"A Teenager in Love" is a song written by

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall ...

and partner

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

. It was originally recorded by Dion and the Belmonts, and released in March 1959. It appeared on their album ''Presenting Dion and the Belmonts'' (1959). It reached number 5 on the '' Billboard'' pop charts. The song was covered by many different artists; in 1959, three different versions of the song charted simultaneously in the UK, the other two versions being by

Marty Wilde Marty Wilde, (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s hit singles including " Endless Sl ...

and

Craig Douglas Craig Douglas (born Terence Perkins, 13 August 1941) is an English pop singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His sole UK chart-topper, " Only Sixteen" (1959), sold more copies in the UK than Sam Cooke's original version. C ...

, which reached No. 2 and No. 13 respectively on the British chart.

Background

The song was written by the songwriting duo

and

commissioned by

Laurie Records Laurie Records was a record label established in New York City in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separate acts), ...

, originally intended for the doo-wop singing group

The Mystics The Mystics are an American rock and roll group that began in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the late 1950s. The group was known as The Overons, a quintet that, when signed to Laurie Records, consisted of Phil Cracolici (born 1937, lead) ...

. Laurie Records, however, gave the song to Dion & The Belmonts instead to record, and Pomus and Shuman then quickly wrote another song, " Hushabye" for the Mystics. Dion initially thought the song sounded "wimpy", but then realized the sound the song has when the Belmonts starting singing "ooh-wah" at the start of the song. "A Teenager in Love" was released with "I've Cried Before" its B-side in April 1959, and peaked at No. 5 in May. The song has appeared on multiple "best of" compilation albums by Dion and the Belmonts.

Charts

Cover versions and other uses

Many artists covered "A Teenager in Love" including:

The Fleetwoods The Fleetwoods were an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington whose members were Gary Troxel (born November 28, 1939), Gretchen Christopher (born February 29, 1940), and Barbara Ellis (born February 20, 1940). Early history The band mem ...

(1961), Helen Shapiro (1963),

Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York City to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in r ...

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

(1965),

Lou Christie Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American pop and soft rock singer-songwriter known for several hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 US chart-topper "Lightnin' Strikes" and 1969 ...

(1965),

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 ...

(1969), 10cc (as a one-off single released under alternative band name Rubber Duckie in 1973), The Mutations (on ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...

'' in 1976), Less Than Jake (on their 2002 album ''Goodbye Blue & White''),

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

(as a B-side to their 2002 single "

By the Way ''By the Way'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released July 9, 2002, on Warner Bros. Records. It sold more than 286,000 copies in its first week, and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. Si ...

" and on their 2012 compilation album '' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Covers EP''), the Overtones (on their 2013 album ''Saturday Night at the Movies'') and

The Regrettes The Regrettes is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles. The band is led by frontwoman Lydia Night. They released three studio albums on Warner Bros. Records: '' Feel Your Feelings Fool!'' (2017), '' How Do You Love?'' (2019), and '' Furt ...

(on their 2018 EP '' Attention Seeker''). The song was performed by Simon & Garfunkel in 1970, during their final show as a recording duo at

Forest Hills Tennis Stadium The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, Har-Tru, grass court and hardcourt), a junior O ...

in Queens, New York City. It is also featured as a playable song in the

Nintendo Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

game '' Rayman Raving Rabbids 2''.

The Fugs The Fugs are an American rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by the poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of The Holy Modal Rounders. Ku ...

parodied "A Teenager In Love" as "Septuagenarian in Love" on ''The Fugs Final CD Part 1''. This version turns the teenager into a senior citizen who is having trouble getting an erection.

The Four Preps The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included " 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", " Big Man", "Lazy ...

parodied the song in "More Money for You and Me". In January 2021, Musidix made a Latin version of the song, titled "Un Chico Enamorado".

References

External links

Songs by Doc Pomus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teenager in Love, A Songs about teenagers 1959 songs 1959 singles Songs with lyrics by Doc Pomus Songs with music by Mort Shuman Dion DiMucci songs The Fleetwoods songs Helen Shapiro songs The Muppets songs Less Than Jake songs Red Hot Chili Peppers songs Laurie Records singles