fbpx
Wikipedia

Teenage tragedy song

A teenage tragedy song is a style of ballad in popular music that peaked in popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Examples of the style are also known as "tear jerkers", "death discs" or "splatter platters",[1] among other colorful sobriquets coined by DJs that then passed into vernacular as the songs became popular. Often lamenting teenage death scenarios in melodramatic fashion, these songs were often sung from the viewpoint of the dead person's sweetheart, as in "Last Kiss"[2] (1961), or another witness to the tragedy, or the dead (or dying) person.[1] Notable examples include "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning (1959), "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Peterson (1960), "Ebony Eyes" by the Everly Brothers (1961), "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean (1964), and "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (1964).[3] The genre's popularity faded around 1965 (as a mostly American phenomenon, it was one of many musical styles drowned out by the British Invasion),[4] but the hits from its heyday inspired a host of similar songs and parodies over the years.

Origins and format edit

By the mid-1950s, postwar youth culture in the U.S. was embracing rock and roll, and the folk revival was also approaching its zenith – the narrative style of many teenage tragedy songs had similarities to folk balladry.[5] Prison ballads (such as the Kingston Trio's "Tom Dooley", based on a folk song about a real murder) and gunfighter ballads (such as Johnny Cash's "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" and Marty Robbins' "El Paso", with similar themes of death, were also popular during the form's heyday. ("El Paso" was followed at #1 by two consecutive teenage tragedy songs, "Running Bear" and "Teen Angel".)

The teen tragedy genre's popular era began with "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots", written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Released just before 24-year-old actor James Dean's death in an automobile accident in the fall of 1955, it climbed the charts immediately afterward.[6] Teenage tragedies had specific thematic[7] tropes such as star-crossed lovers,[7] reckless youth, eternal devotion, suicide, and despair over lost love; along with lyrical elements that teens of the time could relate to their own lives[5] – such as dating, motorcycles and automobiles (car songs also being popular during the 1950s), and disapproving parents or peers.[3][8] Contemporary girl groups of the '60s also borrowed the genre's melodramatic template (as well as the use of sound effects, orchestration, echo and other sonic touches) for non-fatal but otherwise tragic story-songs, such as Reparata and the Delrons' over-the-top "Saturday Night Didn't Happen" and its B-side, "Panic", in 1968. In the Pussycats' 1966 "Dressed in Black", (co-written by George 'Shadow' Morton, and originally a Shangri-Las B-side) and in "We Don't Belong" by UK singer Sylvan (1965), the heartbreak and melancholy are palpable – and in Sylvan's case, nearly suicidal.[4]

Ethnomusicologist Kirsten Zemke considers these songs as forming a strictly musical genre that was bound by common thematic tropes, musical style and production elements; and as being particularly of their time. As for their popularity, she writes:

They sold well in their time, and the style has persisted throughout the decades in various forms. And … they have an interesting history. The question some writers have asked is "why?". Some of the reasons suggested for this genre’s macabre popularity are:

These were the ultimate teen rebellion songs. The only way out of parents' (and/or societal) control and expectations was death.
They were a natural extension of the "unrequited love" song, facilitated by the obvious rhyming of: good bye, cry and die.
There were a number of publicized deaths of pop stars and young actors during that period, including Sam Cooke, Johnny Ace, Eddie Cochran; and of course the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper in 1959. This might explain the interest in songs around death, tragedy and sorrow.[9]

