"Teen Angel" is a teenage tragedy song written by

Jean Dinning Jean Dinning (March 29, 1924 – February 22, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing, with her then-husband, Red Surrey, the 1959 hit song " Teen Angel", the most popular version of which was sung by her brother M ...

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 * Ja ...

) and #37 in the UK Singles Chart (even though it was banned from being played by the BBC). ''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" by Marty Robbins and "

Running Bear "Running Bear" is a teenage tragedy song written by Jiles Perry Richardson (a.k.a. The Big Bopper) and sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. The 1959 recording featured background vocals by George Jones and the session's producer Bi ...

" by

Johnny Preston John Preston Courville, known professionally as Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011), was an American rock and roll singer, best known for his international number one hit in 1960, "Running Bear". Life and career Born in Port Arth ...

, continued a string of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

tunes in which someone dies tragically.

Notable covers

*UK artists Alex Murray and Garry Mills 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 issued a parody with new lyrics called "Tame Eagle". *American rock and roll revival act Sha Na Na performed "Teen Angel" at the 1969 Woodstock festival. *In 1974, the Canadian band Wednesday 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 Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song "City of New Orleans", which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, ...

, who performed it along with " Tell Laura I Love Her" 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'' (set in 1962); as a representative hit song of the era, has been re-released on numerous compilation albums including the 1984 Rhino LP '' Teenage Tragedies''. It is referenced in the book '' Travels with Charley: In Search of America'' by

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

and in the song "Gone for Good" by the Shins.

Chart performance

All-time charts

References