Miss Suzy!

[idothattopeople]

I was just talking to some Californians about Miss Suzy. It's a fascinating topic: a song in American culture that has no true codification. We learned it in school in the 80s and early 90s, before the internet. So, there was no way to truly verify what the "official" version of the Ms Suzy song was. Thus, regional variation abounds

Comments

[boixboi]

I never heard this song until it was aired on The Simpsons. In certain ways it makes me think of "The Hedgehog Can Never Be Buggered At All."

[idothattopeople]

Did they sing much of the song on The Simpsons? If they did, then that episode could have served a standardizing role when no other medium could...

[boixboi]

I had the same thought. Of course, since some of the appeal of the song is that it has a 'naughty' element, it could also make it less popular (because if it is on TV, maybe adults approve of it; it is robbed of its credentials as a kids-only thing).

It was a long clip, I would dare say the 'whole song' depending on whose version you are talking about.

I've been looking at this now, because you got me curious; apparently they devoted an entire episode of Hey, Arnold! to this song as well.

[idothattopeople]

I was under the impression that, when we were kids, The Simpsons was considered irreverent and obscene. Hell, my mom wouldn't let me watch it for a long time. So maybe that could mitigate some of the anti-naughtiness from airing the song...

I found a page about that Hey Arnold! episode.

[dakeeni]

My mom disapproved of the Simpsons re: irreverence and obscenity, but my Dad found it amusing, so sometimes we'd get to see it.

[idothattopeople]

That sounds like your parents... :-)

My best friend in second and third grade, Clifford, loved The Simpsons. Or, to be more accurate, his entire family loved it. They were Mormon, and unable to watch TV on Sundays due to religious laws, but they made a special exception for The Simpsons.