5 Iconic Albums for and by Teenagers
Teenagers are a dramatic breed. When we’re experiencing everything for the first time, it is hard to realize the severity, or lack thereof, in life’s patterns, mostly because we have yet to realize there is in fact a pattern. The absence of understanding, compassion, and perspective that can occur within a teenager’s limited point of view is no fault of our own, as some things can only be learned in time. With this in mind, it's a surprise teenagers aren’t more dramatic; wouldn’t you feel anxious if everything seemed a matter of life and death and every aspect of your future was left unknown?
Luckily we have music. One of the most popular forms of escape for young people even before it started being recorded, music is a uniting force between confusion and confidence, loneliness and community.
We live in a streaming age that allows access to any song, album, or EP in a matter of seconds, creating a sense of solace and comfort through endless discovery. We can find relatability in a man our age from the 1950s, or a woman who has been dead for decades- that’s how immortal music, and art, really is. It is more than just a series of chords or a grouping of verses, but an agent for understanding, healing, and so much more.
Below are five albums written by teenagers, connected through universal sentiments across differing decades and contrasting upbringings. Hopefully at least one of them can aid your day to day, for nothing sounds better than a stranger becoming the soundtrack to your normalcy.
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Gordon Gano, lead singer, guitarist, and violinist of the Violent Femmes, wrote what would later become his band’s debut album while wasting away in high school. This is clear when, at times, characteristic teen angst and sexual frustration are tangible on the album, whereas at other points Gano rights with a raw elegance that has the maturity and prowess of someone much older. Songs like “Add it Up,” “Kiss Off,” and “Please Do Not Go” are great examples of Gano’s ability to capture the juxtaposing helplessness and arrogance of the teenage brain while still maintaining an endearing quality.
Not only are the “Violent Femmes” lyrics a reflection of angst and depravity, but the album’s musical qualities match these sentiments as well. Part of what separates the Violent Femmes sound is their inclusion of unorthodox instruments like the xylophone, violin, and tranceaphone which when at their best, create a permeating, all-consuming resonance, matching the melodrama of growing up. And of course, Gano’s voice can emit such pent-up restlessness that it’s a surprise it doesn’t just run out of the recording.
Though it can certainly be enjoyed at all ages, there is a cultivated chaos and youthful vigor to “Violent Femmes” that serves as a perfect accompaniment to angry dance parties in your bedroom.
I stand by the belief that Taylor Swift was, at least at one time, a great songwriter. I may be biased because the first CD I ever bought with my own money was “Fearless” (I accidentally got the karaoke version) and I cherished the album booklet as if it was holy. Though I learned all the words when I was 8, it wasn’t until my friends and I recently revisited Swift’s early work that I really understood what it all means.
There is something so deeply comforting about hearing the sweet innocence of youth be told in such an unashamed way, which is what Swift does best. Everything may seem like life or death, but through her songs and a collectively shared experience it at least doesn’t seem so scary. On “Forever & Always,” when Swift sings, “And I stare at the phone, he still hasn’t called/ And then you feel so low you can’t feel nothing at all,” the listener is completely immersed in their own world despite the lyric actually being about Joe Jonas. It was this ability Swift had to mirror her own experience to that of the teenage population that made the two seem the same. I guess an 18-year-old who is trying to finish their senior year and one winning Grammys may not have that much of a difference after all.
Lorde was just 16 years old when “Royals,” her first hit song, made the charts. The daughter of a poet, it is clear Lorde, or Ella Yelich- O’Connor, has an impressive command of language, not to mention the distinct original quality that allows for indie music to reach beloved, mass appeal. The just thirty-seven-minute album reached #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart indicating Lorde was connecting with a huge fan base, mostly due to her incredibly articulate, witty, and heartfelt lyrics.
It’s almost impressive how Lorde speaks of her teenage years as if in reflection, rather than just being halfway done with them. On “Ribs,” she sings, “The drink you spilt all over me, Lover’s Spit left on repeat/ Mum and dad let me stay home, it drives you crazy getting old,” with such a quick pace it seems she is trying to get as many words in as possible, since on “Tennis Court” she acknowledges, “I’m only as young as this minute is.” At other times she slows down to pay tribute to the moments of youth that seem like they could last forever. On “A World Alone,” the song begins, “That slow burn wait while it gets dark, bruising the sun/ I feel grown up with you in your car, I know it’s dumb,” mixing the maturity of her observation with the admittance of romanticized adolescence seamlessly.
At just 18- and 19-years-old, Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad had already come out with their second album “Before the World Was Big,” growing their fan base outside the Philadelphia DIY scene.
As indicated by the title this is an album very much about growing up and the anxieties that exist hand-in-hand with the transition. At many transfixing points on “Before the World Was Big” the duo raise their voices to really be heard. On the beautiful “Chinatown,” the phrase “And if I loved myself would I take it the wrong way,” is yelled with a plea for a positive answer. On the other hand, “The truth is I’m working for myself and only me,” is spoken on “Cherry Picking,” showing the standard the speaker rises to even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Instrumentation is sparse on the album to avoid a sense of claustrophobia in a small world. Tucker plays guitar and Trividad handles bass while harmonizing, conjuring a full sound that would feel clustered with drums.
In some ways “Before the World Was Big” seems like a cookie-cutter growing-up album, yet it also doesn’t feel manufactured. The simplicity in Girlpool’s composition allows for the inner complexity to breathe, creating a rewarding emotional release between the performer and listener. This wouldn’t be considered a smooth listen, but this isn’t a time for pleasantries is it?
Lindsey Jordan, or Snail Mail, was deemed the next indie princess before “Lush,” her debut-full length album, was even released. The lead single “Pristine” was enough to confirm the greatness that her self-produced EP of a few years earlier had first indicated, catching the eye of music critics across the country. She is of a new wave of women in indie rock like Soccer Mommy, Lucy Dacus, Jay Som, who are being praised for their musical and lyrical maturity despite all being 25 or younger. Thanks to the many female artists that demanded to be taken seriously before them, anywhere from Liz Phair to Sleater Kinney to Missy Elliott, it seems the music world is coming to accept female perspectives that are allowed to be as “confessional” as Taylor Swift without taking away from their legitimacy.
Jordan is currently one of the youngest to find increasing success in the indie world, doing so by creating work that reflects her own wistfully tiresome teenage experience, following in the loose tradition of many others. Where Jordan differs from her peers is her constant inclusion of perspective and self-awareness, even when it contradicts her complaints or desires.
A highlight of the album is the overlooked eighth track “Full Control” which serves as a ballad of self-assuredness, prompting the listener to acquire a sense of confidence. The song’s simple chorus states “I’m in full control, I’m not lost/ Even when it’s love, even when it’s not,” making it seem easy to believe in yourself rather than giving in to other’s intrusions. While Jordan’s work may not always be as uplifting as this song, it is consistently honest. Jordan may not tend to give the answer listener’s want, but rather the one they need.