Billboard #1 Hits: #60- ‘Runaround Sue”- Dion. October 23, 1961. #1 for 2 weeks. Released on Laurie Records. Written by Dion DiMucci and Ernie Maresca. Genre: Doo-wop- Rock and Roll. Time: 2:41. B-side: “Runaway Girl” Grade: A+

Dion was one of the few bright spots in Rock and Roll in the early 60’s before The Beatles came along and changed everything. Dion had 13 Top 40 hits- 12 came before The Beatles- 1960-63. 9 of his 13 Top 40 hits made the Top 10 with “Runaround Sue” the only one to make it to #1.{Dion also had 7 Top 40 hits from 1957-60 with Dion and The Belmonts.} “Runaround Sue” peaked at #11 on the UK Singles chart.  “Runaround Sue” came in at #351 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs Ever list. In his autobiography “The Wanderer”- Dion stated that although his wife’s name is Susan -it wasn’t about her but later on Oprah his wife admitted that the song was about her.

In 1977 Leif Garrett covered “Runaround Sue” and had a hit with it #13.

At 80 Dion is still around- having released an album a couple years ago. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989- a performer who certainly deserves that honor.

Below is an article to how a basement party in The Bronx inspired “Runaround Sue.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-story-behind-runaround-sue-1452616310