Music has been a part of my life for all of my life.
It started with my mother playing all the songs by Hank Williams as well as Eddie Arnold’s “Lonesome Cattle Call” tune.
My older brother introduced me to Jazz with “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck, and then the most famous Rock & Roll singing group ever who gave us “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
I contributed to the 1960s music as a 17-year-old who harmonized with a Doo Wop group called the Five Jaunts that sang two songs on a Rock & Roll dance show. The recording was preserved by the lead singer’s future wife and still gets lots of smiles when I hear it.
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But none of the music ever made me feel so shockingly sad until I listened to three songs. They were “Teen Angel,” “Last Kiss” and my favorite “Tell Laura I Love Her.”
Teen Angel
“Teen Angel” is a 1959 tragedy song about a girl and her boyfriend in a ride together. He pulls her from their car as it stalls on a railroad track in the path of an oncoming train. But she runs back to the car and is killed in the collision.
When her body is recovered, the boy’s high school class ring is in clutched 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.”
Tell Laura I Love Her
“Tell Laura I Love Her” tells the tragic story of Tommy who is in love with Laura and wants to marry her, so he enters a stock car race, despite being the youngest and most inexperienced driver, hoping to win and use the prize money to buy Laura a wedding ring.
The second verse tells how his car overturns and bursts into flames, although nobody knows what had happened. Tommy is fatally injured and his last words are “Tell Laura I love her… My love for her will never die“.
In the final verse, Laura prays inside the chapel, where a church organ is heard, and where she can still hear Tommy’s voice intoning the title one more time, before it fades out.
Last Kiss
Debuting in 1964. “Last Kiss” tells of a teenager who borrows his father’s car to take his girlfriend on a date and comes upon a stalled car in the road. Unable to stop, the boy swerves to the right to avoid it, loses control, and crashes, knocking his girlfriend and himself unconscious.
The singer regains consciousness and then finds his girlfriend, still lying unconscious. She regains partial consciousness, smiles, and asks the singer to “hold me, darling, for a little while.” The singer then gives her a last kiss as she dies.
In the song’s chorus, the singer vows to be a good person so that he may reunite with his love when he dies, believing she has made it into Heaven.
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(Red-tinted above words provide a history of each song as well as the tune itself.)
Contoveros 
These are deeply moving songs. I also love that you were part of a band. ❤️Thank you for sharing this part of your history with us, Micheal.
Have a wonderful Sunday. ❤️
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So beautiful and of course you had part in a band! Giggle Giggle is there nothing you can’t do! Such an inspiration 🤗Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us and thank you for sharing your memories and life too. I always look forward to a blog From you! Hope all is well 🤗
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Part of a music Group I meant to say 😁🎶🎵🎶
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I loved to harmonize and was the first person the dance show host asked a question while calling me the “Boom-Boom Man” because I sang bass. I have a recording of the songs and play if for the grandkids every now and then.
Writing has allways been fun for me and I feel good when I can share thoughts and feelings with you and others here on WordPress.
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I had a bit of a “giggle” when I first read your reference to my “band.” Thanks NickiHealsPayne!
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The following messages were shared on the Next-Door Website:
Gretchen L.
·West Conshohocken
You have posted this 4 times today. This is considered spam and will be removed. One post is sufficient.
Michael J Contos
Author
·Conshohocken
Sorry about posting it more than once Gretchen. I had trouble with the Next-Door site and could not figure if the original post was posted. That’s when I kept trying again and again.
Gretchen L.
West Conshohocken
That makes sense Micxhael J. Just wanted you to be aware in case you wondered why they were removed.
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Susan Stein
Ambler / Lower Gwynedd
I remember the 1st 2 of these. They always choked me up. The 3rd I don’t think I ever heard.
Michael J Contos
Author
Conshohocken
Susan, I’m glad to hear that someone else remembers some of the songs. They still mean a lot to me some 60 years after their publications.
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Oh… I don’t associate music with such sadness. But I get it. Wow. I use music for joy. For happiness. This post almost made me tear… wow. What a sad song. The power of music! Storytelling… the impact. Incredible!
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I totally agree with you Carmen. Music should bring us happiness and joy but ,on rare occassion, a slight tear as we try to remember how sad life could be when losing a loved one.
I was drawn into writing this when thinking about the aging process and how someone would try to remember me if somethig tragic like the songs above would ever happen to me or one of my love ones.
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