# Teenage tragedy song

**Section:** 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 |