As Boomers, we’ve been around the block a few times.
When we think of our “youth” we might think back to when we were in our 20s or early 30s–back when we were, you know, young.
However, there’s a hit arising on Adult Top 40 radio: “Younger“ by A Great Big World, two 30-something New York University grads pining for the fun they had when they were 13-years old!
• Making out in the stands
• Getting kicked out of bands
• New rollerblades
• Classic Mario
Catchy, intelligent lyrics:
A fat kid with big blue eyes full of wonder
and a chorus that gets right to the point:
I wish I was younger
“Cute” fits both the song– perky and up-tempo, and the video, which is patterned after Pak-man.
A Great Big World burst into the pop scene five years ago with “Say Something” which featured Christina Aguilera. Their follow up and 2nd big hit was “Hold Each Other.” “Younger” is their latest.
Youth, and the longing for it, is a pop song evergreen: Sinatra sang about it, 60+ years ago, with “Young At Heart.” Later it was Cat Stevens’ “Oh Very Young,” Gary Puckett’s “Young Girl” and The Who’s “My Generation.”
1984’s “Forever Young,” (a title that covers all the bases) by German band Alphaville, didn’t show up on the music charts but it became a massive radio hit, a phenomenon, in a way, with almost 240 million YouTube views, to date. If you haven’t heard it in a while, be prepared: both the song and video are SO 80s.