Examples edit

Title Original artist Year Songwriter(s) Synopsis Notes
"Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" The Cheers 1955 Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller Protagonist collides with speeding train, presumed dead but never found. U.S. #6.
"Endless Sleep" Jody Reynolds 1958 Jody Reynolds, Dolores Nance Man believes his girlfriend has drowned, goes to the sea to do the same but finds and saves her. Precursor of the genre.[10] The song's original ending was to have the man's girlfriend die, but it was changed at the request of the record company to give the song a happy ending. U.S. #5.
"The Grave" Tony Casanova 1958 Tony Casanova Boyfriend laments the death of his girlfriend, cause of death unspecified.
"Running Bear" Johnny Preston 1959 J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) The couple drowns. The chart success followed Richardson's own death in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. U.S. #1.
"The Ballad of Angel" Bobby Swanson 1959 Bobby Swanson Narrator’s girlfriend has died, cause unspecified.
"Teen Angel" Mark Dinning 1959 Jean Dinning, Red Surrey Couple’s car stalls on railroad track; boyfriend pulled girl out in time but she ran back to get his ring and got killed. U.S. #1.
"Tell Laura I Love Her" Ray Peterson[11] 1960 Jeff Barry, Ben Raleigh Protagonist dies in an automobile racing accident while trying to win the $1,000 prize money to buy an engagement ring. Cover by Ricky Valance was #1 in the UK. U.S. #7.
"The Water Was Red" Johnny Cymbal 1960 Stanley Wagner Narrator meets girl on the beach, then she dies in a shark attack. Devastated, the narrator picks up a knife and sets off to kill the shark in retribution.
"Ebony Eyes" The Everly Brothers 1961 John D. Loudermilk Protagonist's fiancée dies in a plane crash on the way to the wedding. U.S. #8, UK #1, Can. #2
"The Prom" Del Shannon 1961 Del Shannon Narrator is on his way to the high school prom, sees his date fatally injured in a car accident.
"Moody River" Pat Boone 1961 Gary D. Bruce Singer's girlfriend commits suicide by drowning. U.S. #1.
"Johnny Remember Me" John Leyton 1961 Geoff Goddard Protagonist's girlfriend died a year ago, cause unspecified, he still misses her. Produced by Joe Meek; later covered by psychobilly band The Meteors. UK #1.
"Last Kiss"[2] Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders 1961 Wayne Cochran Narrator’s girlfriend dies in a traffic accident. The J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers cover was a 1964 U.S. #2
Cover by Pearl Jam was a 1999 U.S. #2.
"Jimmy Love" Cathy Carroll 1961 Jody Reynolds, Bert Carroll Narrator walks home with her fiance, lightning strikes a tree, a branch breaks off and kills him.
"Star Crossed Lovers" The Mystics 1961 T. Cooper & E. Zolas Young couple elope, die in car crash. B-side of "Goodbye Mr Blues".
"The Ballad of Billy Brown" Mort (Doc) Downey, Jr. 1961 Mort Downey Jr. Boyfriend has unexpectedly died, cause unspecified.
"A Thousand Feet Below" Terry Tyler 1961 C. Miller-Munn & J.W. Foster Girlfriend commits suicide, boyfriend blames himself but doesn’t specify why, decides to do it too.
"Leah" Roy Orbison 1962 Roy Orbison Protagonist thinks he's drowning while diving for pearls to give as love tokens, wakes and realises it's a dream about his dead girlfriend. U.S. #25, Can. #7
"Call Me Lonesome" Arthur Alexander 1962 Arthur Alexander At a party another man dances with protagonist's girlfriend; when challenged, he stabs protagonist to death. Unreleased until 1987; early version of "Lonely Just Like Me"
"Patches" Dickey Lee 1962 Barry Mann, Larry Kolber Patches commits suicide by drowning; her boyfriend follows suit. U.S. #6.
"Echo" The Emotions 1962 The Emotions, Henry Boye Narrator reminisces about the time he crashed a car and his girlfriend died.
"Chapel Bells Ringing" Gene Summers 1962 M. Torver Protagonist's fiancée has died, cause unspecified.
"Oh, Susie Forgive Me" Kenny Karen 1962 Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Reckless boyfriend crashes car leaving girlfriend paraplegic; he robs a store to fund her surgery, gets shot by cops and lies dying at her feet as he realises she can walk after all.
"The Pickup" Mark Dinning 1962 Helen Carter Narrator on a first date feels overwhelmed by his strength of feeling for the girl, is embarrassed so says he doesn’t want to see her again; she swiftly kills herself and he is sad. B-side of "All of This for Sally".
"Tragic Honeymoon" Cody Brennan & the Temptations 1962 Tony Lindauer Narrator recalls his friends; newlyweds get distracted while driving, crash and die.
"Teenage Honeymoon" Kenny Ancel 1962 Buddy Mize Newlyweds killed in a car crash.
"A Tear for Jesse" Jody Reynolds 1963 George R Brown, Dennis Hardesty Couple try to elope but her parents catch them; she commits suicide.
"A Young Man Is Gone" The Beach Boys 1963 Bobby Troup, Mike Love Man dies in car crash. Though it doesn't mention him by name, it appears to refer to James Dean.
"B.J. the D.J." Stonewall Jackson 1963 Hugh X. Lewis Country music radio DJ gets little sleep and drives a poorly maintained car, with fatal results. U.S. Country #1
"Dead Man's Curve" Jan and Dean 1964 Jan Berry, Roger Christian, Brian Wilson, Artie Kornfeld The protagonist is severely injured; his racing opponent is killed. U.S. #8.
"Terry" Twinkle 1964 Lynn Ripley (Twinkle) Couple have an argument, boy leaves on his motorcycle and fatally injures himself; unclear if it was deliberate. UK #4[4]
"Leader of the Pack" The Shangri-Las 1964 George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich Jimmy, the titular motorcycle gang leader, is killed in a motorcycle crash. U.S. #1, Can. #3.
"The Hero" Bernadette Carroll 1964 B. Nosal, P. Maheu Protagonist's fiance is a high school football player, his team bus crashes and kills everyone aboard. A regional airplay hit in North Carolina (#1), Florida, West Virginia and elsewhere[12]
"Laurie (Strange Things Happen)"[13] Dickey Lee 1965 Milton Addington, Cathie Harmon Narrator recounts a tale similar to the story of Resurrection Mary. U.S. #14, Can. #6.
"Give Us Your Blessings" The Shangri-Las 1965 Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich A girl’s parents don’t approve of her boyfriend, the couple elope and both die in a car crash with an unspecified cause, vision impeded by tears is suggested. U.S. #29, Can. #11
"I Can Never Go Home Anymore" The Shangri-Las 1965 George "Shadow" Morton Following an argument with her mother, the narrator runs away only to regret it when her mother dies of a broken heart. U.S. #6, Can. #2.
"A Young Girl of Sixteen" Noel Harrison 1965 Charles Aznavour, Oscar Brown Jr., Robert Chauvigny Rich girl elopes with a man who eventually leaves her; she dies in an unspecified manner. From a French song recorded by Aznavour in 1959[14] and by Edith Piaf in 1951. U.S. #51, Can. #5.
"Nightmare"[15] Lori Burton/
The Whyte Boots
1966 Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton Girl’s boyfriend goes off with another girl; goaded on by her friends, she attacks the other girl and accidentally kills her. "The Whyte Boots" were a fabricated girl group; Burton sang lead and the track is on her 1967 LP Breakout[4]
"Ode to Billie Joe" Bobbie Gentry 1967 Bobbie Gentry Local boy commits suicide, narrator’s family are somewhat indifferent. U.S. #1, Can. #1
"Condition Red" The Goodees 1968 Don Davis, Freddie Briggs Girl’s parents disapprove of her boyfriend; he leaves on his motorcycle and immediately fatally crashes into a car. U.S. #46, Can. #14[4]
"Sweet Rosie Jones" Buck Owens 1968 Buck Owens Protagonist’s girlfriend falls for another man; she says she’d ‘rather die than hurt you’, but it’s unclear if she actually does die; either way, he plans to drown himself in response. Title track from Owens’ album of the same name. #2 US Country, #4 CAN Country.
"D.O.A." Bloodrock 1971 Jim Rutledge, Lee Pickens, Ed Grundy, Chris Taylor, Stevie Hill, Rick Cobb Protagonist was in a plane crash, has lost both his arms and is now receiving medical attention but is about to die from his injuries. U.S. #36
"Seasons in the Sun" Terry Jacks 1974 Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen Man reflects on his life in light of his impending death. English-language adaptation of Brel's "Le Moribond".[16] CAN #1, US #1, UK #1
"Emma" Hot Chocolate 1974 Errol Brown, Tony Wilson Teen sweethearts get married, some time later the wife kills herself due to failure to be a film star. U.S. #8, U.K. #3
"Run Joey Run" David Geddes 1975 Paul Vance & Jack Perricone Protagonist gets his girlfriend pregnant; her father goes after him with a gun; girlfriend pleads with father for mercy; father accidentally shoots daughter; angels sing. US Billboard #4, Cash Box #1; Canada #12
"Hello, This Is Joanie" Paul Evans 1978 Paul Evans, Fred Tobias Protagonist had a drunken argument with titular girlfriend and she left in anger and died in a car crash; he consoles himself by listening to the outgoing message on her answering machine. UK #6
"Bat Out of Hell" Meat Loaf 1978 Jim Steinman Protagonist is a motorcyclist, riding "faster than any other boy has ever gone." He is so involved that he "never [sees] the sudden curve till it's way too late." Drums and a roaring guitar indicate the crash. The biker lies fatally injured, "torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike." He can see his "heart still beating." Throughout the song, the repeated line "I'll be gone when the morning comes" is a double entendre of leaving his lover and of his impending death.[17][18] The song was inspired by as "Leader of the Pack", "Terry" and "Tell Laura I Love Her"; Steinman wanted to write the "most extreme crash song of all time".[18] UK #8

