"At Sixteen"

Janis Ian wrote “At Seventeen,” so I wrote “At Sixteen.” I often think of the 1980s as my decade, but I’m really more of a child of the 1970s. Most of the references in this song, from the orange Trans-Am to the TV shows mentioned at the end are from the 1970s. This is from a song collection called Rented Ideas that I wrote while living in Chicago a few years ago. I had lived there through much of the 1990s, and mostly loved it. When Hitomi and I moved back there in 2011 though, it was a disaster. Neither of us could find jobs, we hated our apartment, we had rude noisy neighbors, and the whole episode only lasted about 6 months.

I had one solo coffeeshop gig while there, at a place called Let Them Eat Chocolate. (Here’s a video Hitomi made to promote the event. The song is “To See Her Hand,” by Vin & Brian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QLji5mu-Bg)It’s a cute little place, but the gig was a dud, with an audience I could count on one hand. I debuted a few songs from Rented Ideas there, the only time to date they’ve been performed live. Too bad, because I really like the songs. Rented Ideas and Cut Pieces are probably my best collections from recent years.

At Sixteen

© 2011 Brian Hutzell

Wouldn’t I look good in this

Thirty years ago?

I flatter myself by thinking I’m the same I’ve always been

But then I look again

And wonder what went wrong

Has it been that long?

But the moment I start singing

Suddenly the pain is less

And if my life is not the best

It’s not that bad

I guess I’ve had

Some pretty good times

I remember her beautiful

Younger than a Spring Angel

Leaning on my piano

Or steaming up the windows on the car in the parking lot

What happened next?

Where did she go?

Until yesterday,

I didn’t know

Gonna buy an orange Trans-Am

With a firebird on the hood

Steve Miller on 8-track tape

I’ll be looking and sounding good

Clutch Cargo’s gonna save me

Jonny Quest will be my friend

Cool McCool will solve the mystery

And the Houndcats ride again

Party hearty, Marty!

Less talk, more rock!