"Little Suzi's on the Up" is a song by British new wave group

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

The song was released as the band's first single, appearing on their self-titled debut. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was notable for being the fifth music video shown during

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's launch on 1 August 1981. It is sometimes misspelled by music video stations as Susie or Suzy. Suzi is the correct spelling.

Music video

The music video for the song is comical and features

fast motion Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ...

at times. It begins with keyboardist Tony Hymas arriving and taking out a "roll out" keyboard from his case and applying it onto the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

to play. It then moves on to lead singer Jim Diamond, who is a

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

, chopping meat and dancing with a pig that has a number on it, as he would be with "Suzi" when they go

ballroom dancing Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

which then features a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

who appears constantly with two scorecards. It moves on to Suzi who is at a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

getting her hair done and decides to dance with a

hairdryer A hair dryer, hairdryer or blow dryer is an electromechanical device that blows ambient or hot air over damp hair to speed the evaporation of water to dry the hair. Blow dryers enable better control over the shape and style of hair, by accelerat ...

surprising the

salonist A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "e ...

. It then shows Diamond with his

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

on, ironing his trousers with steam arising. When he looks into the mirror, a picture of

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

appears; this is also the same with Suzi (except she sees herself as

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, the picture shows her dancing with Astaire nonetheless). It then features the stylist (who is presumably Ruby in the song) eating a

pickled egg Pickled eggs are typically hard boiled eggs that are cured in vinegar or brine. As with many foods, this was originally a way to preserve the food so that it could be eaten months later. Pickled eggs have since become a favorite among many ...

with a cold cuts fork (the eggs are used as a

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...

throughout the video). Suzi then picks up her dress from drummer Mark Craney in the closet, with the judge appearing from the

hamper A hamper refers to one of several related basket-like items. In primarily British usage, it refers to a wicker basket, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food. In North America, the term generally refers to a household ...

. Diamond arrives to pick up Suzi who comes running to his motorcycle with the trailer somehow gotten unhitched. Suzi then is seen riding behind Diamond on the motorcycle as they arrive at

Hammersmith Palais The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to be ...

featuring other ballroom dancers. Ruby, who is the

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, quickly arrives at the hall trying to blow into the sax which is clogged by a pickled egg which amuses her and she eats it and continues her solo. The reoccurring judge gives them a 10, and they have won. As Suzi approaches the stage in a dignified manner, the prize is a jar of pickled eggs with the other dancers leaving in dismay. The video ends with Hymas rolling up his keyboard from the piano back into his case and leaving the stage.

Track listing

Tesla version

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Tesla covered the song in 1986 under the name "Little Suzi". Tesla released the cover as the second single from their debut album, ''

Mechanical Resonance Mechanical resonance is the tendency of a mechanical system to respond at greater amplitude when the frequency of its oscillations matches the system's natural frequency of vibration (its ''resonance frequency'' or ''resonant frequency'') close ...

''. The single broke Tesla into the mainstream and was the most successful single from their debut, reaching #91 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

Music video

The video for Tesla's version simply shows the band performing the song on a stage.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Jeff Keith Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...

– vocals *

Frank Hannon Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...

– lead guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin * Tommy Skeoch – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar *

Brian Wheat Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...

– bass guitar *

Troy Luccketta Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...

– drums

References

{{authority control 1981 songs 1981 debut singles 1987 singles Ph.D. (band) songs Tesla (band) songs Songs written by Jim Diamond (singer) Atlantic Records singles Geffen Records singles