A Boy Named Sue
Encyclopedia
"A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by Shel Silverstein
and performed by Johnny Cash
. Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded the song live at California's San Quentin State Prison
at a concert on 24 February 1969. The concert was filmed by Granada Television
for later television broadcast. The audio of the concert was later released on Cash's At San Quentin
album. Cash also performed the song (with comical variations on the original performance) in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden. The song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at #2 in 1969. Cash's thirty-six consecutive previous entries that reached the pop charts but failed to reach their top ten is the all-time record for any act. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs
and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
charts that same year and was certified Gold on 8/14/1969 by the R.I.A.A.
Sue later locates his father and confronts him, resulting in a vicious brawl. After the two have beaten each other almost senseless, Sue's father admits that the name was given to him as an act of love. Because Sue's father knew he would not be there for his son, he gave him that name to make sure that he grew up strong. Learning this, Sue forgives his father and they reconcile. With his lesson learned, Sue closes the song with a promise to name his son "Bill or George, any damn thing but Sue!"
rather than conventional singing.
, a close friend of Shel Silverstein
, who was often taunted as a child because of his feminine-sounding name.
The title might also have been inspired by the male attorney Sue K. Hicks
of Madisonville, Tennessee
, a friend of John Scopes who agreed to be a prosecutor
in what was to become known as the Scopes Trial
. Sue was named after his mother who died after giving birth to him.
In his autobiography, Cash wrote that he had just received the song and only read over it a couple of times. It was included in that concert to try it out—he did not know the words and on the filmed recording he can be seen regularly referring to a piece of paper. Cash was surprised at how well the song went over with the audience. The rough, spontaneous performance with sparse accompaniment was included in the Johnny Cash At San Quentin album, ultimately becoming one of Cash's biggest hits.
According to Shel Silverstein's biographer Mitch Myers, it was June Carter Cash
who encouraged her husband to perform the song. Silverstein introduced it to them at what they called a "Guitar Pull," where musicians would pass a guitar around and play their songs.
Years later Silverstein wrote a follow-up named "The Father of a Boy Named Sue" in which he tells the old man's point of view of the story.
features a transgender
protagonist and uses the song in the soundtrack. A Boy Named Sue: Gender and Country Music is the title of a 2004 book about the role of the gender in American country music.
In the film Swingers
one of the male characters is named Sue. The name is explained by another character by saying, "his dad was a big Johnny Cash fan." True to the song this character has a quick temper and gets into fights easily.
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
and performed by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded the song live at California's San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
at a concert on 24 February 1969. The concert was filmed by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for later television broadcast. The audio of the concert was later released on Cash's At San Quentin
At San Quentin
At San Quentin is a recording of a live concert given by Johnny Cash to the inmates of San Quentin State Prison. As well as being released on record the concert was filmed by Granada Television....
album. Cash also performed the song (with comical variations on the original performance) in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden. The song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at #2 in 1969. Cash's thirty-six consecutive previous entries that reached the pop charts but failed to reach their top ten is the all-time record for any act. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts that same year and was certified Gold on 8/14/1969 by the R.I.A.A.
Plot
The song tells the tale of a young man's quest for revenge on an absent father whose only contribution to his entire life was naming him Sue, commonly a feminine name, which regularly resulted in the young man suffering from ridicule and bullying. Because of the bullying, Sue grew up tough and smartened up very quickly, though he frequently relocates due to the shame his name gives him. Angered by this, he swears that he will find and murder his father for giving him the name.Sue later locates his father and confronts him, resulting in a vicious brawl. After the two have beaten each other almost senseless, Sue's father admits that the name was given to him as an act of love. Because Sue's father knew he would not be there for his son, he gave him that name to make sure that he grew up strong. Learning this, Sue forgives his father and they reconcile. With his lesson learned, Sue closes the song with a promise to name his son "Bill or George, any damn thing but Sue!"
Structure
The song has an unusual A-A-B-C-C-B rhyme scheme, broken only to mark the midpoint and ending, and is full of vivid images such as "he kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile". The song is performed mostly in recitationRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
rather than conventional singing.
Censorship
With public decorum being more conservative in America when the song was released in the 1960s, the term "son-of-a-bitch" in the line "I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you Sue!" was censored in the radio version and the final line was edited to remove the word "damn". Both the edited and unedited versions are available on various albums and compilations.Inspiration
The core story of the song was inspired by humorist Jean ShepherdJean Shepherd
Jean Parker Shepherd was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep....
, a close friend of Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
, who was often taunted as a child because of his feminine-sounding name.
The title might also have been inspired by the male attorney Sue K. Hicks
Sue K. Hicks
Sue Kerr Hicks was an American jurist who practiced law and served as a circuit court judge in the state of Tennessee. He is best known for his role as a co-instigator and prosecutor in the 1925 trial of John T. Scopes, a Dayton, Tennessee teacher accused of teaching the Theory of Evolution in...
of Madisonville, Tennessee
Madisonville, Tennessee
Madisonville is a city in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,939 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County and the location of Hiwassee College.-Geography:...
, a friend of John Scopes who agreed to be a prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
in what was to become known as the Scopes Trial
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
. Sue was named after his mother who died after giving birth to him.
In his autobiography, Cash wrote that he had just received the song and only read over it a couple of times. It was included in that concert to try it out—he did not know the words and on the filmed recording he can be seen regularly referring to a piece of paper. Cash was surprised at how well the song went over with the audience. The rough, spontaneous performance with sparse accompaniment was included in the Johnny Cash At San Quentin album, ultimately becoming one of Cash's biggest hits.
According to Shel Silverstein's biographer Mitch Myers, it was June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
who encouraged her husband to perform the song. Silverstein introduced it to them at what they called a "Guitar Pull," where musicians would pass a guitar around and play their songs.
Years later Silverstein wrote a follow-up named "The Father of a Boy Named Sue" in which he tells the old man's point of view of the story.
Chart performance
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 4 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 13 |
Impact on popular culture
The gender-bending implications of the title have been adapted to explore issues of sex and gender, another use of the popular song title that goes beyond its original scope. The 2001 documentary A Boy Named SueA Boy Named Sue (film)
A Boy Named Sue is a 2001 documentary film directed by Julie Wyman. It shows the life and transition of Theo, a young adult, born intersex, raised female, involved in a lesbian relationship, who undergoes various stages of a sex reassignment surgery to become male...
features a transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
protagonist and uses the song in the soundtrack. A Boy Named Sue: Gender and Country Music is the title of a 2004 book about the role of the gender in American country music.
In the film Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
one of the male characters is named Sue. The name is explained by another character by saying, "his dad was a big Johnny Cash fan." True to the song this character has a quick temper and gets into fights easily.