# Songs of a Specific Age **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129 "2019-06-26T22:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/1 "2019-06-26T22:54:11Z")
Far too long ago, I remember using a bit of Pretender’s “Middle of the Road” as my sig on another forum: _…I’m not the cat I used to be I got a kid; I’m thirty-three, baby…_ Today, I realized that at my next birthday I can steal from James McMurtry’s “Childish Things”: _…But I’m forty-seven years old now and, man, I don’t care All I want now is just a comfortable chair…_ Which got me thinking about songs with a specific age in them. Double internet points if it’s an age not already mentioned. I’m guessing there’s a lot in the 16 to 21 range. A few others… Mott the Hoople, “All The Young Dudes”: _How he’d kick it in the head when he was twenty-five_ Steely Dan, “Hey Nineteen”: _Hey Nineteen, no we can’t dance together…_ And a two-fer: Simon & Garfunkel “Leaves that Are Green”: _I was twenty-one when I wrote this song / I’m twenty-two now but I won’t be for long_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/2 "2019-06-26T23:38:00Z")
The Beatles, “When I’m Sixty-four.” Sam Cooke, “She Was Only Sixteen.” Johnny Burnette, “You’re Sixteen.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/3 "2019-06-26T23:41:12Z")
“He was born in the summer of his 27th year…”. - John Denver, Rocky Mountain High. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/4 "2019-06-26T23:46:50Z")
Janis Ian, “At 17.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/5 "2019-06-26T23:47:14Z")
“When I was seventeen, it was a very good year…” -Frank Sinatra ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/6 "2019-06-26T23:49:12Z")
Five For Fighting’s “[100 Years](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR-qQcNT_fY)” includes verses mentioning the singer’s age as 15, 22, 33, 45, 67, and 99. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/7 "2019-06-26T23:50:11Z")
“She was just 17/ if you know what I mean.” “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/8 "2019-06-27T00:10:14Z")
“I’m Eighteen” - Alice Cooper ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/9 "2019-06-27T00:24:01Z")
Ain’t no doubt about it we were doubly blessed 'Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/10 "2019-06-27T00:36:59Z")
Taylor Swift lived to see [22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgFeZr5ptV8), but did the gangsta [reach 24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPO76Jlnz6c)? ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/11 "2019-06-27T06:31:17Z")
She was thirty one and I was seventeen I knew nothing about love, she knew everything from Bobby Goldsboro - Summer (the first time) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/12 "2019-06-27T07:08:32Z")
John Mellencamp, _Cherry Bomb_ “Seventeen has turned thirty-five.” ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/13 "2019-06-27T07:13:25Z")
Old 97s - [Nineteen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrjanDVhFqc) Bruce Springsteen - [My Hometown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6LABdHtkUA): _I’m 35, we’ve got a boy of our own now_ ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/14 "2019-06-27T07:20:33Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Bruce Springsteen - [My Hometown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6LABdHtkUA): > _I’m 35, > we’ve got a boy > of our own now_ Missed the edit window. The song begins _Eight years old running with a dime in my hand_ and ends with the passage quoted above. ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/15 "2019-06-27T07:36:33Z")
A couple consecutive ones… Bob Seger, _Rock and Roll Never Forgets_ “Well now sweet sixteen’s turned **thirty-one** ” Ringo Starr, _I’m the Greatest_ (written by John Lennon) “Now I’m only **thirty-two** , and all I want to do is boogaloo!” The Pretenders, _Middle of the Road_ “I’m not the cat I used to be, I’ve got a kid, I’m **thirty-three** ” Pete Townshend, _Slit Skirts_ “I was just **thirty-four** years old and I was still wandering in a haze” edit: Just saw The Pretenders one in the OP, but I decided to leave it here, for purposes of consecutiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/16 "2019-06-27T10:48:17Z")
[_Fancy_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_(Bobbie_Gentry_song)) was in the summer she turned 18. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/17 "2019-06-27T11:09:59Z")
[Madness - House Of Fun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2X9SANsME) _Good morning miss Can I help you son? Sixteen today and up for fun_ ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/18 "2019-06-27T11:28:05Z")
Jackson Browne - \* Running On Empty\* “In 65 I was seventeen” and “In 69 I was twenty-one” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/19 "2019-06-27T11:46:50Z")
KISS - Christine, Sixteen. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129/20 "2019-06-27T12:15:32Z")
Seventeen Ain’t Young – The Archies [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-of-a-specific-age/836129.md?page=2)