"Suzanne" is a song by English rock band Creeper. Written by the band (Will Gould, Ian Miles, Hannah Greenwood, Sean Scott, Dan Bratton and Oliver Burdett), it was produced by Neil Kennedy and featured on the band's 2017 debut studio album ''

Eternity, in Your Arms ''Eternity, in Your Arms'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Creeper. Released on 24 March 2017 by Roadrunner Records, it was produced by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in the band's hometown of Southampton, where the ba ...

''. The track was released as the lead single and

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

from the album on 3 October 2016.

Composition and lyrics

"Suzanne" was described by Creeper's record label Roadrunner Records in a press release as a song "which blends flamboyant teen scream theatrics with an adrenalised shot of punk 'n' roll and the impassioned mantra: 'I wanna die holding hands'." Speaking at the time of its release, the band's lead vocalist Will Gould presented the track as "a new landscape to explore, and a perfect introduction to the world of our album", describing the musical style of the track as a blend between 1990s punk rock and older

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

music. In her review of ''

'', '' Clash'' writer Dannii Leivers described "Suzanne" as "raging

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

capable of uniting the hardcore kids, crusty punks and goths in one uber-alt mob", comparing it stylistically to preceding album track "Poison Pens". Anita Bhagwandas of the '' NME'' also categorised the track as pop punk, as well as likening Gould's vocals to those of

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

Promotion and release

After their performances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2016, Creeper "vanished" from the public eye and began sharing clues for fans to follow in order to obtain information regarding the band. The clues eventually led to an answerphone message which detailed "the disappearance of James Scythe", the fictional subject of several songs to be featured on the album. The message also featured the line "On the 2nd of October 2016, we'll die holding hands", a reference to a line in "Suzanne". When the band resurfaced on 2 October, "Suzanne" received its worldwide premiere on the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Rock Show with

Daniel P. Carter Daniel Philip Carter (born 16 November 1972) is a British musician and radio DJ. He is the former singer and guitarist for hardcore punk band Hexes, the former bassist for A, the former lead guitarist for alternative rock band Bloodhound Gang ...

. It was made available as a digital download the following day, when it was also given free to customers who pre-ordered ''Eternity, in Your Arms'' on the official Roadrunner Records store. The

, directed by Jamie Carter, was also released the same day. According to TeamRock, the video combines "found footage belonging to the missing Scythe" with "neon-bathed performance" footage, was released on the same day. On 11 January 2017, the version of the song featured on music streaming service

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

was changed to feature new lyrics.

Critical reception

Media response to "Suzanne" was positive. Tom Connick of '' DIY'' claimed that the song "takes every facet of Creeper's delicately constructed world and polishes it to a blinding shine", hailing it as "nothing short of dazzling". '' Clash'' writer Robin Murray praised the band's "inherent live energy" on the recording. ''Upset'' magazine's Ali Shutler described "Suzanne" as "Snarling and built for mass participation but doused in young romance and a touch of magic", claiming that it "sees Creeper reaching scary new heights all over again".

References

External links

"Suzanne"
music video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

{{Creeper (band) 2016 songs 2016 singles Creeper (band) songs Roadrunner Records singles