Analysis of TELL LAURA I LOVE HER BY RAY PETERSON written by Irfan Suryana



TELL LAURA I LOVE HER
BY RAY PETERSON

 (Image is from Google)

A. Glance of the Song
         Single by Ray Peterson
         Released: 1960
         Genre: Pop
         Length: 2:50 minutes
         Label: RCA Victor
         Writer(s): Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh
         Producer(s): Hugo&Luigi
         Was an American Top Ten popular music hit for singer Ray Petersons in 1960 on RCA Victor Records.
         Was a tragic song.
         Reaching #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
         Has been a hit in 14 countries, and has sold over seven million copies.

B. Analysis (The Lyric)
Laura and Tommy were lovers
Laura and Tommy loved each other
He wanted to give her everything flowers, presents, but most of all, a wedding ring
Because Tommy loved her very much, he intended to give her anything for her happiness.
He thought to give her flowers, presents, and the most important thing was a wedding ring.
He saw a sign for a stock car race
One day, he saw an announcement in the championship of car racing
A thousand dollar prize it read
There was a prize money in the amount of one thousand dollars.
He couldn't get Laura on the phone
He wanted to participate in the championship because if he won, he could use the money to buy Laura anything, especially a wedding ring
So to her mother, Tommy said
Unfortunately, he could not call Laura to tell about that so he called her mother.
Tell Laura I love her
Tommy would actually say his feeling to Laura that he loved her
Tell Laura I need her
He wanted to say that he needed her
Tell Laura I may be late
He also wanted her to know that he might not be able to meet her on time
I've something to do, that cannot wait
He had to compete in the race so that he was busy
He drove his car to the racing grounds
He drove his car to the circuit because the race was about to start
He was the youngest driver there
He was the youngest racer in the championship.
The crowed roared as they started the race
The atmosphere was very lively when the race started because of the spectators’ yell
Around the track they drove at a deadly pace
During the race, the racers drove on the dangerous tracks
No one knows what happened that day
Or how his car overturned in flames
Suddenly, an incident happened and no one knew exactly what the cause was
They saw Tommy’s car was on fire
But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck
Many people tried to help by pulling him out of his damaged car
With his dying breath, they heard him say
At that time, they heard him say something, although he could hardly breathe
Tell Laura I love her
He asked them to tell Laura that he loved her
Tell Laura I need her
He wanted to let her know that he needed her
Tell Laura not to cry
He did not want her to cry over his condition
My love for her will never die
They could also hear that he spoke that his love for Lura would always exist. After that, he died
Now in the chapel where Laura prays
Hearing his deatrh, Laura was sad and could only pray in the chapel
For her poor Tommy, who passed away
She did it for her beloved Tommy who left her tragically
It was just for Laura he lived and died
Because of his big love for laura, he lived and died
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry
She cried over his death and no one who was with her in the chapel
 
C. Story
         "Tell Laura I Love Her" is the tragic story of a teenage boy named Tommy who is desperately in love with a girl named Laura.
         Although they are only teenagers, he wants to marry her, so he enters a stock car race, hoping to win, and uses the prize money to buy Laura a wedding ring.
         The lyrics of "Tell Laura I Love Her" originally concerns a rodeo, not an automobile race, as composer Jeff Barry was an aficionado of cowboy culture.
         There are many singers who recorded it such as Ricky Nelson, John Leyton, Cesar Costa, and so on.
         In Spanish: “La Historia de Tommy”.
         In German: “Sag’ Laura , ich liebe sie”.
         Answering the lyrics: “Tell Tommy I Miss Him” by Marilyn Michaels and Skeeter Davis (1961).
         The second verse tells the mysterious story of how the boy's car overturned and burst into flames—though no-one knows why—and the boy was killed, his last words being "Tell Laura I love her... My love for her will never die."
         In the final verse, Laura prays inside the chapel, where she can still hear Tommy's voice intoning the title one more time, before it fades out.
         The song expresses a true feeling of a person for another that whatever happens the one will do everything only to give her the world.
         Unfortunately, his story needs to pay a prize.
         According to the lyric, he will be late because he needs to do something important, but surely in that sense he will be there and not planning to kill himself. Its just this unfortunate thing happened.
         "Tell Laura I may be late, I have something to do that cannot wait”, that line means he has to go to win the money for her ring. It implies that he will be there to meet Laura at some point.

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