Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CLXXVII--The Undertones: Teenage Kicks

It's right back to the 70's--though I've only been familiar with this one for a handful of years now, and discovered it, of all places, while reading a comments thread concerning baseball.  That's one of the many wonderful things about music (and the internet, for that matter):  you never know where you're going to find that next gem of a song.

The Undertones formed in 1974 in Derry, Northern Ireland, and had a nice run for their first nine years in which they released three albums that reached the top twenty in the U.K.  They then proceeded to break up before reuniting (with a new lead singer) in 1999, and they subsequently released two more LPs, and continue to tour to this day.  Unfortunately for the band, they never had any success in the U.S. (though this week's tune is a staple on virtually every 70's punk retrospective released since its debut), but even without it have managed, as so many other FNJ artists have, to make a fine career out of what success they did have.  Original lead singer Feargal Sharkey (and what a great rock and roll name that is) had a modicum of success here in the States (and a #1 hit in the UK) with his single "A Good Heart" (which emaycee highly recommends for the uninitiated--it's a damn fine pop tune).  Overall, the Undertones have released six albums (with one top ten in the UK), fourteen singles (again with one top ten), and have a couple of showings on UK best of all times lists.

Originally released as a single only in 1978, "Teenage Kicks" would go on to reach #31 (with a bullet? not particularly familiar with the charts in UK...) on the UK charts, and would be added to their debut album, the oh-so-aptly titled The Undertones, upon it's re-release in October of 1979.  "Teenage Kicks" was given an extra boost by famed BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel (his Peel Sessions introduced many a great new band to his listeners), who played it regularly in his rotation and went to his grave saying that "Teenage Kicks" was his favorite song of all time.

Fun Fact:  Peel liked the song so much that he wanted the lyrics "Teenage kicks, hard to beat" inscribed on his tombstone--and after his death in 2004 the lyrics were eventually added to his tombstone in 2008.  As a great band once said, it's only rock and roll but I like it...

Nothing fancy about this one--it's three power chords on the guitar, pounding drums, Feargal Sharkey's quavering vocals, and all for one of the best songs ever written about teen angst.  The first time I heard it I knew it was a song I was going to love forever, and hundreds of listens later have proved that I was right.  It literally ranks up there with the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," The Clash's "White Riot," and the New York Dolls' "Personality Crisis" in the annals of all time great punk songs.  From the exploding guitars to the yearning in Sharkey's voice, it's a tune for the ages.

Lyric Sheet:  "Are teenage dreams so hard to beat/Every time she walks down the street/Another girl in the neighborhood/Wish she was mine, she looks so good..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee