295. Patches (Barry Mann and Larry Kolber)

Description

In the early 1960s songs about dying teenagers emerged as a popular genre in Britain and the US. Some examples were "Running Bear", "Tell Laura I Love Her", "Teen Angel", "Ebony Eyes" and "Leader of the Pack". One of the best (worst?) of these was "Patches", a "Romeo and Juliet" story written in 1962 by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber, who also wrote the surfing death song "Johnny Surfboard", which Barry Mann himself recorded in 1963. Dicky Lee had a hit with his recording of Patches in 1962 ...