A Teenager In Love by Dion & The Belmonts

Album: Presenting Dion & The Belmonts (1959)

Charted: 28 5

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This song about a schoolboy with a delicate heart was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Like Dion & The Belmonts, Pomus and Shuman were from New York City. Other songs they wrote include "Save the Last Dance for Me," "Let's Live For Today" and "This Magic Moment."
Pomus and Shuman wrote in the offices of the Brill Building, where many pop hits of the '50s and '60 originated. The biggest consumers of pop music at the time were teenagers, and this song was clearly targeted to them.

"It was an assignment," Pomus told Bruce Pollock in 1974. We wrote the other side of that record too and I always liked it better. It was a song called 'I've Cried Before.' We had a song that we'd already written called 'Teenager In Love,' and Dion liked the lyric to it and wanted us to change the melody. So we just changed the melody."
Dion was a teenager when this was released, but he turned 20 about a month later. He was one of several teen idols of this era; others included Ricky Nelson, Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Ritchie Valens.

Comments: 11

David Roadman from Hyannis, MassachusettsI,'m so glad that DION AND THE BELMONTS survived the Winter Dance party!
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1959 {July 10th} Marty Wilde's covered version of "A Teenage In Love" peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} on the United Kingdom's National Music Express* chart, for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Dream Lover" by Bobby Darin...
And across the pond at the time, Dion and the Belmont's version of "A Teenage In Love" was at position #19 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, seven weeks earlier it had peaked at #5 {for 1 week}...
Between 1958 and 1962 Marty Wilde had thirteen records on the U.K. Singles chart, six made the Top 10 with the above "A Teenage In Love" being his biggest hit...
Besides "A Teenage In Love", his five other Top 10 records were "Endless Sleep' {#4 in 1958}, "Donna" {#3 in 1959}, "Sea of Love" {#3 in 1959}, "Bad Boy" {#7 in 1959}, and "Rubber Ball" {#9 in 1961}...
Marty Wilde, born Reginald Leonard Smith, celebrated his 81st birthday three months ago on April 15th, 2020...
* And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the U.K. NME's Top 10 on July 10th, 1959:
At #3. "Battle Of New Orleans" by Lonnie Donegan
#4. "Roulette" by Russ Conway
#5. "A Fool Such As I"/"I Need Your Love Tonight" by Elvis Presley
#6. "Peter Gunn" by Duane Eddy
#7. "Personality" by Anthony Newley
#8. "I've Waited So Long" by Anthony Newley
#9. "Personality" by Lloyd Price
#10. "Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye" by Ruby Murray
Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm
Carlo Mastrangelo, founding member and lead singer of the Belmonts after the departure of Dion, died Monday (April 4th, 2016) near his home in Boca Raton, Florida from an undisclosed illness, he was 77...
The group-- named for Belmont Avenue in New York, was paired with Dion DiMucci in 1958. Bronx native Carlo sang bass on tunes like "I Wonder Why" (#22 in 1958), "A Teenager In Lover" (#5 in 1959), and "Where Or When" (#3 in 1960) until Dion's departure for a solo career in 1960. Carlo moved up to lead singer on songs like "Tell Me Why" (#18 in 1961) and "Come On Little Angel" (#28 in 1962) but left himself for a solo career as "Carlo" in 1962 after a dispute with the group over the finances of their self-owned label. He never charted again in the U.S., either solo or with his later group, the Endless Pulse (later, Pulse). He did however, work with Dion again as a backup musician and songwriting partner from 1964 to 1966. In 1972, Dion and the Belmonts reunited at Madison Square Garden in New York for an oldies show that was recorded and released as an album...
May he R.I.P.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyNote: this post just concerns the Belmonts without Dion...
On February 15th 1963, the Belmonts were one of the acts* to appear in concert at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
Just under two months later on April 14th the trio's 'Ann-Marie" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #90, the following week it rose two positions to #88, and then on its third and final week on the Top 100 it peaked at #86...
"Ann-Marie" was the trio's sixth and last Top 100 record; their biggest hit was their debut record, "Tell Me Why", it peaked at #18 {for 2 weeks} on July 10th, 1961... And just for the heck of it, earlier in 1961 Jackie Wilson charted with a record title "Please Tell Me Why", it reached #20...
* Other acts on the bill were Jackie Wilson, Bobby Rydell, the Jive five, the Rocky Fellers, the '5' Royales, and Little Anthony & the Imperials.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 9th 1959, Dion & the Belmonts performed "Don't Pity Me" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand...
At the time the song was at #40 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart, that was also its peak position the chart and remained there for 1 week, and spent a total of 12 weeks on the Top 100...
On the same 'Bandstand' show they also performed their next release, "A Teenager in Love", it would enter the Top 100 three months later...
{See next post below}.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 1st 1959, Dion and the Belmonts performed "A Teenager In Love" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
Two months earlier on April 14th, 1959 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #5 and spent 15 weeks on the Top 100...
Between 1958 and 1960 the group had nine Top 100 records; two made the Top 10, with "Where or When" being their biggest hit, it peaked at #3 (for 1 week) on February 8th, 1960...
R.I.P. Belmont Fred Milano (1939 - 2012) and Dion, born Dion Francis DiMucci, will celebrate his 75th birthday next month on July 18th, 2014.
Steve from King City, CaTeddy, One of the most beautiful doo-wop songs ever recorded was recorded while you were the lead singer of the Concords in 1964. That song was "Should I cry". If there was ever a song which epitomized the doo-wop era that would be the one in my opinion.
Teddy from Brooklyn, Nydion&the belmonts where one of the best street corner groups to come out of n.y.c.and they have inspired many of us who would sing down on the street corner and in the hall ways... trying to emulate the songs we would hear on the radio.I am grateful to have had the chance to live in such a time&place where the music was simple,heartfelt;and timeless...thank you dion&the belmonts!
teddy grable...{lead singer of the concords 1963-1966}
Rollie from Philadelphia, PaHasn't this song also been song in Japanese? I often here it song in other languages.
Doug from Oakland, CaTeenager In Love is a magnificent song that thrills me today after 47 years.The Ooh,ooh,ahoo,ooh,intro is superb and Dion sings it like he really MEANS it.
Lester from New York City, NyDion (DiMucci) & The Belmonts were all friends from the area around the very Italian neighborhood around Belmont Ave in the Bronx, an area I lived not too far away from 12 years after the release of this song. I was nine years old when 'Teenager in Love' came out. Still remember Dion, The Belmonts, and Dion & The Belmonts very fondly.

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