Susie's Tune is a musical composition that through unknown designates, forces the listeners to kill who ever sings it. The last remnants of the song exist in an antique music box, and all copies of the song, "Little Susie".
Overview[]
Composition[]
Susie's Tune is a waltz, played in A minor with the time signature of 3/4. The original composer and the date it was composed is unknown but many have done renditions and have performed the melody, most notably singer/song writer, Michael Joseph Jackson. The title of the original score is also unknown, but Michael Jackson's title Little Susie and Susie's Tune are widely accepted as valid names.
Abilities[]
The melody of Susie's Tune has a memetic, infectious effect which could be compared to that of an "extreme case of ear worm". Those who hear the melody played on an instrument will have the tune playing repeatedly in their head. Response to this effect by those effected varies from fondness to disdain. Regardless, those who are effected will repeat the tune in several forms including: singing, humming, and/or playing it on an instrument. It is not uncommon for those effected to form words for the song as evidenced by "Little Susie". If playing the tune on an instrument, those who hear it will also be effected by the song.
The deadliest and most prominent effect of Susie's Tune is the cognitohazardous urge to kill anyone who hears someone else hum and/or sing the melody. This effect is attributed to only singing and humming and will activate regardless of those effected have heard the tune or not. These urges overtake all sense of reason or self preservation, meaning the killer will not stop and will do anything to make sure whomever is singing it is dead. Also, the killer will only stop attacking until the one they are trying to kill reaches a certain state, i.e. zero brain function and heart beats. How the killers know when the one they have killed reach this state is still unknown.
This effect is strongest when first hearing the performer singing and/or humming the tune. They're first action is to seek out the performer to kill them. However, if the performer is out of range or if they are not killed in a certain amount of time, the immediate urge will subside and incubate in the killer's subconscious disguised as a strong disdain towards the performer. Once in range of the performer, the urge will resurface to full force. Once the performer is dead, the effect will subside completely and never resurface again (at least towards that certain performer), this also includes the multiple people effected by the same performer regardless of if they killed their target.
History[]
Lineage[]
The untitled song was composed sometime as early as the early to mid-1800's by an unknown composer according to dating of the music box found by C.A.P.S. operatives. The music box and the song that plays within it has reportedly been passed from person to person for over two centuries. It has been reported that the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, at some point prior to his assassination possessed the music box as a gift from a Virginian farmer. It is unknown if President Lincoln was effected by the song or, if so, his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, had heard him singing the song.
Though reports are muddled, several reports of the music box trace it to various blues musicians and jazz band members held possession of the box. Eventually, through unknown means of trading, the music box came into the possession of singer Michael Joseph Jackson in 1979. It is unknown when Jackson was effected by the music box's song as his private life was tightly secured and secretive. [See Addendum 0-1]
Jackson unknowingly spread the song's influence by a large margin in 1995, with the release of his studio album, HIStory: Past, Present, Future Book I. The song entitled, Little Susie contained both a prelude of a young girl humming the song along with the original tune from the music box as well as a song performed by Jackson with lyrics and a full orchestra playing the tune. [See Addendum 0-2] With sells reaching over 20 million copies worldwide, many have been effected.
Shortly after Jackson's death, C.A.P.S. operatives raided his assets and apprehended the music box, containing it in headquarters under Alpha Level procedures. Despite the high sales rate, C.A.P.S. covertly interfered with the album's reception, allowing the album to fade into obscurity. Most of the population doesn't recall the song nor the album itself. All physical copies of the album have been acquired and destroyed. Duplicates of the song exist on the internet but due to the lack of knowledge of the song and desire to listen to it, many don't discover it.
Addendum 0-1: Reports of Jackson enjoying classical music were made frequently later in life, so it is speculated he had been effected for some time.
Addendum 0-2: Most effected by the song simply hum the tune, yet there have been a few individuals have been reported creating lyrics for it. All reported lyrics are similar and tell the story of an abandoned little girl named Susie who dies in her house alone. In attempts to conceal the true lineage of the song, a rumor was fed to the public about Jackson's inspiration: the "Murder of Susan Condry".
Recorded Incidents[]
It is speculated that many cases of mysterious deaths are tied to the music box and/or Susie's Tune. Incidents theorized to be connected to the song include:
- The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
- The death of guitarist, Robert Johnson
- The killing of soul singer, Sam Cooke
- The killing of jazz trumpeter, Lee Morgan
- The killing of R&B drummer, Albert Jackson Jr.
- The death of singer-songwriter, Michael Jackson
Lyrics and Song Analysis[]
Conducted by Researcher [REDACTED]
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
It is evident that the titular character, Susie, was murdered there's no debate there. The lyrics indicate that she and her attacker were alone in the house when she was pushed down the stairs. Taking note of the torn dress, that could be important. Perhaps it was a break in, though the possibility of the lyrics suggesting to the arrangement's origins cannot be ruled out. If that's the case, it begs the question of if the tune is Susie's or if Susie is the tune's. I preferred the chicken or the egg.
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
The chance of the man described in the song of being her killer is a likely one. Being next door, the man could have easily succumb to the song's properties if she were to sing it. Considering the power of Realm Beyond and Those Who Live There, a possible alternative is that the tune itself wasn't given its anomalous abilities until Susie's death. He might have "knew" her in a biblical sense, which may implicate even more nefarious activity. It could very well be a curse put upon the melody driving those who hear it mad just like that annoyed man next door who couldn't take her belting another second. Just a theory.
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 out
And nobody's there
She knew no one cared
Giving more credence to a PHA (posthumous awakening), the emotional turmoil and desperation of Susie could have left a psychic imprint on the music. The ear worm effect could have possessed her killer to compose pieces inspired by the tune which eventually resulted in the creation of the music box. A strong suggestion is made to try and investigate cases similar in nature to the story told in an effort to avenge/appease the theorized soul of Susie. This could bring about a way to negate its properties.
Father left home, poor mother died
Leaving Susie alone
Grandfather's soul too had flown
No one to care
Just 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
There isn't anything that can be said conclusively about the origins of the melody or its strange abilities. While similar to many of the "cursed objects" encountered in the field, the properties of the arrangement make it difficult to pinpoint the true sequence of cause and effect. Considering the eponymous Susie's upbringing, there wouldn't be much surprise if her immense emotional strife allowed her to tap into the power beyond the Veil.
Research is ongoing and any additional information will be logged.
Credited Writer: Michael Jackson