Deano Frank presents Beauty School Drop Out

In the musical, the song is the showcase piece of the Teen Angel, a phantom teen idol who makes his only appearance in the musical to sing the song. The Teen Angel is Frenchy's guardian angel, and script notes specifically identify him as a Fabian look-alike, dressed in all-white. The Teen Angel appears to Frenchy, who, having recently dropped out of beauty school out of frustration with her teachers, asks for a guardian angel in the mould of those seen in Debbie Reynolds movies. The Angel descends from the heavens, then pointedly sings to her that she lacks work ethic and suggests that she return to high school so that she might eventually qualify for a career as a stenographer later in life. Frenchy silently refuses and walks away, leading the Angel to close his number by lamenting her refusal to listen and ascending back to the heavens. (The lyrics are adjusted in the film version to leave Frenchy's decision unstated; the character's cameo in Grease 2 implies that she does not return until years later.)

Alan Paul, later a member of The Manhattan Transfer, originated the role on Broadway. It is not uncommon for the role of the Teen Angel to be held as a dual role by one of the other characters in the cast during stage adaptations (in Paul's case, he also appeared as bandleader Johnny Casino). Frankie Avalon (who, like Fabian, was a client of Bob Marcucci's during his heyday) filled the role for the 1978 film adaptation of Grease, a role he reprised on stage through the 1990s and early 2000s. The Wild Angels recorded an earlier version for Decca Records in 1972.