Deathless themes edit

Teenagers meeting with tragedy in song was not new in the 1950s (or for that matter in the 1650s, around the time "Barbara Allen" was popular). In literature, it has been a recurring and resonant theme over centuries, most notably in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Another early example in song is "Oh My Darling, Clementine", published in 1884 but based on earlier songs and apparently written as a parody.[19]

As popular music and the society it mirrored changed from the late 1960s onward, the themes carried on in different forms and styles. Songs and spoken-word productions about the dangers of drug abuse joined the parade of pathos on radio airwaves, ranging from three-minute morality plays to lamentations (from the parental perspective) on the generation gap. These include "Once You Understand" by Think (U.S. #23, 1971) and radio and TV host Art Linkletter's Grammy-winning single "We Love You, Call Collect" (U.S. #42, 1969). Recorded before his daughter Diane's apparent suicide in 1969, the record also included Diane speaking the reply, "Dear Mom and Dad".[20] Into the 1970s, as the Vietnam War continued, hit ballads of youth and death included Terry Jacks' No. 1 hit "Seasons in the Sun" (1974), their protagonists of indeterminate age, or slightly older than teens. A song that was thought to have referenced the Civil War was Paper Lace's 1974 hit "Billy Don't Be a Hero", made a bigger hit in the U.S. by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Hard-rock acts recorded vehicular death scenarios such as "D.O.A." (Bloodrock, 1971), "Detroit Rock City" (Kiss, 1976) and "Bat Out of Hell" (Meat Loaf, 1977).

Teenage tragedy would continue to chart through the 1970s. In 1979, "I Don't Like Mondays" was written by Bob Geldof and Johnnie Fingers,[21] inspired by the Grover Cleveland school shooting in San Diego that occurred while the Boomtown Rats were on tour in the U.S.[22] The song went to No. 1 in the U.K., and No. 4 in Canada.[23] The Smiths' 1987 song "Girlfriend in a Coma" also took inspiration from teenage tragedy songs, by taking the melodramatic aspect and pushing it to extremes. Some songs merely updated the sound of the previous era, such as "Racing Car" by Dutch group Air Bubble (1976), while others used the melodic and stylistic tropes of teen tragedy in tougher, grittier settings, as in the Ramones' "You're Gonna Kill That Girl" (1977) and "7-11" (1981), and the Misfits' "Saturday Night" (1999). "Teen Idle" by Marina and the Diamonds (2012), evoking an archetype of disenfranchised youth, is a thematic heir to the original teen tragedy oeuvre.[24]

Satires and parodies edit

Notable parody songs, satires and send-ups of teen tragedy over the decades have included:

