, they dedicated part of their concert to the Everly Brothers, who even supported them on the tour!
Wake Up Little Susie Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Wake Up Little Susie (The Everly Brothers) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: