Happy Music Monday! For some reason, there are like a billion songs all about teenagers who die in car crashes. Once you start really digging into the genre it's kinda weird. So, of course, Scott's spending another Monday doing some digging. Join in! And, um, wear your seatbelt.
I don't wanna say this song started the car crash craze, but it was certainly one of the earlier ones. And it sort of makes sense when you think about it. The idea of a teenager was sorta new in the 1950s, and certainly the post-war teens were the first generation to drive themselves to high school regularly. That mix of youth and rebellion led to accidents, accidents made the paper, and, well, we got some songs. And not just one song. Many songs. Many many many songs.
More crashes coming up. Drive safe, kids.
Ray Peterson - Tell Laura I Love Her
I include this one but if you don't, I'd understand. Because our hero Tommy entered himself into a car race he wasn't ready for, which means he really did this to himself legally. It's not quite the same as an accident on the highway, you know? But even still, this is a classic of teenage car crash heartbreak. So I think it deserves to stay.
Twinkle hits on two of my personal interests immediately: the "girl sound" soul and the "car crash" story. Like many late-period car crash stories, this one is narrated by the girl who was left behind. It really adds an extra special touch, doesn't it?
Jimmy Cross - I Want My Baby Back
Of course, as with any fad, you'll get a few people who just want it to end. This particular song is sometimes listed in "worst" lists, but the people who do that miss the point by a mile. Jimmy Cross is clearly poking fun at all the drama in a Weird Al sort of way, and if you can't figure that out by listening, it's kinda on you, critic. It's kinda on you.
Yes, even Pearl Jam got in on the craze, although they covered this classic a few decades after the craze had ended. But it just goes to show how many fans of dead teenagers there are, even among the children of those who survived. You ask me, we're overdue for another hit. Hey, Junkie XL, get on that!
Let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.