Anonymous Girl

MUSIC//The Teenagers

Over the weekend my flat mate and I were discussing what our favourite songs were when we were 16. We were both born in 1990 and have almost identical tastes in music today. My flatmate told me he was all about Tool, Splitknot and System Of A Down when he was 16.  We talked about songs that we hated and songs that we loved. We played Simple Plan's Welcome to my life and whole bunch of Good Charlotte and Green  Day songs. My stomach still aches from laughing. As the night went on we became more and more intoxicated until someone pulled out the guitar and we all sang Hoobastank's The Reason (which is quite possibly one of the worst pop songs ever written.) Then we took turns reminiscing; he would play 3 songs then I would play 3 songs. Songs that meant a lot to us when we were 16.

The first song I chose was Home Coming by The Teenagers. I was very heavily influenced by this film clip when I was 16. All the pastels and the overalls, wallpaper and pink photo frames, bubble gum and short shorts, frilly socks and suspenders... This film clip embodied everything I wanted to be in 2006/7 and I can't help but feel it had a small part in shaping the way I dress today. These are some stills from the film clip. I'm so pathetic, I had tears in my eyes, hearing this for the first time in about 6 years. My flatmate fell in love with this song too. Since I showed it to him last weekend, every day when I come home from work he has it on repeat. I can't stop listening to it either. It's only10.30am and I have already listened to it 4 times.

Last night I had dinner with an old friend from high school. I said to her "remember that song homecoming?" and she "oh my god" and instantly felt the same amount of emotional nostalgia that I did. She told me about the first time she heard this song. She said, she was in the car with me. I had burned Homecoming to a CD. My mum was dropping us off to a party. The party was hosted by a boy in the grade above us. I was 16, she was 15. I remember that night too, I was wearing Air Jordans and a grey bubble dress with black spaghetti straps and I carried this Polaroid camera everywhere. We drank Malibu and took photos together in the kitchen. The photos went on MySpace the next day.  I think I tried my first cigarette that night.

Funnily enough, I originally found The Teenagers music on MySpace - I found all my music on MySpace when I was 16. I miss that part of the internet. it's like the abandoned neighborhood of cyber space now. Anyway, The Teenagers are a french band that originally started as a joke. The song Homecoming is about two teens, they have sex and it gives the teen boy Vs teen girl perspective. 

It reminds me of having crushes on boys who were slightly older than me, and that electric feeling I would get when our knees touched in the car, and secretly holding hands under the duvet cover at parties. Drinking straight vodka with LA Ice as a chaser (because that was the only way I knew how to get drunk and LA Ice cost 75c.) Awkwardly arriving at these parties, saying goodbye to my parents("no mum drop me around the corner I don't want them to see this car!". Texting my mum what time I would be home from my colour screen Nokia 1650.

Watch the film clip for Homecoming by the Teenagers

I fucked my American cunt 

I loved my English romance

I fucked my American cunt 

I loved my English romance

It was dirty a dream came true 

Just like I like it she's got nice tits

It was perfect a dream came true

Just like a song by Blink-182

Another song that I obsessed over at sweet 16 was Pop The Glock by Uffie. Uffie was my ultimate muse, my Idol. If you can't already tell, I was obsessed with dreamy minimal French electro bands and lame synth-pop. I wanted to be Uffie. She was cute and sexy and confident. She had a great thing going on - gold gangster chains, hot pants and thigh-high socks. Big hoodies, white trainers, messy hair and a rich-bitch attitude. Her song Hot Bitch was another favourite of mine at the time. She is like the underground Ke$ha. 

Uffie is of Japanese-British heritage, grew up in Hong Kong and moved to Paris as at 15 after she got arrested for vandalism (what a bada$$). I also found Pop the Glock on MySpace, I remember downloading the Myspace demo version on my crappy Dell laptop. I think Uffie has a few kids now. That makes me feel old.

  

Watch the film clip for Pop the Glock by Uffie

My third and final favourite 16-year-old music clip was Deceptacon by Le Tigre. I LOVED Le Tigre, and Bikini Kill, and Kathleen Hanna. Because I was an angry-about-nothing 16 year old girl with a short hair who wanted to rebel against absolutely nothing and absolutely everything, and slam bedroom doors in my parents face because FEMENISM and ACTIVISM and OTHER WORDS ENDING IN -ISM. Also, the dance in the film clip is amazing. I'm going to try and learn it this year.

There was something about the music around 2006/7 that was so exciting and new for me. It was the first time I had found music that reall 'got' me. I never really thought about how the music I listened to at 16 still effects me today, and I love what this music scene was about. Riot grrrll, synth-pop and anything by Ed Banger records were amazing and still are. Even as I watch these film clips now, I am still inspired by the colours and the shitty lo-fi film quality. It feels like I am home, there is something so comforting about these song for me. They helped shape my taste in music and fashion for decades to come and perhaps forever. 

Watch the film clip for Deceptacon by Le Tigre

Love Anongirl xxxx