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 |
| 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).
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'.