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"Teen Angel" is a
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", among other colorful sobriquet ...
written by
Jean Dinning and her husband, Red Surrey. It was performed by Jean's brother,
Mark Dinning, and released in October 1959.
The record was not an instant success, with some radio stations in the U.S. banning the song, considering it too sad. Nevertheless, despite the reluctance of radio stations, the song continued to climb the charts. In the last week of 1959, the single jumped from #100 to #50 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It went on to reach #1 on the U.S.
''Billboard'' Hot 100 (February
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Jan ...
) and #37 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
(even though it was banned from being played by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
).
''Billboard'' ranked it as the #5 song of 1960.
Storyline
The song is about a girl and her boyfriend (the song's narrator) who go out for a ride together. He pulls her to safety when their car is stalled on a railroad track in the path of an oncoming train. But then she runs back to the car, and is killed in the collision. When her body is recovered, the narrator's high school class ring is in her hand, which was apparently the reason she ran back. The last verse ends with the lyrics: "I'll never kiss your lips again/They buried you today." The final line in the coda asks the Teen Angel to: "Answer me, please."
"Teen Angel" and its two predecessors at the Hot 100's top spot, "
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
" by
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...
and "
Running Bear" by
Johnny Preston, continued a string of
pop tunes in which someone dies tragically.
Notable covers
*UK artists
Alex Murray and
Garry Mills
Garry Mills (also Gary Mills) (born 13 October 1941 in West Wickham, Kent, England) is a former British pop singer.
Mills had three hits on the UK Singles Chart in the early 1960s. Released on Top Rank Records in 1960, these were "Look for a S ...
each separately covered "Teen Angel" in February 1960, issuing their versions in the UK at the same time as Dinning in an effort to have the UK hit with the song. Their versions both missed the charts, however, while Dinning's made it to #37 UK.
*In late 1960,
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...
issued a parody with new lyrics called "Tame Eagle".
*American
rock and roll revival The rock and roll revival was a back-to-basics musical trend of the late 1960s and early 1970s, in a sort-of backlash against the heavier and psychedelic rock sounds then in vogue.
History
As the Sixties ended, several early rock and rollers like ...
act
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...
performed "Teen Angel" at the 1969
Woodstock festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquar ...
.
*In 1974, the Canadian band
Wednesday
Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In countries which have Friday as their holiday, Wednesday is the fifth day of the week. In countrie ...
released its own take on "Teen Angel" much like it had done with "Last Kiss". But rather than it being a remake of the original, the storyline of the 1974 version reverses the role. After losing his girlfriend some time before, the 16-year-old boy loses his life in the same manner as the girl in the 1960 song (and the song in this case is narrated by a group of the boy's friends, rather than an individual). Their version reached #79 in the U.S. and #16 in Canada.
*The song was included in a medley by
Steve Goodman, who performed it along with "
Tell Laura I Love Her
"Tell Laura I Love Her" is a teenage tragedy song written by Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh. It was a US top ten popular music hit for singer Ray Peterson in 1960 on RCA Victor Records, reaching No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Later th ...
" and "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)" in what he referred to as "dead girl songs".
[ Goodman, Steve. "Medley: Born to Be Wild/Teen Angel/Tell Laura I Love Her/Strange Things Happen" ''No Big Surprise'', Disc 2, Track 16.]
*It was also included in a medley by John Sebastian on his ''Cheapo Cheapo Productions'' album (1971), though not credited in the sleeve notes.
Legacy
The original
Mark Dinning recording is featured in the 1973 film ''
American Graffiti
''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronny ...
'' (set in 1962); as a representative hit song of the era, has been re-released on numerous compilation albums including the 1984
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
LP ''
Teenage Tragedies
''Teenage Tragedies'' (aka ''Teenage Tragedy'') is a compilation album of teen tragedy songs released on Rhino Records in 1984.
Release data
The album was conceived and compiled by Rhino Records co-founder Richard Foos. Boasting some "of the bo ...
''.
It is referenced in the book ''
Travels with Charley: In Search of America'' by
John Steinbeck and in the song "Gone for Good" by
the Shins
The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...
.
Chart performance
All-time charts
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one songs of 1960
References
{{The Dinning Sisters
1959 singles
1960 singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Teenage tragedy songs
Vehicle wreck ballads
1959 songs
MGM Records singles
Censorship of music
Wednesday (band) songs
Mark Dinning songs
Songs banned by the BBC