There’s just something special about indie music that’s extra nostalgic, particularly when you’re a teenager and have nothing to be nostalgic about yet. Here are a few indie songs from the 90s that feel like a coming-of-age film.
“Popular” by Nada Surf
I think the title of this one pretty much speaks for itself.
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Nada Surf’s frontman, Matthew Caws, was taking inspiration from a 1964 book called Penny’s Guide To Teen-Age Charm And Popularity when he wrote this song.
“So I was playing around with a 4-track and I had this little hook and I thought I would write a chorus from the standpoint of somebody who really believed everything in this book and someone who approached life like that in a very competitive way,” Caws explained in an interview.
“Dreams” by The Cranberries
This song by The Cranberries is both uplifting and melancholy, which I think is what makes it perfect for anything involving the teenage experience. If you’re not convinced that this song is a coming-of-age anthem, just look at the lyrics in the first verse:
“Oh, my life is changing everyday / In every possible way / And oh, my dreams / It’s never quite as it seems / Never quite as it seems.”
“Here’s Where The Story Ends” by The Sundays
There’s something about this song by The Sundays that’s just untouchably nostalgic. Not to mention, the lyrics literally sound like a teenager is speaking them.
“People I know, places I go, make me feel tongue-tied / And I can see how, people look down / They’re on the inside / … Here’s where the story ends.”
“The Freshmen” by Verve Pipe
The backstory of this song isn’t nearly as devastating as its lyrics make it out to be. As lead singer Brian Vander Ark explained, he wrote this one, in part, inspired by a girl he was seeing who got pregnant when he was younger. In the song, he adds a dramatic twist in which she commits suicide.
“‘When I was young I knew everything…’ We all think we know everything at a young age,” Vander Ark explained of the song’s opening line, as reported by SongFacts. “I thought I did. I realize I didn’t know sh*t until I was 36.”
For the most part, “The Freshmen” just sounds like it’s about teens falling in love and making mistakes if you’re not really listening.
Photo by: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images
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