1964 Dean & Jean – Tra La La La Suzy

1964 Dean & Jean – Tra La La La Suzy

Some songs linger long after we actively remember them. Take Tra La La La Suzy. The duo of Welton Young and Brenda Lee Jones wrote, recorded, and released the song in 1964. They used the stage name Dean & Jean and had the misfortune of releasing their first single in the midst of the British Invasion. The duo had been recording since 1958, but failed to find the charts for over six years.

Despite the odds against them, their hit first charting single reached #35 on the Hot 100 in early 1964, just as the Beatles were chewing up the US charts.

Their second hit did mildly better, but I don’t remember it as much. Hey Jean Hey Dean (shades of Hey Paula!) made it up to #32 a month later but was their last visit to the Hot 100. That single also reached #27 in Australia.