"Teen Angel" is a teenage tragedy song written by Jean Dinning and her husband, Red Surrey.

Recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee,[1] the song was performed by Jean's brother, Mark Dinning, and released in October 1959.

When her body is recovered, the narrator's high school class ring is in her hand, which was apparently the reason she ran back.

"Teen Angel" and its two predecessors at the Hot 100's top spot, "El Paso" by Marty Robbins and "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston, continued a string of pop tunes in which someone dies tragically.

The original Mark Dinning recording is featured in the 1973 film American Graffiti (set in 1962); as a representative hit song of the era, has been re-released on numerous compilation albums including the 1984 Rhino LP Teenage Tragedies.