In December
when newspapers and websites compiled the best song of 2019 polls, a recurring choice
was "Seventeen" by Sharon Van Etten, a truly great timeless pop song.
I had liked
Van Etten's previous work, especially 2012's "Tramp", but it had been
five years between albums, and major
changes in her life - her first child, acting in "The OA" series and even studying to be a therapist.
When "Seventeen" finally appeared,
it was her farewell love letter to her home of New York City, and a nostalgic look
back at her early years.
Spotting teenagers
in the city ("half shy / hanging on my block"), it reminds her of
herself at that age ("so much like me"). She can detect a mixture of
loneliness, fear and even arrogance ("You think you know something, you
don't"). She wants to reassure them
("how much you've grown")
and that it will be OK ("I
know what you're gonna be").
The great
chorus recalls "I used to be free / I used to be seventeen". Like the
character in "Anchorage", it is not a regret of missing freedom, but
a wistful reminiscence of the past.
The pain of teenage
years is a key trope for songwriters (Janis Ian's "At 17" is too
sentimental). Van Etten manages to keep it fresh and interesting by relating it
to a loss of memories in a city with constant change ("Downtown hotspot / Used
to be on this street"). It is not a rage, but an acceptance. The video is
even more explicit, as she wanders around former haunts with a teenage version
of herself.
Most of the
song's appeal is because it so damn catchy. The electronic beats, strong piano,
great fuzzy guitar solo, and the "lalala" sing-along part, make it so
seductive. Her vocals start cool and controlled, but by the third minute have
descended to a passionate wail.
"Seventeen"
is irresistible, I played it twice yesterday, and then it was swirling around
my head all evening. A glorious moment from a great artist.
Hear Next -
The "Tramp" album is the best place to start.
