Ok, we know that Dion once said "Runaround Sue" was not a reference to his wife, Sue.
Then on the Oprah Winfrey Show, it was revealed that it was about his wife.
I find it interesting that this song is about a girl who might be involved with multiple guys...hence the "claps" throughout the song.
Call me crazy, but music from this era (50s, 60s) was loaded with ambiguous sexual humor and references that seemed ahead of their time.
The "clapping" represents chlamydia, known as "The Clap" in slang terms.
Now...do you see how dirty this song must have seemed to the older generations in 1961? Dion was a badass.
Ok, we know that Dion once said "Runaround Sue" was not a reference to his wife, Sue. Then on the Oprah Winfrey Show, it was revealed that it was about his wife. I find it interesting that this song is about a girl who might be involved with multiple guys...hence the "claps" throughout the song. Call me crazy, but music from this era (50s, 60s) was loaded with ambiguous sexual humor and references that seemed ahead of their time. The "clapping" represents chlamydia, known as "The Clap" in slang terms. Now...do you see how dirty this song must have seemed to the older generations in 1961? Dion was a badass.