People of all ages relate music to their own lives. We choose many of our favorite songs because they mean something to us personally. They reflect our sense of self. Music doesn’t get much more palpable than your teenage years. These are the years when every emotion is at its peak, making teens an ideal audience for songwriting. The three rock songs below did not have trouble speaking to a younger audience. In fact, their lyrics could double as a dramatic diary entry. Revisit these rock hits below.
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“Wasted Time” (Eagles)
Though the Eagles‘ “Wasted Time” is decidedly more for an older crowd than for teenage romances, the melodrama we all went through at the time made any breakup feel like the loss of a lifetime.
This song takes a wistful look at a failed relationship. But I know what’s been on your mind / You’re afraid it’s all been wasted time, the lyrics read. Teenage Eagles fans in the 1970s no doubt put this song on repeat after their schoolyard crushes didn’t pan out. Endearingly, this ballad grew up with them. Now they can satiate their more weighty heartbreaks with the same song.
“1979” (The Smashing Pumpkins)
The Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” is an ode to youth. The band manages to boil down the myriad of emotions of teenagedom into bite-sized pieces. Angst, joy, lust, love, it’s all there.
That we don’t even care / As restless as we are / We feel the pull / In the land of a thousand guilts / And poured cement, the lyrics read. Though this song takes some decoding to really make sense of the lyrics, the emotions are palpable. Teenagers from really any generation can relate to this song. Their diary entries were probably similar in tone.
“The Adults Are Talking” (The Strokes)
The Strokes’ “The Adults Are Talking” is a defiant look at the powers that be. Though the band had corporations and other elites in mind, the same sentiment can be shrunk down to represent a teenager’s anti-authoritarian stage.
They will blame us, crucify and shame us / We can’t help it if we are a problem, the lyrics read. The lyrics of this song resonate well with the teenage mind. It’s the kind of irreverence and posturing that comes with puberty. This song has a different meaning to older listeners, but it’s fodder for a teenager in need of an outlet.
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