Older doesn’t always mean wiser. In fact, teenagers can often see things through a different lens than most of us. This definitely makes for great songwriting. Here are a few songs from the 80s, specifically, that were written by teenagers.
“Foolish Beat” by Debbie Gibson
At the time, this song made Debbie Gibson the youngest person ever to write, produce, and sing a song that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As Gibson shared on CBS Mornings, her early hits were crafted in a garage that was converted to a studio/laundry space in her house.
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“…So occasionally, somebody had to do a load of laundry, and I had to stop singing,” she explained. “It was fun, it was a glorified hobby for me. You know I never had a real job, I started [recording and singing] just out of the love of it.”
“The Man With The Child In His Eyes” by Kate Bush
At just 13, Kate Bush wrote this track, which appears on her debut album The Kick Inside. She was only 16 when she actually recorded it. Apparently, this one was inspired by TV presenter Steve Blacknell, who was Bush’s first boyfriend. As he told The Daily Mail, he was just blown away when he first heard her music.
“…I thought ‘Oh my God,’” he shared. “What I heard made my soul stand on end. I realized there and then that I was in love with a genius.”
“Careless Whisper” by George Michael
Even though he didn’t release it until several years later, “Careless Whisper” by George Michael was actually written when he was just 17. His Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley actually helped him pen this one, even though it’s known by most as one of his solo career hits.
The song came about when Michael was seeing two girls at the same time, one named Helen, and the other named Jane.
“And I remember my sisters used to give me a hard time because they found out and they really liked the first girl,” he shared in his autobiography Bare. “The whole idea of ‘Careless Whisper’ was the first girl finding out about the second – which she never did.”
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