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RAY PETERSON: TELL LAURA I LOVE HER

In 1960, acampaign was started in the UK to ban the American hit, teenage tragedy tune "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Peterson. The song was being denounced in the press as likely to inspire a teen-age "glorious death cult".
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On this day, 13 September, 59 years ago, a campaign was started in the UK to ban the American hit, teenage tragedy tune “Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ray Peterson. The song was being denounced in the press as likely to inspire a teen-age “glorious death cult.”

Released in 1960 on RCA Victor Records, reaching #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it has been a hit in 14 countries and has sold over seven million copies.

The story told of a lovesick youngster, Tommy, who drives in a stock car race to win the hand of his sweetheart, Laura. He crashes, totally injured, and just before dying, groans out the words “Tell Laura I love her … My love for her will never die.”

An answer song, “Tell Tommy I Miss Him,” was released by Marilyn Michaels in 1960. A year later country singer Skeeter Davis released the same song on her album Here’s The Answer.

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Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.
Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.

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