  • "Let's Think About Living" (1960), with Bob Luman mocking then-current musical trends, and trying to steer listeners away from the fascination with teenage death songs and gunfighter ballads.
  • "Valerie", a 1961 doo-wop styled teen tragedy spoof by the Mark III, a young folk trio.[25]
  • "All I Have Left is Johnny's Hubcap" on the 1962 parody album, Mad “Twists” Rock ’n’ Roll, produced in association with Mad magazine.
  • "Surfin' Tragedy" (1963) by the Breakers, in which a surfer careens "90 miles an hour" into a Malibu pier, killing him instantly. It is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records.
  • "Leader of the Laundromat" by the Detergents (1964), a direct parody of the Shangri-Las' hit, written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. The Detergents were a studio group that included singer Ron Dante, later of the Archies.[26]
  • Jimmy Cross's "I Want My Baby Back" (1965), a novelty record about a fatal head-on collision with "The Leader of the Pack", narrated in a down-home patter reminiscent of Andy Griffith. The single made the Billboard Hot 100 (reaching #92), and became a cult classic years later from airplay on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show; it is on the World's Worst Records compilation[27] and on Rhino's 1984 compilation LP Teenage Tragedies.
  • In a 1965 episode of The Lucy Show, "Lucy in the Music World", Lucille Ball tried to appeal to teenagers with a song about a boyfriend whose "surfboard came back by itself." She had been advised that youth today "aren't happy unless they're miserable."[6]
  • "Death Cab for Cutie" by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (1967), the inspiration for the band of the same name.
  • Randy Newman's song "Lucinda", on his 1970 album 12 Songs, concerns a girl who falls asleep on the beach in her graduation gown, and is killed and buried by a beach cleaning machine.[28]
  • In John Entwistle's "Roller Skate Kate", from his 1973 album Rigor Mortis Sets In, the heroine is killed while skating in the high-speed lane of the motorway.
  • 10cc's 1973 song "Johnny Don't Do It", done in the style of early 1960s girl-group songs, with the trope of the bad boy who is good but misunderstood. Johnny steals a motorcycle and hits a truck, killing his girlfriend along with himself.[29]
  • "Pizza Man," a parody of "Leader of the Pack", sung by Alice Playten as part of the National Lampoon Lemmings stage show and subsequent album, in 1973.[30]
  • Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman recorded a song for season 2 of Saturday Night Live entitled "Chevy, Chevy" which is a send-up of teen tragedy, presenting Chevy Chase as a teen idol.[citation needed]
  • On The Rich Little Show of March 8, 1976, Tom Bosley and "Sweathogs" Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Robert Hegyes, and Ron Palillo sang a parody of the genre called "Pizza Death", in which the simple-minded driver of a pizzeria delivery van crashed, affording the by-standers an opportunity for free pizza.
  • "My Baby's the Star of a Driver's Ed Movie," a 1983 song by Blotto.
  • "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" by comedian and singer Julie Brown. Released nationally in 1984, the song (along with an accompanying video in heavy MTV rotation) was both a parody of the genre, and a satire of valley girl culture.[31]
  • Tom Chapin and Michael Mark wrote a parody of a teenage tragedy song called "The Battle Beast and Barbie" for Chapin's 1994 album "So Nice To Come Home." Written in the parodic style of a '60s girl group tragedy ballad, it involves two plastic toys who "met by accident and fell in love", only for Battle Beast to be shot down by "Ken" at the school prom.
  • The MST3K treatment of the 1996 film Werewolf included a sketch in which Mike and the bots dressed up as a girl group to sing "Where, O Werewolf", about "Suzy" (Mike) in a doomed relationship with her werewolf boyfriend.
  • "Road Man" by Smash Mouth, in which a roadie is hit by a train while rushing to get the band's gear to a show.
  • Rilo Kiley, with lead singer Jenny Lewis, recorded "Teenage Love Song", a genre parody in which the singer laments being abandoned by her boyfriend after having sex in a motel room.
  • In "The Living End" by the Jesus and Mary Chain, a leather-clad biker in love with himself ends up crashing into a tree.[32]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Alternative Love Songs from the Teenage Tragedy Vault". NPR. February 14, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Last Kiss: The Incredible, Convoluted Story Behind This Classic #1 Hit". Forgotten Hits. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Luan Lawrenson-Woods (July 2, 2013). "Leader of the Pack". The Popular Romance Project. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sheila Burgel (2005), One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Song by Song, Rhino Entertainment
  5. ^ a b Todd Leopold (March 30, 2006). "The teenager's death song". CNN. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Splatter Platters: A Look at Teenage Tragedy Songs". Go Retro. July 9, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Genre Rules with Dr. Kirsten Zemke: 'Teenage Coffin Songs'". 95bFM, Auckland, New Zealand. November 18, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  8. ^ Rife, Katie (September 14, 2016). "Screeching tires and busting glass: Defining the teen-tragedy song in 60 minutes". AV Club.
  9. ^ Zemke, Kirsten (September 22, 2015). "What the Genre? Teenage Coffin Songs". APRA/AMCOS. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  10. ^ R. Serge Denisoff (1989). "'Teen Angel': Resistance, Rebellion and Death – Revisited". In Timothy E. Scheurer (ed.). American Popular Music: The age of rock. Popular Press. p. 96.
  11. ^ "Ray Peterson, balladeer of teenage tragedy". Boston Globe. January 29, 2005. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  12. ^ "Ask 'Mr. Music'". Jerryosborne.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  13. ^ "More Music Madness: Teen death songs will never die". NBC News. September 14, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  14. ^ "A Young Girl of 16". Lyricsplayground.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  15. ^ "Lori Burton::Nightmare (Mono Single Version)". Aquarium Drunkard. October 3, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  16. ^ "30 years since the death of Jacques Brel: his life, his art, his legacy - World Socialist Web Site". Wsws.org. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  17. ^ Meat Loaf (commentary) (2004). Meat Loaf Live with the Melbourne Symphone Orchestra (DVD). Melbourne: Warner Music Vision.
  18. ^ a b Jim Steinman (1999). Classic Albums: Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (DVD). Image Entertainment.
  19. ^ Butler, Andrew (October 31, 2014). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9. ISBN 9781844578375. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "TV Show Host Art Linkletter Dies at 97". Foxnews.com. May 26, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  21. ^ Aine McMahon (January 26, 2019). "Geldof and Fingers reach settlement over 'I Don't Like Mondays'". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Staff. "I Don't Like Mondays". Snopes.com. Snopes. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  23. ^ Clarke, Steve (October 18–31, 1979). The Fastest Lip on Vinyl. EMAP National Publications Ltd. pp. 6–7. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  24. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Electra Heart – Marina and the Diamonds". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  25. ^ "Man/Valerie 45". 45cat. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  26. ^ Richie Unterberger. "The Detergents | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  27. ^ Daryl W. Bullock (2015). Jimmy Cross: I Want My Baby Back. Bristol Green Publishing. ISBN 9781482624465. Retrieved April 10, 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  28. ^ Courrier, Kevin (March 22, 2019). Randy Newman's American Dreams. ECW Press. p. 104. ISBN 9781550226904. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ . MetroLyrics.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved July 20, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ "1972–1973 Obie Awards". infoplease.com. from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  31. ^ "The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun - Julie Brown". The Demented Music Database. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  32. ^ "The Jesus and Mary Chain – The Living End". Genius.com. Retrieved December 15, 2018.

