# Songwriters in their 30's... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740 "2011-06-16T20:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/61 "2011-06-18T00:01:30Z")
> [@samjones](#): > > Whatever happened to guy who sang All the Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes? He matured. It sounds like you want him to remain forever the angry young punk of 1977. (Yes, of course he was never actually a punk, but he rode that bandwagon.) It’s true that he doesn’t _rock_ like he did then. But the thread is about _songwriting_, and in that craft he has gone from strength to strength over the years, producing work to this day that is deeper and more sophisticated than ever. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/62 "2011-06-18T00:02:14Z")
Well you’re just [wrong about Elvis Costello](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II4G5uaAEp4), **samjones**. (Now stick with the song until the bridge. Something tells me that will be your favorite part.) ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/63 "2011-06-18T00:12:11Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > He matured. It sounds like you want him to remain forever the angry young punk of 1977. (Yes, of course he was never actually a punk, but he rode that bandwagon.) It’s true that he doesn’t _rock_ like he did then. But the thread is about _songwriting_, and in that craft he has gone from strength to strength over the years, producing work to this day that is deeper and more sophisticated than ever. I think this is the problem with the whole premise of this thread. Anyone who tries to stay doing what they do at 19 when they’re 35 will probably fail, but some fans of musicians want them to never change. **samjones** , can you honestly say this is not what you’re doing? ---
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/64 "2011-06-18T00:22:39Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I think this is the problem with the whole premise of this thread. Anyone who tries to stay doing what they do at 19 when they’re 35 will probably fail, but some fans of musicians want them to never change. > > **samjones** , can you honestly say this is not what you’re doing? Nope. I’m not “doing” anything but posting. Tom Waits has performed for 4 decades to more-or-less the same audience and more-or-less the same high quality original music. I don’t care to argue with the Deadheads (one of which I am not), but I would humbly suggest that Jerry and the Gang did pretty much the same thing. Over a 20+ year span the quality of their music may have been up and down but never really diminished over the course of time. I’m just wondering if people can think of other musicians or musical acts like that. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/65 "2011-06-18T00:36:40Z")
> [@samjones](#): > > I’m just wondering if people can think of other musicians or musical acts like that. I, and others, have posted a good number that we think are like that. Another example - I’m currently listening to the joint **Calexico/Iron & Wine** album, recorded when most of the participants were in their 30s, and as good as anything either band has done. I’m simply wondering if there’s a reason you tend to prefer earlier stuff. A related question for you - are there any musicians where you disliked their early stuff but prefered their later? ---
**Author:** ![rikc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c57346/32.png) [@rikc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rikc)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/66 "2011-06-18T01:01:37Z")
> [@samjones](#): > > That’s really my problem with EC lately - he sounds too much like Sheryl Crow. Plus he idolizes Tom Waits too much. It’s like an embarrassing mix of Sheryl Crow and Rod Stewart. > > Whatever happened to guy who sang All the Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes? > > That was some music. I guess he must have done some great songs in the last 20 years but nothing jumps to mind. Sheryl Crow was also at her peak in her 30’s 🙂 Her self-titled album is actually pretty darn good. I mean, if you’re that desperate for more Elvis Costello records circa 1977, there’s good news! Tons and tons and tons of young musicians hock his style as hard as they can. Whew, that was close. Now you can pretend to enjoy Elvis Costello while actually avoiding his decades-long career. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/67 "2011-06-18T09:52:09Z")
At first I thought Freddie Mercury would qualify, being that he was already 27 by the time Queen’s first (so-so) album came out, but alas, he did his best work right around (mostly before) his 30th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740/68 "2011-06-18T12:52:38Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > At first I thought Freddie Mercury would qualify, being that he was already 27 by the time Queen’s first (so-so) album came out, but alas, he did his best work right around (mostly before) his 30th birthday. It seems to be a theme. They write pretty good stuff in their early 20’s. They write their best stuff (and alot of it) between about 27 and 30 and then they never write anything worth a shit again. Maybe I should have opened this thread in GQ - but I know that the one of the moderator’s knees would have jerked and it would have wound right up here anyway. There are exceptions. Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows started late and the quality of his work didn’t diminish. He took forever to release albums, but I would say all of CC’s albums are basically high-quality writing. Do these exceptions only prove the rule or are their enough that they prove that there is no rule? In the same general Freddy Mercury vein, Vince Clark and Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)- neither did anything worth a shit after 30. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songwriters-in-their-30s/585740.md?page=3)