"Little Susie / Pie Jesu" is a song by Michael Jackson released as the twenty-ninth track on the HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I double album. The track is split into two parts: "Little Susie" and "Pie Jesu".
Background[]
the song was originally first written and recorded by Jackson in 1978 at Hayvenhurst and was registered in 1984 under the title: "Susie".[1] The song references the early 1970s incident with the same story. It was intended for Off the Wall, although it didn't make the final selection of the album. One decade and fourteen years later, the song was picked up again in the summer of 1994 to include it on HIStory.
"Little Susie" is often considered to be one of Michael's most disturbing songs due to it's dark subject matter.[2]
According to then-assistant engineer Ryan Arnold, Michael had a hard time composing what he exactly wanted with the song. The reason why was because it sounded too much like "Bassouille" an unreleased song by Michael. [3]
Audio[]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Somebody killed little Susie
The girl with the tune
Who sings in the daytime at noon
She was there screaming
Beating her voice in her doom
But nobody came to her soon
[Chorus]
A fall down the stairs
Her dress torn
Oh, the blood in her hair
A mystery so sullen in air
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
Oh, the blood in her hair
[Verse 2]
Everyone came to see
The girl that now is dead
So blind stare the eyes in her head
And suddenly a voice from the crowd said
This girl lived in vain
Her face bear such agony, such strain
[Chorus]
But only the man from next door
Knew little Susie and how he cried
As he reached down
To close Susie's eyes
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
Oh, the blood in her hair
[Bridge]
It was all for God's sake
For her singing the tune
For someone to feel her despair
To be damned to know hoping is dead and you're doomed
Then to scream out
And nobody's there
She knew no one cared
[Verse 3]
Father left home, poor mother died
Leaving Susie alone
Grandfather's soul too had flown
No one to care
Just to love her
How much can one bear
Rejecting the needs in her prayers
[Chorus]
Neglection can kill
Like a knife in your soul
Oh, it will
Little Susie fought so hard to live
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
So young and so fair
Trivia[]
- Originally, "Little Susie" contained a real orchestra. However, later in the sessions, Jackson decided to substitute them for synthesized strings.