Ray Peterson was born in Denton, Texas. Blessed with a 4-octave singing voice, he idolized the vocal sounds of fellow Texan, Roy Orbison. Peterson moved to Los Angeles, California where he was signed by RCA Victor Records in 1957. He recorded several songs that were minor hits until "The Wonder of You" made it into the Billboard Top Thirty list. The song would later be recorded by Elvis Presley with whom he became close friends.
In 1960 Ray Peterson scored a Top 10 hit with "Tell Laura I Love Her," and followed that success with "Corrina, Corrina, and I Could Have Loved You So Well." By the mid-1960s he had become something of a phenomenon on the west coast of the United States, appearing live in numerous rock concerts with Paul McCartney lookalike, Keith Allison.
His performances at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, produced by Fred Vail, beginning in 1963 helped fuel a revival of "The Wonder of You" as well as launch his new relationship with MGM Records, an alliance that produced two albums, "The Very Best of Ray Peterson" featuring most of the Dunes singles, and "The Other Side of Ray Peterson", which included many of his nightclub songs. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee and by the 1970s when the hit records stopped coming, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit.
Ray Peterson died of cancer in 2005 in Smyrna, Tennessee and was interred in the Roselawn Memorial Gardens cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Tell Laura I Love Her
Ray Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He wanted to give her everything
Flowers, presents and most of all, a wedding ring
He saw a sign for a stock car race
A thousand dollar prize it read
He couldn't get Laura on the phone
So to her mother, Tommy said
Tell Laura I may be late
I've something to do, that cannot wait
He drove his car to the racing grounds
He was the youngest driver there
And the crowed roared as they started the race
'Round the track they drove at a deadly pace
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
And in the chapel where Laura prays
For Tommy who passed away
It was just for Laura he lived and died
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tell Laura not to cry
My love for her will never die
Tell Laura I love her
Tell Laura I love her
Tell Laura I love her
The lyrics of Ray Peterson’s “Tell Laura I Love Her” are a tragic tale of young love and a fatal car race. Laura and Tommy were deeply in love, and Tommy wanted to give everything to Laura, including a wedding ring. However, he was also drawn to the excitement of a stock car race, with its thousand-dollar prize. Tommy could not reach Laura to tell her where he was going, so he asked her mother to tell her that he loved her and needed her, but that he might be late because of something important he had to do.
Tommy arrived at the race, the youngest driver and the underdog in a deadly and exciting race that thrilled the crowds. But something went terribly wrong, and Tommy’s car overturned in flames, killing him. As they pulled him from the wreckage, with his last breath, Tommy begged them to tell Laura that he loved her, that he needed her, and that she should not cry, because his love for her would never die. Laura hears his voice in the chapel where she prays for him, grieving for the love she has lost.
The lyrics of “Tell Laura I Love Her” tell a poignant story of the power of love, the dangers of temptation and risk-taking, and the inevitability of death. In this song, young love is portrayed as both fragile and powerful, dangerous and exciting. The tragedies that befall Tommy and Laura are not just a result of reckless behavior, but also of the power of their love for each other, which leads them to take risks and defy convention.
Line by Line Meaning
Laura and Tommy were lovers
Laura and Tommy were two people who loved one another.
He wanted to give her everything
Tommy wanted to provide everything for Laura.
Flowers, presents and most of all, a wedding ring
Tommy wanted to gift Laura with fancy items and he wanted to marry her too.
He saw a sign for a stock car race
Tommy saw an advertisement for a car race.
A thousand dollar prize it read
The advertisement said there was a prize of one thousand dollars.
He couldn't get Laura on the phone
Tommy wasn't able to speak with Laura on the phone.
So to her mother, Tommy said
Tommy spoke to Laura's mother instead.
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy asked Laura's mother to tell Laura that he loves her and he needs her.
Tell Laura I may be late
Tommy also mentioned that he might be late.
I've something to do, that cannot wait
Tommy wanted Laura to know he had something important to do immediately.
He drove his car to the racing grounds
Tommy went to the car racing event in his own car.
He was the youngest driver there
Tommy was the youngest driver in the race.
And the crowd roared as they started the race
The audience cheered as the car race began.
'Round the track they drove at a deadly pace
The race cars went really fast on the track.
No one knows what happened that day
There is no information regarding what occurred on that day.
How his car overturned in flames
Tommy's car turned over and caught fire.
But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck
They rescued Tommy from the significantly damaged car.
With his dying breath, they heard him say
Before passing away, Tommy said something.
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy repeated the same words he asked Laura's mother to convey to Laura in case something happened to him.
Tell Laura not to cry
Tommy wanted Laura to be aware that he doesn't want her to cry.
My love for her will never die
Tommy wanted Laura to understand that his love for her would last forever.
And in the chapel where Laura prays
Laura attends worship services in a chapel.
For Tommy who passed away
Laura prays for Tommy who is no more.
It was just for Laura he lived and died
Tommy did everything in life and died for Laura.
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry
Laura is alone in the chapel where she hears Tommy weeping.
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy's love and need for Laura were so strong that he wanted to make sure she knew it even after he had passed away.
Tell Laura not to cry
Tommy didn't want Laura to be sad and wanted her to be happy.
My love for her will never die
Tommy's love for Laura was so intense that it will never stop existing.
Tell Laura I love her
Tommy loved Laura deeply and he wanted her to be aware of his feelings towards her.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jeff Barry, Ben Raleigh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@treasureisle7655
Ray and I were like brothers for 42 years. I was honored to be asked by his wife, Claudia, to give his eulogy at his service in Jan of 2005. Our 'connection' would begin when I was 14 or 15 years old and heard his amazing 4+ octave range on the song classic, "Fever," and, although it did not break him as a hit singer--it did make an indelible impact on my life, and when I was looking for last minute to add to an 'appreciation show' I was doing for KXOA Radio in Sacramento, Sept 6, 1963, I got hold of Ray and invited him on the show. He had almost given up on his career--having been taken advantage of by a former manager. He agreed to do the show, and the concert, which also featured Freddy Cannon, Johnny Burnette, The Righteous Brothers, The Rivingtons and The Coasters, set in motion our lifelong friendship. When Ray passed in January of 2005, his lovely wife, Claudia, asked me to deliver the eulogy at his memorial service. I was honored to do so and used his hit, "The Wonder of You," as the bases of my eulogy. RIP, brother Ray.
@stevenross-watt8640
YouTube comments can range from the horrid to the awesome. Thanks for sharing.
@andrealangner8309
❤️💖💕😥
@beckafernandezdelara6133
Very beautiful and sad .....
@dawnjohnson3263
Incredible
@veroniquewalbourgh6880
Greatness...
Great words...
Merci 🤩😘
@laurieannedell1063
A young man who had a crush on me played this song on the day I turned him down. Louis Cayer, wherever you are, I am so sorry.
@alyap4094
Guess it’s too late
@stephenfrench1060
Here here
@lacrema9843
🤣🤣🤣🤣save by the bell