Susannah's Still Alive by Dave Davies

Album: Unfinished Business: Dave Davies Kronikles 1963-1998 (1967)

Charted: 20

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Songfacts®:

This song finds Kinks lead guitarist Dave Davies singing about an old woman consumed by memories of a former lover. It was written about the love of his life, Sue Sheehan, who became pregnant by Dave when he was 16. When Mrs. Davies and Sue's parents were told the news, they both plotted against the two teens, telling each child that the other had fallen out of love. Sue was sent away and Dave's longing for her inspired many of his compositions. The couple finally was reconciled in 1993 when Dave met his daughter, Tracey, for the first time.
Despite featuring all of The Kinks, this single was credited solely to the band's lead guitarist and vocalist Dave Davies. Unlike his debut solo single, "Death of a Clown," which he penned with his brother Ray, Dave wrote this on his own.
The song was a commercial success in Europe, reaching the top 20 in a number of countries including Holland, Belgium Sweden and the UK. However, it failed to chart in the US.

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