Little Susie
THE STORY BEHIND ' Little Susie'
This is the "Gothic Horror" chapter of the HIStory album. It is widely considered the darkest, most disturbing, and most artistically ambitious song Michael Jackson ever wrote. It is not a pop song; it is a symphonic murder mystery set in 3/4 time.
The Gothic Masterpiece If "Scream" is the sound of the future, "Little Susie" is the sound of the Victorian past. Buried near the end of the HIStory album, this track shocked listeners when they first heard it. It features no drums, no bassline, and no pop hook. Instead, it is a fully orchestrated waltz.
Michael wrote the song entirely by himself. He wanted to create a track that felt like a grim fairy tale, something akin to Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, but with a sinister, true-crime twist. It demonstrates Michael’s obsession with the macabre and his ability to cross genres from R&B to classical musical theater seamlessly.
The song opens with one of the most haunting intros in pop history. For the first 45 seconds, we do not hear Michael. Instead, we hear a choir performing "Pie Jesu" from the Requiem by French composer Maurice Duruflé. "Pie Jesu" translates to "Merciful Jesus," a prayer asking for rest for the dead. By starting the song with a literal funeral mass, Michael sets the tone immediately: this is a song about death. The choir used was the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Robert Shaw. Michael licensed this specific classical recording because he felt it captured the specific "cold" atmosphere he wanted.
Following the classical intro, the soundscape shifts to a room. We hear the sound of a music box being wound up, playing a fragile, tinkling melody. Then, a young child begins to hum along with it. This sound design is crucial to the storytelling. It establishes the innocence of the victim before the tragedy is revealed. The humming was performed by a young girl named Markita Prescott. Suddenly, the mood breaks. We hear the sound of a heavy door opening, footsteps, and a coin dropping on the floor. These sound effects suggest an intruder or perhaps the last sounds Susie heard before she died.
The lyrics tell the story of a little girl named Susie who dies alone. "Somebody killed little Susie / The girl with the tune / Who sings in the noon."
The genius of the song lies in its ambiguity. On the surface, it seems Susie fell down the stairs ("She fell down the stairs... nobody cares"). However, the lyrics heavily imply foul play.
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"Blood in her hair" suggests violence.
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"To get some attention" suggests she was ignored by society until her death made her a headline.
Michael paints a portrait of extreme neglect. Susie is described as a child who went unnoticed by her neighbors and family, her only friend being the "tune" she hummed. It is a scathing critique of a society that ignores vulnerable children until it is too late. The song asks the listener: Why did you only notice her when she was dead?
The aesthetic of "Little Susie" is heavily influenced by the Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein. Helnwein is famous for his hyper-realistic and disturbing paintings of wounded or bandaged children. He was a close friend of Michael’s during the 90s and actually photographed the cover of the HIStory album (the image of Michael as a statue).
Michael was fascinated by Helnwein’s ability to mix innocence with horror. "Little Susie" is essentially a sonic version of a Helnwein painting which is beautiful, delicate, but deeply unsettling. It forces the audience to look at pain without looking away.
Musically, the song is a waltz, written in 3/4 time signature (ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three). This gives the song a swaying, lullaby-like quality that contrasts sharply with the gruesome lyrics. The orchestration was arranged by Steve Porcaro (of the band Toto), who worked with Michael on "Human Nature." The arrangement uses sweeping strings, harps, and woodwinds. Michael’s vocal performance is theatrical; he uses a breathy, trembling vibrato that sounds like he is weeping. He acts the song rather than singing it, treating it like a monologue from a Broadway play.
Fans often point out a strange connection between "Little Susie" and Michael’s 1987 hit "Smooth Criminal." In "Smooth Criminal," Michael asks repeatedly, "Annie, are you okay?" In an early demo of "Smooth Criminal," the name used wasn't Annie, it was Susie. Some theories suggest that "Little Susie" is the backstory of the victim from "Smooth Criminal," or that "Susie" was a recurring character in Michael's mind representing the innocent victim of a violent world. While "Smooth Criminal" is an action movie, "Little Susie" is the tragedy that happens when the hero doesn't arrive in time to save her.
"Little Susie" is rarely discussed by casual listeners, but it is revered by critics and hardcore fans as a masterpiece of composition. It proves that Michael Jackson was not just a "pop star"; he was a composer capable of writing complex, narrative-driven orchestral music. It stands as the most emotional and cinematic track on HIStory, a dark lullaby for the forgotten.
LYRICS of HISTORY
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
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
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
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 hair
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 outAnd nobody's there
She knew no one cared
Father left home, poor mother died
Leaving Susie alone
Grandfather's soul too had flown
No one to careJust to love her
How much can one bear
Rejecting the needs in her prayers
Neglection can kill
Like a knife in your soul
Oh it will
But Susie fought so hard to live
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
So young and so fair