1960 Hit Song, Known as the Saddest of All Time, Was Banned From the Radio 66 Years Ago
"Tell Laura I Love Her" was a hit 1960 song written by Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh. It was originally recorded by Ray Peterson, and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was later released by Ricky Valance, and rose to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
The classic song, which sold over seven million copies, is about a teenage tragedy. It tells the story about a young man who is in love with a woman named Laura. He enters a stock car race in the hopes of winning prize money to buy her a wedding ring, so they can get married. However, his car bursts into flames and his final words are about how much he loves her.
Despite its popularity, the song was banned by the BBC soon after being released for being in bad taste since it was about the death of a teenager. Some were also worried that the song would inspire "copycat activity" by fans.
Some of the lyrics include: "No one knows what happened that day, how his car overturned in flames. But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck, with his dying breath they heard him say, ‘Tell Laura I love her. Tell Laura I need her. Tell Laura not to cry. My love for her will never die.'"
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To this day, there are still many fans of this song. The YouTube video of the Ray Peterson version, which has over 10 million views, has comments like: "How can anyone with a heartbeat not cry listening to this song?" Another simply said, "This is the saddest song of all time."
After the popularity of Valance's version of the song, Peterson re-released the single in 1962. The song was also covered by Italian singer Michele in 1967, but the lyrics were changed so that the story was about Tony, not Tommy.
Throughout his career, Peterson also sang songs like "Corrine, Corrina" and "The Wonder of You." He died of colon cancer in 2005 at the age of 69.
Although "Tell Laura I Love Her" was Valance's biggest hit, he also recorded songs like "Once Upon a Time," "Lipstick on Your Lips," and "Jimmy's Girl." He died at the age of 84 in 2020 after a battle with dementia.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 8:46 AM.