External links edit

  • Oldies.about.com

teenage, tragedy, song, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, aug. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Teenage tragedy song news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message A teenage tragedy song is a style of ballad in popular music that peaked in popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s Examples of the style are also known as tear jerkers death discs or splatter platters 1 among other colorful sobriquets coined by DJs that then passed into vernacular as the songs became popular Often lamenting teenage death scenarios in melodramatic fashion these songs were often sung from the viewpoint of the dead person s sweetheart as in Last Kiss 2 1961 or another witness to the tragedy or the dead or dying person 1 Notable examples include Teen Angel by Mark Dinning 1959 Tell Laura I Love Her by Ray Peterson 1960 Ebony Eyes by the Everly Brothers 1961 Dead Man s Curve by Jan and Dean 1964 and Leader of the Pack by the Shangri Las 1964 3 The genre s popularity faded around 1965 as a mostly American phenomenon it was one of many musical styles drowned out by the British Invasion 4 but the hits from its heyday inspired a host of similar songs and parodies over the years Contents 1 Origins and format 2 Examples 3 Deathless themes 4 Satires and parodies 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksOrigins and format editBy the mid 1950s postwar youth culture in the U S was embracing rock and roll and the folk revival was also approaching its zenith the narrative style of many teenage tragedy songs had similarities to folk balladry 5 Prison ballads such as the Kingston Trio s Tom Dooley based on a folk song about a real murder and gunfighter ballads such as Johnny Cash s Don t Take Your Guns to Town and Marty Robbins El Paso with similar themes of death were also popular during the form s heyday El Paso was followed at 1 by two consecutive teenage tragedy songs Running Bear and Teen Angel The teen tragedy genre s popular era began with Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Released just before 24 year old actor James Dean s death in an automobile accident in the fall of 1955 it climbed the charts immediately afterward 6 Teenage tragedies had specific thematic 7 tropes such as star crossed lovers 7 reckless youth eternal devotion suicide and despair over lost love along with lyrical elements that teens of the time could relate to their own lives 5 such as dating motorcycles and automobiles car songs also being popular during the 1950s and disapproving parents or peers 3 8 Contemporary girl groups of the 60s also borrowed the genre s melodramatic template as well as the use of sound effects orchestration echo and other sonic touches for non fatal but otherwise tragic story songs such as Reparata and the Delrons over the top Saturday Night Didn t Happen and its B side Panic in 1968 In the Pussycats 1966 Dressed in Black co written by George Shadow Morton and originally a Shangri Las B side and in We Don t Belong by UK singer Sylvan 1965 the heartbreak and melancholy are palpable and in Sylvan s case nearly suicidal 4 Ethnomusicologist Kirsten Zemke considers these songs as forming a strictly musical genre that was bound by common thematic tropes musical style and production elements and as being particularly of their time As for their popularity she writes They sold well in their time and the style has persisted throughout the decades in various forms And they have an interesting history The question some writers have asked is why Some of the reasons suggested for this genre s macabre popularity are These were the ultimate teen rebellion songs The only way out of parents and or societal control and expectations was death They were a natural extension of the unrequited love song facilitated by the obvious rhyming of good bye cry and die There were a number of publicized deaths of pop stars and young actors during that period including Sam Cooke Johnny Ace Eddie Cochran and of course the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in 1959 This might explain the interest in songs around death tragedy and sorrow 9 Examples edit nbsp This is a dynamic list of songs and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries Title Original artist Year Songwriter s Synopsis Notes Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots The Cheers 1955 Jerry Leiber Mike Stoller Protagonist collides with speeding train presumed dead but never found U S 6 Endless Sleep Jody Reynolds 1958 Jody Reynolds Dolores Nance Man believes his girlfriend has drowned goes to the sea to do the same but finds and saves her Precursor of the genre 10 The song s original ending was to have the man s girlfriend die but it was changed at the request of the record company to give the song a happy ending U S 5 The Grave Tony Casanova 1958 Tony Casanova Boyfriend laments the death of his girlfriend cause of death unspecified Running Bear Johnny Preston 1959 J P Richardson The Big Bopper The couple drowns The chart success followed Richardson s own death in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens U S 1 The Ballad of Angel Bobby Swanson 1959 Bobby Swanson Narrator s girlfriend has died cause unspecified Teen Angel Mark Dinning 1959 Jean Dinning Red Surrey Couple s car stalls on railroad track boyfriend pulled girl out in time but she ran back to get his ring and got killed U S 1 Tell Laura I Love Her Ray Peterson 11 1960 Jeff Barry Ben Raleigh Protagonist dies in an automobile racing accident while trying to win the 1 000 prize money to buy an engagement ring Cover by Ricky Valance was 1 in the UK U S 7 The Water Was Red Johnny Cymbal 1960 Stanley Wagner Narrator meets girl on the beach then she dies in a shark attack Devastated the narrator picks up a knife and sets off to kill the shark in retribution Ebony Eyes The Everly Brothers 1961 John D Loudermilk Protagonist s fiancee dies in a plane crash on the way to the wedding U S 8 UK 1 Can 2 The