It was a random song on a playlist I had on in the car yesterday that I hadn't heard in a while, coupled with the fact that there were two teenagers in the back seat (who are back to school this week) - that gave me the idea for this next playlist.
That song is in the list, but I could I find nine more teenage songs to fill the list?
Of course I could, and not only that, these ten songs cover teenage angst and growth in a wide range of musical genres, so, as ever, we hope that there will be something in here for everyone.
1. Dion & The Belmonts: Teenager In Love
This tune, by songwriters Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, was originally destined for The Mystics, but ended up with Dion & The Belmonts. Dion, for his part, thought the tune was a bit 'wimpy' until he heard the Belmonts start singing through the intro. Luckily he went ahead with it, as it gave them a US number 5 hit in 1959. The song has also been covered by the likes of Marty Wilde and Craig Douglas over the years.
A Teenage In Love (On the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, 1959)
2. The Undertones: Teenage Kicks
This pop-punk classic was penned by The Undertones chief songwriter, JJ O'Neil in 1977, and gave them a massive hit the following year, It was first released in September 1978 on Belfast's own Good Vibrations label, but the band was soon signed to Sire, and was put out again the following month by them. It is a well worn story that this quickly became legendary DJ John Peel's all time favourite track - even playing it twice in one show, which was something he never did. He used to use a 1-5 asterisk rating for all songs by new bands, and for this he awarded 28 asterisks! True to his wishes, "Teenage Dreams so hard to beat" was added to his gravestone at the cemetery in Great Finborough, Suffolk.
Teenage Kicks (Official music video)
3. The Cramps: I Was A Teenage Werewolf
The Cramps were a psychobilly band (fusing punk and rockabilly) active between 1976 and 2009, revolving around mainstays Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser) and Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace). This tune featured on their 1980 debut album, Songs The Lord Taught Us, put out on IRS (US) and Illegal Records (UK), which was included in Rolling Stone's 80 greatest albums of 1980. They said the record had a "psychobilly sound that went way beyond the kitschiest moments of The Ramones or Blondie and into a whole new realm of garage trash novelty."
I Was A Teenage Werewolf (Audio only)
4. Big Star: Thirteen
This Alex Chilton and Chris Bell penned tune appeared on 1974 debut record, #1 Album. Big Star were the perfect pop band of the 1970s that no one really got to hear, and yet they inspired most of the major US indie bands of the 1980s. Bill Janowitz (Buffalo Tom) wrote of this record in his AllMusic column - "There are few songs that capture the aching innocence of adolescence as well." While Simon Robertson (Singers Room) talked of its "catchy melody and jangly guitars that perfectly capture the carefree and optimistic spirit of youth." It was also used in both season six and eight of That 70s Show (who also used a Cheap Trick cover of a Big Star song as their theme tune).
Thirteen (Live in Missouri, from when they reformed in 1993)
5. The Replacements: Sixteen Blue
The Replacements were one of those 80s bands mentioned above, who were heavily influenced by Alex Chilton and Big Star, perhaps no more so than on 1984s Let It Be. This is considered one of their finest works, and is full of coming of age themes, and songwriting that Paul Westerberg himself admitted was "a little more mature" than on previous records. The album conveyed lots of the self-conscious and awkwardness of being a teenager, and as this beautiful song points out, sixteen is "the hardest age".
Sixteen Blue (Audio only)
6. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers: Why Do Fools Fall In Love?
A band of 'teenagers' this time (quite literally). Frankie Lymon started singing with his brothers, Lewis and Howie, in the Harlemaire Juniors, a gospel group. He was from a poor family and began working jobs at the age of 10 to help support the family. He became friends with Herman Santiago of the doo-wop group, the Coupe De Villes and joined them, soon becoming Ermine and the Premiers. Santiago, with Jimmy Merchant, wrote Why Do Fools Fall In Love in 1955, around the time they became the Teenagers. At an audition with producer George Goldner, main singer Santiago was running late, and Lymon stepped up and sung the song instead. They had their name changed to Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, causing a lot of tension and resentment, and while the song became a massive hit in 1956, Lymon was soon pulled from the group to go solo. He never achieved those heights again and descended into drug use. Just before a planned comeback in 1968, Lymon tragically died of a heroin overdose, aged just 25.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love? (Grainy but interesting footage from the Frankie Lane Show, including Lymon incorrectly claiming the songwriting credit -1956)
7. Sonic Youth: Teen Age Riot
Unusually for these pioneers of alternative rock, this, their most well known song, followed a fairly standard verse-chorus format. It appeared on their seminal 1986 album, Daydream Nation, and was also the last song of their last ever set - at the SWU Festival in Sao Paulo on 14 November 2011. The song itself is about an alternate reality where J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr is the President of the USA. It starts with Kim Gordon uttering a stream of consciousness lyrics (including a reference to We Will Fall by The Stooges) over a haunting guitar, before a pause and the band kick in at full throttle. It couldn't all be too formulaic though, with Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo both using totally different tunings for their guitars (GABDEG and GGDDGG respectively, for those who are interested).
Teen Age Riot (Live at Rock en Seine Festival, 2003)
8. Guided By Voices: Teenage FBI
This was going to be the one - the one that turned these lo-fi garage rock kings into a mainstream act. Ric Ocasek of The Cars was brought in to produce 1999's Do The Collapse to give proceedings a bit more of a polished edge and glossier sound, with Teenage FBI to be their first big single. Of course, none of that happened, with many critics recoiling at this attempt to sound more mainstream - which is perhaps unfair, since GBV have always worn their love of big, successful British Invasion groups like The Who, firmly on their sleeve - so why shouldn't they have a shot at the big time too? This record also featured another Dayton, Ohio musical legend, Jim MacPherson (The Breeders) on drums.
Teenage FBI (Live on Australian TV)
9. David Bowie: Teenage Wildlife
This is the longest track on 1980s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), and sees Bowie reflecting on his younger self. It was also possibly a veiled go at his critics who hadn't liked the evolution of his musical persona throughout the 1970s - and possibly also having a jab at his 'imitators' like Gary Numan. The album includes guitar work by Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and keyboards from Roy Bittan (The E Street Band), along with his fairly regular crew, known as D.A.M. (Dennis Davis, Carlos Alomar and George Murray).
Teenage Wildlife (Audio only - notice the similar vibe to Heroes, with the added Fripp guitar wizardry)
10. Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Well we had to end here didn't we? Teen Spirit came after initial sessions with producer Butch Vig and saw Kurt Cobain trying to write in a style like one of his favourite bands, Pixies. He would later say, "we used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard." The slightly cliched riff he first came up with was ridiculed by bassist Kris Novoselic, but Cobain insisted they try it out, with Novoselic eventually slowing it down a bit, allowing Dave Grohl to add his distinctive drum patterns. This interaction meant that it was the only song of Nevermind to be credited to all three band members. The title itself comes from something that Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill wrote on Cobain's wall - "Kurt smells like teen spirit." This came from the name of a deodorant that she and bandmate Tobi Vail (also Cobain's then girlfriend) found on a trip to the store. Cobain was unaware of the deodorant connection until a long time later - he had assumed it was some revolutionary slogan they thought suited him.
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