Teenage tragedy song
Examples

Title
Original artist
Year
Songwriter(s)
Notes
"Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots"
The Cheers
1955
Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
U.S. #6. Protagonist disappears, presumed dead but never found.
"Endless Sleep"
Jody Reynolds
1958
Jody Reynolds, Dolores Nance
U.S. #5, precursor of the genre.
"Running Bear"
Johnny Preston
1959
J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper)
U.S. #1
"Teen Angel"
Mark Dinning
1959
Jean Dinning, Red Surrey
U.S. #1
"Tell Laura I Love Her"
Ray Peterson
1960
Jeff Barry, Ben Raleigh
U.S. #7, cover by Ricky Valance was #1 in the UK. Protagonist dies in an automobile racing accident.
"Ebony Eyes"
The Everly Brothers
1961
John D. Loudermilk
U.S. #8, UK #1, Can. #2
"Johnny Remember Me"
John Leyton
1961
Geoff Goddard
UK #1, produced by Joe Meek; later covered by psychobilly band The Meteors
"Moody River"
Pat Boone
1961
Gary D. Bruce
U.S. #1. Singer's girlfriend commits suicide by drowning.
"The Water Was Red"
Johnny Cymbal
1961
Stanley Wagner
-
"The Prom"
Del Shannon
1961
Del Shannon
-
"Leah"
Roy Orbison
1962
Roy Orbison
U.S. #25, Can. #7
"Call Me Lonesome"
Arthur Alexander
1962
Arthur Alexander
Unreleased until 1987; early version of "Lonely Just Like Me"
"Patches"
Dickey Lee
1962
Barry Mann, Larry Kolber
U.S. #6
"Echo"
The Emotions
1962
The Emotions, Henry Boye
-
"Chapel Bells Ringing"
Gene Summers
1962
M. Torver
-
"Last Kiss"
Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders
1962
Wayne Cochran
Cover by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers was a 1964 U.S.
"A Young Man Is Gone"
The Beach Boys
1963
Bobby Troup, Mike Love
-
"B.J. the D.J."
Stonewall Jackson
1963
Hugh X. Lewis
U.S. Country #1
"Dead Man's Curve"
Jan and Dean
1964
Jan Berry, Roger Christian, Brian Wilson, Artie Kornfeld
U.S. #8. The protagonist survives but is severely injured; his racing opponent is killed.
"Terry"
Twinkle
1964
Lynn Ripley (Twinkle)
UK #4
"Leader of the Pack"
The Shangri-Las
1964
George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
U.S. #1, Can. #3
"The Hero"
Bernadette Carroll
1964
B. Nosal, P. Maheu
a regional airplay hit in North Carolina (#1), Florida, West Virginia and elsewhere
"Laurie (Strange Things Happen)"
Dickey Lee
1965
Milton Addington, Cathie Harmon
U.S. #14, Can. #6
"Give Us Your Blessings"
The Shangri-Las
1965
Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
U.S. #29, Can. #11
"I Can Never Go Home Anymore"
The Shangri-Las
1965
George "Shadow" Morton
U.S. #6, Can. #2
"A Young Girl of Sixteen"
Noel Harrison
1965
Charles Aznavour, Oscar Brown Jr., Robert Chauvigny
U.S. #51, Can. #5. From a French song also recorded by Aznavour in 1959 and by Edith Piaf in 1951
"Nightmare"
Lori Burton/ The Whyte Boots
1966
Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton
"The Whyte Boots" were a fabricated girl group; Burton sang lead and the track is on her 1967 LP Breakout
"Ode to Billie Joe"
Bobbie Gentry
1967
Bobbie Gentry
U.S. #1, Can. #1
"Condition Red"
The Goodees
1968
Don Davis, Freddie Briggs
U.S. #46, Can. #14
"Emma"
Hot Chocolate
1974
Errol Brown, Tony Wilson
U.S. #8, U.K. #3
"Seasons in the Sun"
Terry Jacks
1974
Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen
An English-language adaptation of Brel's song "Le Moribond" US #1, UK #1
"Run Joey Run"
David Geddes
1975
Paul Vance & Jack Perricone
US Billboard #4, Cash Box #1; Canada #12
"Hello, This Is Joanie"
Paul Evans
1978
Paul Evans, Fred Tobias
UK #6

Question: What are teenage tragedy songs that were made in 1959?
Answer: Teenage tragedy songs from 1959 are "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston and "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning.