QUICK! HELP NEEDED! List me GREAT songs written by people who were in their teens when they wrote them.

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I am in an argument on another board and need ammo. I have raised Emmit Rhodes, Brian Wilson, Paul Weller, and Steve Marriott, but I am feeling a bit uninspired right now.

Especially interested in older stuff, singer-songwriter, classic rock, soul etc etc.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

Hello Debbie Gibson, DUH!

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:31 (nineteen years ago)

jackson browne - these days

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:31 (nineteen years ago)

billy nicholls - would you believe

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:32 (nineteen years ago)

Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights etc
Aztec Camera - Oblivious etc

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:33 (nineteen years ago)

Francois Luambo Makiadi AKA Franco:

In 1950, the twelve year old made his professional debut as a member of Dewayon's band, Watam, impressing audiences with his skills on a guitar almost as big as himself. Three years later, Francois recorded his first single Bolingo na ngai na Beatrice (My love for Beatrice) after he had become part of the house band for Loningisa Studio.

Probably not what you're asking for but I'm posting it because I think that's pretty bad-ass.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

"Here Comes Your Man" by the Pixies, written when Black Francis was 15.

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

k8 bush - man with the child in his eyes

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:36 (nineteen years ago)

christina milian - am to pm

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:37 (nineteen years ago)

Aztec Camera - Walk out to Winter, Oblivious, We could send letters, oh all that!

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:38 (nineteen years ago)

Also, damn, Stevie Wonder was a part of Motown's stable of songwriters throughout much of the '60's when he was but a teenager.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:39 (nineteen years ago)

You guys are great. Why didn't I think of Kate Bush?

More pls!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:40 (nineteen years ago)

Mozart. Do I mean him or Beethoven?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:41 (nineteen years ago)

'straight outta compton'?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:43 (nineteen years ago)

Some great rap LPs were at least partly done when the rappers where in their teens, for example

Nas: Illmatic
Souls of Mischief: 93 'til Infinity (also produced by them for the most part)

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:44 (nineteen years ago)

OK, Stevie Wonder was born in 1950, and co-wrote "Uptight" in '65, "Tears of a Clown" back in '66 (it was covered by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in '67, then re-released in '70), "I Was Made to Love Her" in '67, and "My Cherie Amour" in '69.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:51 (nineteen years ago)

Ritchie Valens, "Come On, Let's Go" and "Donna."

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

"For Your Precious Love" came out in 1958, when Jerry Butler (who co-wrote it) was 19. And I think some other early Impressions tunes were written by Curtis Mayfield when he was still in his teens.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 14 September 2006 09:56 (nineteen years ago)

For metal - Emperor's first album (a classic and milestone as far as Black Metal goes) was recorded while the band was still in their mid-teens.

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 September 2006 10:06 (nineteen years ago)

Laura Nyro wrote "And When I Die" when she was 17.

― shorty (shorty), Thursday, 14 September 2006 10:09 (nineteen years ago)

JK and CO 'Suddenly One Summer'

All written and performed by 'JK' when he was 15. A pop-psych masterpiece.

The song 'Fly' from that album will win this argument 10x.

― greypejooze (Ryanssssss), Thursday, 14 September 2006 10:42 (nineteen years ago)

Carole King was (co-)writing hits while still in her teens.

― zebedee (zebedee), Thursday, 14 September 2006 10:44 (nineteen years ago)

A more modern example would be The Electric Soft Parade's 'Silent To The Dark', although I'm aware many will disagree on that one.

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Thursday, 14 September 2006 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

minor threat

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 14 September 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Mike Brown of the Left Banke.

― Cunga (Cunga), Thursday, 14 September 2006 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

Jimmy Webb was 18 when he wrote "By The Time I Get To Phoenix".

― hank (hank s), Thursday, 14 September 2006 11:57 (nineteen years ago)

'Why do Fools Fall in Love', co-written by Frankie Lyman when he was 13!

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:02 (nineteen years ago)

"Bad Girl" by the Zakary Thaks
"Come on Closer" by Pineapples
The originals on Sing My Generation

― ZR (teenagequiet), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:09 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't Alex Chilton a teenager when he started writing music?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

"what a way to die" - the pleasureseekers (suzy quatro's first band) - complete with line about "an ice cold bottle of stroh's"!

the fact that "by the time i get to phoenix" was written by a teenager is blowing my mind, it's so weary and self-loathing.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

At least Prince's first album came out while he was still a teenager, right?

― Eppy (Eppy), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:59 (nineteen years ago)

The Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him" was written by Phil Spector at age 17.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:18 (nineteen years ago)

the fact that "by the time i get to phoenix" was written by a teenager is blowing my mind, it's so weary and self-loathing.

-- Fritz Wollner (fritzwollner5...) (webmail), Today 1:33 PM. (later) (link)

To write that song, you'd either have to understand everything, or nothing. It does not surprise me that much. It's simple and effective.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:21 (nineteen years ago)

the first throwing muses album, which is amazing, was made when kristen hersh and tanya donnelly were 19.

― john, a resident of chicago. (john s), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

GLORIA

― p@reene (Pareene), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:47 (nineteen years ago)

van was like 18 or 19, right?

― p@reene (Pareene), Thursday, 14 September 2006 13:48 (nineteen years ago)

the fact that "by the time i get to phoenix" was written by a teenager is blowing my mind, it's so weary and self-loathing.

Yeah, my jaw was hanging for quite a while when I read that.

― Rodney doesn't like polka. He is racist. (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:02 (nineteen years ago)

"I'll Follow the Sun" was written by Paul McCartney when he was 16.

― graf cycliz (graf cycliz), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

i was going to mention oberst, but then i realised the criteria was great songs.

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:17 (nineteen years ago)

Though he turned 20 just as they were breaking, one could assume Glenn Matlock wrote the first few Sex Pistols hits as a teen.

― bendy (bendy), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:26 (nineteen years ago)

Joan Jett was in the Runaways as a teenager.

― 4 5 and 7 (4 5 and 7), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:31 (nineteen years ago)

Janis Ian wrote "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" at 14.

Did Steve Winwood write "Gimme Some Lovin'," or just sing it?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:40 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know where you'll stand re: "Great songs," but Conor Oberst did, as someone said yesterday in another thread, "form Bright Eyes in the womb" ;)

― his sister pam (hissisterpam), Thursday, 14 September 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

significant portions of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92, if the dates are anything to go by.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 14 September 2006 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

Tubular Bells was recorded when Mike Oldfield was 19.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 14 September 2006 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

significant portions of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92, if the dates are anything to go by.

-- Curt1s

Well the dates are generally considered to be complete bumf. But he wasn't twenty until 1991 so I suppose there's every chance that some of it was made when he was a teenager.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Thursday, 14 September 2006 15:47 (nineteen years ago)

Did Steve Winwood write "Gimme Some Lovin'," or just sing it?

-- Joseph McCombs, September 14th, 2006.

Wrote it.

― 4 5 and 7 (4 5 and 7), Thursday, 14 September 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

first few bee gees records were done while they were still teens, no?

― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 14 September 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

Manila - Seelenluft - if the story about the kid that sings it is true. Wasnt "Suicide is Painless" writen by Robert Altmans teenage son???

― raw sweaters annoying brother (raw sweaters annoying brother), Thursday, 14 September 2006 17:28 (nineteen years ago)

Free

They were all young, but Andy Fraser was like 15 when Free recorded their first album. Fraser was all of 18 when "All Right Now" was a big hit and he was a co-writer of the tune with Paul Rodgers.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 14 September 2006 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

WOT NO ALEX TURNA

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Thursday, 14 September 2006 22:48 (nineteen years ago)

Mozart. Do I mean him or Beethoven?

"At the age of 5, Mozart composes his first piano concerto." -Falco

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 14 September 2006 23:18 (nineteen years ago)

metal mike saunders on billie joe armstrong:

As catchy as they are nonstop from song #1 (39/Smooth's "At the Library," still the best song ever written by a 17-year-old) through song #68 (Nimrod's "Prosthetic Head"), Green Day's first five albums were not easy listens (i.e., stuff you could hum to washing dishes, as a friend of mine used to do daily in 1970 to my fave-o American rock album ever, Cosmo's Factory). The first two are fueled by the punk rock Gilman Street aesthetic (and a whole lotta speed, i.e., the drug); the middle two have a waaaaaay-over-the-top wall-of-guitars sound used to good effect. And 1997's Nimrod probably would sound all over the place to anyone not versed in what came before (that is, the first 50 songs).

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0040,saunders,18669,22.html

and for that matter, metal mike saunders on skye sweetnam:

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0441,saunders,57463,22.html

― xhuxk (xheddy), Thursday, 14 September 2006 23:28 (nineteen years ago)

early LL Cool J
early De La Soul
shit, maybe even early NWA stuff by Cube.

probably lots of rappers in general...

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 14 September 2006 23:28 (nineteen years ago)

The Hard-Ons were still teenagers when they released "Girl in the Sweater", weren't they?

― scriblerus (mike lynch), Thursday, 14 September 2006 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

shit prolly like a ton of early 80s punk and hardcore classics too.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 14 September 2006 23:49 (nineteen years ago)

Speaking of Steve Winwood, there's "Dear Mr. Fantasy".

Dunno if it's a GREAT song but I think Paul McCartney was in his early teens when he wrote "Love Me Do".

"Bye Bye Baby" was written by Mary Wells when she was 17 or so.

― musically (musically), Friday, 15 September 2006 00:08 (nineteen years ago)

The Nazz recorded Hello It's Me when Todd Rundgren was 18.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 15 September 2006 00:29 (nineteen years ago)

Tanita Tikaram's "Twist in My Sobriety," which until last year I thought the Pet Shop Boys had written for Liza Minnelli. (Thanks, Xhuxk, for educating me on that one.)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 15 September 2006 02:22 (nineteen years ago)

huge swathes of wendy & bonnie's "genesis" album

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 15 September 2006 02:26 (nineteen years ago)

rowland s howard was 18 or 19 when he wrote "shivers"

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 15 September 2006 02:27 (nineteen years ago)

what's with all these precocious bastards?

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 15 September 2006 02:28 (nineteen years ago)

rodney allen's 'happysad' record. i think he was 16.

― keyth (keyth), Friday, 15 September 2006 02:31 (nineteen years ago)

J Majik - "Your Sound"

― wee davey shagged yer maw (the_article_don), Friday, 15 September 2006 20:59 (nineteen years ago)

Reminds me of the old New Order chestnut, where the guy is interviewing Peter Hook and ask him what life was like for him as a teenager, and Peter Hook replies, "I was in Joy Division."

― M. Biondi (M. Biondi), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:03 (nineteen years ago)

Here is the complete track listing of the content on Aztec Camera's "High Land Hard Rain" album. They all meet with the criteria:

1 Oblivious 3:12
2 The Boy Wonders 3:15
3 Walk Out To Winter 3:25
4 The Bugle Sounds Again 2:58
5 We Could Send Letters 5:49
6 Pillar To Post 4:02
7 Release 3:41
8 Lost Outside The Tunnel 3:42
9 Back On Board 4:53
10 Down The Dip 2:23

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:09 (nineteen years ago)

Greg Lake was not yet in his teens when he wrote "Lucky Man", which is a great song nevertheless.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:09 (nineteen years ago)

Conversely, most people wouldn't consider "Kill A Dead Eagle" by Old Skull (average age : 11) to be a "great song". But I do.

― Matt #2 (Matt #2), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:10 (nineteen years ago)

"Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson. Yes, that one was a great song!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:12 (nineteen years ago)

And, amazed you guys haven't thought of "Blame It On The Boogie" and "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground" yet.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:14 (nineteen years ago)

"Love Somebody", "New York Mining Disaster", "World", "Words" and "I've Gotta Get a Message To You". All co-written by a teenage Robin Gibb.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:20 (nineteen years ago)

It seems I can go on forever:

Ash: "Goldfinger", "Girl From Mars", "Angel Interceptor"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

Some great rap LPs were at least partly done when the rappers where in their teens, for example

De La's first album, ATCQ's first album (and maybe their second?)

― oops (Oops), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

John O'Neil - "Teenage Kicks"

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:51 (nineteen years ago)

Unchained Melody.

hello?

― MRZBW (MRZBW), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:35 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Michelle Branch wrote "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted" at 17, and most of her major label debut at 14, 15, and 16.

― Elijah Taylor (MeetingPeopleIsEasy), Saturday, 4 November 2006 05:41 (nineteen years ago)

"Dream On" was written by 17 year old Steven Tyler.

― richard wood johnson (rwj), Monday, 6 November 2006 00:13 (nineteen years ago)

SAW 85-92 has songs written by Richard D James from age 14 to 21, apparently. However, the two greatest songs on there "Xtal and Tha, in my opinion" also sound the most modern to me, probably when he was 20 to 21 years old. Or not. I can't seem to find any information on when each song was recorded.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Monday, 6 November 2006 02:05 (nineteen years ago)

significant portions of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92, if the dates are anything to go by.
-- Curt1s (curtis.stephen...), September 15th, 2006. (Curtis Stephens)

sigh. I'm just going to go slam a door on my hand now.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Monday, 6 November 2006 02:11 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.