Big Star: Thirteen [1972]
from #1 Record
This gets right to the punch. Nostalgia for innocent first love in one's teen years is the theme, and it never strays. Boy, does it ever hit the mark. It also cuts deep if you're in the beginning of a relationship and you don't know if the other person feels as strongly as you do, yet you're fearful to show your hand. Alex Chilton on vocals, after his days as a teen phenom singer with The Boxtops.
>>posted by SPC
3 comments:
This is nice -- as is a lot of the stuff you have here. Very nice blog! Thanks a lot.
You might like to stop by mine at http://echoesinthewind.blogspot.com
and see what you think.
What can you say about "Thirteen" that hasn't already been said, written, and carved in stone ? If you don't feel a resounding ache when you listen to this song, you haven't stumbled through adolescence with your heart thumping out of every pore.
As for the Box Tops, it never ceases to astound me that Alex Chilton could belt out a vocal with such intensity at such a tender age. "The Letter", "Soul Deep", "Cry Like a Baby" are absolute blue-eyed soul classics. And as for their version of Bacharach & David's "Trains & Boats & Planes"... well, not even Dionne Warwick was able to endow this great tearjerker with an equivalent sense of genuine emotion.
Also worth checking out is Chris Bell's own solo album " I am the Cosmos", and Elliott Smith's version of "Thirteen", which - while not a patch on Chilton's - is still at least worth a listen.
"If you don't feel a resounding ache when you listen to this song, you haven't stumbled through adolescence with your heart thumping out of every pore."
Nice line!
Your comments are always a pleasure to read, and informative. Thanks!
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