Prom Del Shannon 1961 Del Shannon Narrator is on his way to the high school prom sees his date fatally injured in a car accident Moody River Pat Boone 1961 Gary D Bruce Singer s girlfriend commits suicide by drowning U S 1 Johnny Remember Me John Leyton 1961 Geoff Goddard Protagonist s girlfriend died a year ago cause unspecified he still misses her Produced by Joe Meek later covered by psychobilly band The Meteors UK 1 Last Kiss 2 Wayne Cochran amp the C C Riders 1961 Wayne Cochran Narrator s girlfriend dies in a traffic accident The J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers cover was a 1964 U S 2 Cover by Pearl Jam was a 1999 U S 2 Jimmy Love Cathy Carroll 1961 Jody Reynolds Bert Carroll Narrator walks home with her fiance lightning strikes a tree a branch breaks off and kills him Star Crossed Lovers The Mystics 1961 T Cooper amp E Zolas Young couple elope die in car crash B side of Goodbye Mr Blues The Ballad of Billy Brown Mort Doc Downey Jr 1961 Mort Downey Jr Boyfriend has unexpectedly died cause unspecified A Thousand Feet Below Terry Tyler 1961 C Miller Munn amp J W Foster Girlfriend commits suicide boyfriend blames himself but doesn t specify why decides to do it too Leah Roy Orbison 1962 Roy Orbison Protagonist thinks he s drowning while diving for pearls to give as love tokens wakes and realises it s a dream about his dead girlfriend U S 25 Can 7 Call Me Lonesome Arthur Alexander 1962 Arthur Alexander At a party another man dances with protagonist s girlfriend when challenged he stabs protagonist to death Unreleased until 1987 early version of Lonely Just Like Me Patches Dickey Lee 1962 Barry Mann Larry Kolber Patches commits suicide by drowning her boyfriend follows suit U S 6 Echo The Emotions 1962 The Emotions Henry Boye Narrator reminisces about the time he crashed a car and his girlfriend died Chapel Bells Ringing Gene Summers 1962 M Torver Protagonist s fiancee has died cause unspecified Oh Susie Forgive Me Kenny Karen 1962 Barry Mann amp Cynthia Weil Reckless boyfriend crashes car leaving girlfriend paraplegic he robs a store to fund her surgery gets shot by cops and lies dying at her feet as he realises she can walk after all The Pickup Mark Dinning 1962 Helen Carter Narrator on a first date feels overwhelmed by his strength of feeling for the girl is embarrassed so says he doesn t want to see her again she swiftly kills herself and he is sad B side of All of This for Sally Tragic Honeymoon Cody Brennan amp the Temptations 1962 Tony Lindauer Narrator recalls his friends newlyweds get distracted while driving crash and die Teenage Honeymoon Kenny Ancel 1962 Buddy Mize Newlyweds killed in a car crash A Tear for Jesse Jody Reynolds 1963 George R Brown Dennis Hardesty Couple try to elope but her parents catch them she commits suicide A Young Man Is Gone The Beach Boys 1963 Bobby Troup Mike Love Man dies in car crash Though it doesn t mention him by name it appears to refer to James Dean B J the D J Stonewall Jackson 1963 Hugh X Lewis Country music radio DJ gets little sleep and drives a poorly maintained car with fatal results U S Country 1 Dead Man s Curve Jan and Dean 1964 Jan Berry Roger Christian Brian Wilson Artie Kornfeld The protagonist is severely injured his racing opponent is killed U S 8 Terry Twinkle 1964 Lynn Ripley Twinkle Couple have an argument boy leaves on his motorcycle and fatally injures himself unclear if it was deliberate UK 4 4 Leader of the Pack The Shangri Las 1964 George Shadow Morton Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich Jimmy the titular motorcycle gang leader is killed in a motorcycle crash U S 1 Can 3 The Hero Bernadette Carroll 1964 B Nosal P Maheu Protagonist s fiance is a high school football player his team bus crashes and kills everyone aboard A regional airplay hit in North Carolina 1 Florida West Virginia and elsewhere 12 Laurie Strange Things Happen 13 Dickey Lee 1965 Milton Addington Cathie Harmon Narrator recounts a tale similar to the story of Resurrection Mary U S 14 Can 6 Give Us Your Blessings The Shangri Las 1965 Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich A girl s parents don t approve of her boyfriend the couple elope and both die in a car crash with an unspecified cause vision impeded by tears is suggested U S 29 Can 11 I Can Never Go Home Anymore The Shangri Las 1965 George Shadow Morton Following an argument with her mother the narrator runs away only to regret it when her mother dies of a broken heart U S 6 Can 2 A Young Girl of Sixteen Noel Harrison 1965 Charles Aznavour Oscar Brown Jr Robert Chauvigny Rich girl elopes with a man who eventually leaves her she dies in an unspecified manner From a French song recorded by Aznavour in 1959 14 and by Edith Piaf in 1951 U S 51 Can 5 Nightmare 15 Lori Burton The Whyte Boots 1966 Pam Sawyer Lori Burton Girl s boyfriend goes off with another girl goaded on by her friends she attacks the other girl and accidentally kills her The Whyte Boots were a fabricated girl group Burton sang lead and the track is on her 1967 LP Breakout 4 Ode to Billie Joe Bobbie Gentry 1967 Bobbie Gentry Local boy commits suicide narrator s family are somewhat indifferent U S 1 Can 1 Condition Red The Goodees 1968 Don Davis Freddie Briggs Girl s parents disapprove of her boyfriend he leaves on his motorcycle and immediately fatally crashes into a car U S 46 Can 14 4 Sweet Rosie Jones Buck Owens 1968 Buck Owens Protagonist s girlfriend falls for another man she says she d rather die than hurt you but it s unclear if she actually does die either way he plans to drown himself in response Title track from Owens album of the same name 2 US Country 4 CAN Country D O A Bloodrock 1971 Jim Rutledge Lee Pickens Ed Grundy Chris Taylor Stevie Hill Rick Cobb Protagonist was in a plane crash has lost both his arms and is now receiving medical attention but is about to die from his injuries U S 36 Seasons in the Sun Terry Jacks 1974 Jacques Brel Rod McKuen Man reflects on his life in light of his impending death English language