Teenage tragedy song

The "teenage tragedy song", also known as death rock, "tear jerker" or a "splatter platter", is a style of ballad that was most popular between the late 1950s and early 1960s. These songs lamented tragic teenage death and were either sung from the viewpoint of the dead person's sweetheart or from the viewpoint of the dead (or dying) person.

Contents

Examples

Title Original artist Year Notes
"Black Denim Trousers" The Cheers 1955 U.S. #6
"Endless Sleep" Jody Reynolds 1958 U.S. #5, precursor of the genre, sweetheart is rescued in final chorus
"El Paso" Marty Robbins 1959 U.S. #1
"Running Bear" Johnny Preston 1959 U.S. #1
"Teen Angel" Mark Dinning 1959 U.S. #1 in 1960, considered the primary prototype of the genre
"Tell Laura I Love Her" Ray Peterson 1960 U.S. #7, cover by Ricky Valance was #1 in the U.K.
"Ebony Eyes" The Everly Brothers 1961 U.S. #8, U.K. #1
"Moody River" Pat Boone 1961 U.S. #1
"Patches" Dickey Lee 1962 U.S. #6
"Leah" Roy Orbison 1962 U.S. #25
"Chapel Bells Ringing" Gene Summers 1962
"Last Kiss" Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders 1962 Cover by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers was a 1964 U.S. #2
Cover by Pearl Jam was a 1999 U.S. #2
"A Young Man Is Gone" The Beach Boys 1963
"Dead Man's Curve" Jan and Dean 1964 U.S. #8
"Terry" Twinkle 1964 U.K. #4
"Leader of the Pack" The Shangri-Las 1964 U.S. #1
"Laurie (Strange Things Happen)" Dickey Lee 1965 U.S. #14
"Give Us Your Blessing" The Shangri-las 1965 U.S. #29
"I Can Never Go Home Anymore" The Shangri-las 1965 U.S. #6
"A Young Girl" Noel Harrison 1965 U.S. #51. Originally a French song co-written and recorded by Charles Aznavour.
"Green, Green Grass of Home" Tom Jones 1966 U.S. #11, U.K. #1
"Ode to Billie Joe" Bobbie Gentry 1967 U.S. #1
"Death Cab for Cutie" Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 1967
"Condition Red" The Goodees 1968 U.S. #46
"The Visitations" White Noise 1969
"Once You Understand" Think 1971 U.S. #23
"D.O.A." Bloodrock 1971 U.S. #36 despite many radio stations choosing to not play
"Billy Don't Be a Hero" Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods 1974 U.S. #1
"Seasons in the Sun" Terry Jacks 1974 U.S. #1. A reworking of "Le moribond'" aka "The Dying Friend" by Jacques Brel
"Emma" Hot Chocolate 1974 U.S. #8
"I Was in Love with Danny (But the Crowd Was in Love with Dean)" Kimi and Ritz 1975 Rare U.K. single by Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O'Brien and his former wife, Kimi Wong
"Run Joey Run" David Geddes 1975 U.S. #4
"Rocky" Austin Roberts 1975 U.S. #9
"You're Gonna Kill That Girl" Ramones 1977 Released on album Leave Home
"Tuttie Fruttie Alice" Elton Motello 1978 Released on the album Victim of Time
"Hello This Is Joanie" Paul Evans 1978 U.K. #6
"Back of My Mind" Breathless (led by Jonah Koslen) 1980 Released on the album Nobody Leaves This Song Alive (EMI-America Records). Tells the story from the bereaved boyfriend's viewpoint of a young girl's death while undergoing an abortion.
"7-11" Ramones 1981 Released on the album Pleasant Dreams
"Blasphemous Rumours" Depeche Mode 1984
"A Girl Like Emmylou" Southern Pacific 1986 Top 20 country hit
"Girlfriend in a Coma" The Smiths 1987 U.K. #13
"18 and Life" Skid Row 1989 U.S. #4
"Hazard" Richard Marx 1991 U.S. #9, U.K. #3, Australia #1
"Jeremy" Pearl Jam 1992 Inspired by a high school student who killed himself in front of his classmates
"Saturday Night" The Misfits 1999 Released on the album Famous Monsters
"Adam's Song" Blink-182 1999
"Stan" Eminem 2000 U.K. #1
"Days of Graduation" Drive-By Truckers 2001 A first person narrative about a fatal car crash the night before the victims' high school graduation.
"Crazy Cat Corner" Gene Summers 2004 available on 2004 CD release
"Not Now" Blink-182 2004
"His Pecs Were So God" Death Falcon 2006
"Who Knew" P!nk 2006 Re-released in 2007
"Star Crossed" Scary Kids Scaring Kids 2007 Nobody actually dies
"Teenage Tragedy" Dive 2009
"Joey" Sugarland 2009
"Death of a Surfer Girl" L.Stadt 2010

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is considered sometimes teenage tragedy, due to some of the lyrics talking about a young man about to be executed. Some of the songs in The Who's Tommy are also considered of this genre (though the protagonist, Tommy Walker, does not die, he suffers from mistreatment).

Precedents

Two songs by Stephen Foster, the 19th century "father of American music," are said to have a similar basis. The lyrics to "Gentle Annie" long for a young sweetheart who is said, in some sources, to be inspired by the death of a young woman in an accident, and in "Beautiful Dreamer" (Foster's last song) the singer begs his beautiful dreamer to awake because 'Then will all clouds of sorrow depart'.

Satires/Parodies

See also

External links

References