adaptation of Brel s Le Moribond 16 CAN 1 US 1 UK 1 Emma Hot Chocolate 1974 Errol Brown Tony Wilson Teen sweethearts get married some time later the wife kills herself due to failure to be a film star U S 8 U K 3 Run Joey Run David Geddes 1975 Paul Vance amp Jack Perricone Protagonist gets his girlfriend pregnant her father goes after him with a gun girlfriend pleads with father for mercy father accidentally shoots daughter angels sing US Billboard 4 Cash Box 1 Canada 12 Hello This Is Joanie Paul Evans 1978 Paul Evans Fred Tobias Protagonist had a drunken argument with titular girlfriend and she left in anger and died in a car crash he consoles himself by listening to the outgoing message on her answering machine UK 6 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 1978 Jim Steinman Protagonist is a motorcyclist riding faster than any other boy has ever gone He is so involved that he never sees the sudden curve till it s way too late Drums and a roaring guitar indicate the crash The biker lies fatally injured torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike He can see his heart still beating Throughout the song the repeated line I ll be gone when the morning comes is a double entendre of leaving his lover and of his impending death 17 18 The song was inspired by as Leader of the Pack Terry and Tell Laura I Love Her Steinman wanted to write the most extreme crash song of all time 18 UK 8Deathless themes editTeenagers meeting with tragedy in song was not new in the 1950s or for that matter in the 1650s around the time Barbara Allen was popular In literature it has been a recurring and resonant theme over centuries most notably in William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet Another early example in song is Oh My Darling Clementine published in 1884 but based on earlier songs and apparently written as a parody 19 As popular music and the society it mirrored changed from the late 1960s onward the themes carried on in different forms and styles Songs and spoken word productions about the dangers of drug abuse joined the parade of pathos on radio airwaves ranging from three minute morality plays to lamentations from the parental perspective on the generation gap These include Once You Understand by Think U S 23 1971 and radio and TV host Art Linkletter s Grammy winning single We Love You Call Collect U S 42 1969 Recorded before his daughter Diane s apparent suicide in 1969 the record also included Diane speaking the reply Dear Mom and Dad 20 Into the 1970s as the Vietnam War continued hit ballads of youth and death included Terry Jacks No 1 hit Seasons in the Sun 1974 their protagonists of indeterminate age or slightly older than teens A song that was thought to have referenced the Civil War was Paper Lace s 1974 hit Billy Don t Be a Hero made a bigger hit in the U S by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods Hard rock acts recorded vehicular death scenarios such as D O A Bloodrock 1971 Detroit Rock City Kiss 1976 and Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 1977 Teenage tragedy would continue to chart through the 1970s In 1979 I Don t Like Mondays was written by Bob Geldof and Johnnie Fingers 21 inspired by the Grover Cleveland school shooting in San Diego that occurred while the Boomtown Rats were on tour in the U S 22 The song went to No 1 in the U K and No 4 in Canada 23 The Smiths 1987 song Girlfriend in a Coma also took inspiration from teenage tragedy songs by taking the melodramatic aspect and pushing it to extremes Some songs merely updated the sound of the previous era such as Racing Car by Dutch group Air Bubble 1976 while others used the melodic and stylistic tropes of teen tragedy in tougher grittier settings as in the Ramones You re Gonna Kill That Girl 1977 and 7 11 1981 and the Misfits Saturday Night 1999 Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds 2012 evoking an archetype of disenfranchised youth is a thematic heir to the original teen tragedy oeuvre 24 Satires and parodies editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Teenage tragedy song news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Notable parody songs satires and send ups of teen tragedy over the decades have included Let s Think About Living 1960 with Bob Luman mocking then current musical trends and trying to steer listeners away from the fascination with teenage death songs and gunfighter ballads Valerie a 1961 doo wop styled teen tragedy spoof by the Mark III a young folk trio 25 All I Have Left is Johnny s Hubcap on the 1962 parody album Mad Twists Rock n Roll produced in association with Mad magazine Surfin Tragedy 1963 by the Breakers in which a surfer careens 90 miles an hour into a Malibu pier killing him instantly It is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World s Worst Records Leader of the Laundromat by the Detergents 1964 a direct parody of the Shangri Las hit written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss The Detergents were a studio group that included singer Ron Dante later of the Archies 26 Jimmy Cross s I Want My Baby Back 1965 a novelty record about a fatal head on collision with The Leader of the Pack narrated in a down home patter reminiscent of Andy Griffith The single made the Billboard Hot 100 reaching 92 and became a cult classic years later from airplay on Dr Demento s syndicated radio show it is on the World s Worst Records compilation 27 and on Rhino s 1984 compilation LP Teenage Tragedies In a 1965 episode of The Lucy Show Lucy in the Music World Lucille Ball tried to appeal to teenagers with a song about a boyfriend whose surfboard came back by itself She had been advised that youth today aren t happy unless they re miserable 6 Death Cab for Cutie by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band 1967 the inspiration for the band of the same name Randy Newman s song Lucinda on his 1970 album 12 Songs concerns a girl who falls asleep on the beach in her graduation gown and is killed and buried by a beach cleaning machine 28 In John Entwistle s Roller Skate Kate from his 1973 album Rigor Mortis Sets In the heroine is killed while skating in the high speed lane of the motorway 10cc s 1973 song Johnny Don t Do It done in the style of early 1960s girl group songs with the trope of the bad boy who is good but misunderstood Johnny steals a motorcycle and hits a truck killing his girlfriend along with himself 29 Pizza Man a parody of Leader of the Pack sung by Alice Playten as part of the National Lampoon Lemmings stage show and subsequent album in 1973 30 Gilda Radner Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman recorded a song for season 2 of Saturday Night Live entitled Chevy Chevy which is a send up of teen tragedy presenting Chevy Chase as a teen idol citation needed On The Rich Little Show of March 8 1976 Tom Bosley and Sweathogs Lawrence Hilton Jacobs Robert Hegyes and Ron Palillo sang a parody of the genre called Pizza Death in which the simple minded driver of a pizzeria delivery van crashed affording the by standers an opportunity for free pizza My Baby s the Star of a Driver s Ed Movie a 1983 song by Blotto The Homecoming Queen s Got a Gun by comedian and singer Julie Brown Released nationally in 1984 the song along with an accompanying video in heavy MTV rotation was both a parody of the genre and a satire of valley girl culture 31 Tom Chapin and Michael Mark wrote a parody of a teenage tragedy song called The Battle Beast and Barbie for Chapin s 1994 album So Nice To Come Home Written in the parodic style of a 60s girl group tragedy ballad it involves two plastic toys who met by accident and fell in love only for Battle Beast to be shot down by Ken at the school prom The MST3K treatment of the 1996 film Werewolf included a sketch in which Mike and the bots dressed up as a girl group to sing Where O Werewolf about Suzy Mike in a doomed relationship with her werewolf boyfriend Road Man by Smash Mouth in which a roadie is hit by a train while rushing to get the band s gear to a show Rilo Kiley with lead singer Jenny Lewis recorded Teenage Love Song a genre parody in which the singer laments being abandoned by her boyfriend after having sex in a motel room In The Living End by the Jesus and Mary Chain a leather clad biker in love with himself ends up crashing into a tree 32 See also editTragedy Murder ballad Obituary poetry Star crossed lovers List of car crash songsReferences edit a b Alternative Love Songs from the Teenage Tragedy Vault NPR February 14 2016 Retrieved April 10 2016 a b Last Kiss The Incredible Convoluted Story Behind This Classic 1 Hit Forgotten Hits Retrieved April 9 2016 a b Luan Lawrenson Woods July 2 2013 Leader of the Pack The Popular Romance Project Retrieved April 8 2016 a b c d e Sheila Burgel 2005 One Kiss Can Lead to Another Song by Song Rhino Entertainment a b Todd Leopold March 30 2006 The teenager s death song CNN Retrieved April 10 2016 a b Splatter Platters A Look at Teenage Tragedy Songs Go Retro July 9 2013 Retrieved April 10 2016 a b Genre Rules with Dr Kirsten Zemke Teenage Coffin Songs 95bFM Auckland New Zealand November 18 2011 Retrieved April 15 2016 Rife Katie September 14 2016 Screeching tires and busting glass Defining the teen tragedy song in 60 minutes AV Club Zemke Kirsten September 22 2015 What the Genre Teenage Coffin Songs APRA AMCOS Retrieved April 15 2016 R Serge Denisoff 1989 Teen Angel Resistance Rebellion and Death Revisited In Timothy E Scheurer ed American Popular Music The age of rock Popular Press p 96 Ray Peterson balladeer of teenage tragedy Boston Globe January 29 2005 Retrieved April 9 2016 Ask Mr Music Jerryosborne com Retrieved April 18 2016 More Music Madness Teen death songs will never die NBC News September 14 2007 Retrieved April 15 2016 A Young Girl of 16 Lyricsplayground com Retrieved April 18 2016 Lori Burton Nightmare Mono Single Version Aquarium Drunkard October 3 2011 Retrieved April 9 2016 30 years since the death of Jacques Brel his life his art his legacy World Socialist Web Site Wsws org Retrieved March 27 2014 Meat Loaf commentary 2004 Meat Loaf Live with the Melbourne Symphone Orchestra DVD Melbourne Warner Music Vision a b Jim Steinman 1999 Classic Albums Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell DVD Image Entertainment Butler Andrew October 31 2014 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Palgrave Macmillan p 9 ISBN 9781844578375 Retrieved March 22 2019 via Google Books TV Show Host Art Linkletter Dies at 97 Foxnews com May 26 2010 Retrieved November 14 2012 Aine McMahon January 26 2019 Geldof and Fingers reach settlement over I Don t Like Mondays The Irish Times Retrieved August 21 2022 Staff I Don t Like Mondays Snopes com Snopes Retrieved August 21 2022 Clarke Steve October 18 31 1979 The Fastest Lip on Vinyl EMAP National Publications Ltd pp 6 7 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Monger James Christopher Electra Heart Marina and the Diamonds AllMusic Retrieved April 25 2014 Man Valerie 45 45cat Retrieved April 9 2016 Richie Unterberger The Detergents Biography AllMusic Retrieved July 12 2015 Daryl W Bullock 2015 Jimmy Cross I Want My Baby Back Bristol Green Publishing ISBN 9781482624465 Retrieved April 10 2016 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Courrier Kevin March 22 2019 Randy Newman s American Dreams ECW Press p 104 ISBN 9781550226904 Retrieved March 22 2019 via Google Books 10 Cc Johnny Don t Do It Lyrics MetroLyrics com Archived from the original on 2016 04 25 Retrieved July 20 2017 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link 1972 1973 Obie Awards infoplease com Archived from the original on September 17 2009 Retrieved November 27 2009 The Homecoming Queen s Got A Gun Julie Brown The Demented Music Database Retrieved April 8 2016 The Jesus and Mary Chain The Living End Genius com Retrieved December 15 2018 External links editOldies about com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Teenage tragedy song amp oldid 1189964025, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.