Songs About Being Older

Songs About Being Older

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Posted 2021-09-01 by Steven Gfollow
I spent a recent weekend with some younger people. They were all in their twenties and thirties, and a couple in their forties, which made me the oldest one there. By quite a margin. As part of what we were involved with, we each had to get theme songs . Well, this lot picked one for me, and that has led to this list.

Songs about being older than… well, older than you feel, older than like to think you are, older than other people. Just older.


So, this column is very simple – it is about being older. People who are older or older people talking to younger people, but definitely from the point of view of being older. I have avoided songs coming from the point of view of parents and being about parents, and a few of them are comedy songs, but this is about advancing years. Note: older, not old. Being old is subjective; being older is often a statement of fact. Other normal rules apply – one song per artist, I need to like the song.

Being reminded we are getting older through song! Let's go… once I manage to get myself up off this dang couch…
'When You Are Old And Gray' by Tom Lehrer (1953)

Let's start this list with one of the funniest men in musical comedy and an incredibly cynical song about growing old with someone and not really enjoying the experience. Short and not so sweet, but still quite funny.
'Old Man' by Neil Young (1972)

The classic old person song, recorded when Neil was quite young himself (26, I believe), and now, almost 50 years later, he is the old man and still creating some wonderful music. Talking to an old man and comparing your life to his is something that happens a lot, and so the sentiments still ring true.
'Too Old To Rock'N'Roll: Too Young To Die' by Jethro Tull (1976)

Tull in full-on pastoral mode here, with a depressing little song about being stuck in a life after the youth is over. The fact they would go on to make music for a few more decades shows they didn't exactly live by this. But I really like this one.
'There Ain't No Age For Rock'n'Roll' by The Veterans (1979)

A bit of a fun song about no one being too old to release rock and roll songs. And, as regular readers will notice, as the years go on and more and more of the veteran acts release great albums, I have been saying this for a long time, as some of the best music of recent years has come from the artists who started decades ago. And this song encapsulates that… albeit strangely.
'The Old Rockers' by Swanee (1980)

Not sure if this one is a cheat or not, but if I have an excuse to put a South Australian artist into a list, I'll do it. This song is about the old rock and roll stars who influenced Swanee and is done in that fun rock style so beloved by Australian rockers. But taking influence from those who came before – that is a good legacy to leave behind as we get older.
'Veteran Cosmic Rocker' by The Moody Blues (1981)

Another song about an old musician, but this one keeps on performing because he thinks it will stave off death. Yeah… depressing. But it is an awesome piece of music from a great album (Long Distance Voyager), and the Moody Blues really did make great music from the 60s through to the 80s.
'The Old Man Down The Road' by John Fogerty (1985)

The lead single from the Centrefield album got Fogerty into trouble when a former manager sued him for plagiarising himself! It turned out okay (only okay) in the end after many, many years, but this song does portray the old man down the titular road as something of a scary character. Still, cool song.
'Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)' by Garth Brooks (1989)

Garth Brooks' first single (really), and he was much too young to feel any sort of old, but it is the cry of so many of us in the older years who don't want to admit impending age. It's an interesting choice for a first single, though, like John Paul Young's 'Yesterday's Hero', as if tempting fate. Still, can't deny it's a good song!
'When I Was Your Age' by 'Weird Al' Yankovic (1992)

One of Yankovic's non-parody songs, an original tune making fun of the sorts of things older people say to younger people about how tough their lives were when they were young. Never released as a single, and not known outside of fans, it is still quite a funny song. And, yes, one of my grandfathers was exactly like this.
'Older' by George Michael (1996)

Looking older, but change is good. That's the sentiment of this beautiful track, the title track from Michael's 1996 album. I've said it before – I think Michael was better after Wham! and it's songs like this jazzy track that have led me to that conclusion.
'Just Getting Older' by Oasis (2002)

This is a "B-side" (are they still called that?) from the single 'The Hindu Times', and while a tad depressing lyrically, it is still one of those Oasis songs that build up so well from simple acoustic guitar to soaring chorus and then again. I think I prefer it to the A-side, if I'm being honest, and that's not a bad song, either.
'Never Get Old' by David Bowie (2003)

From the under-rated Reality album, this is a song that fell under my radar until I was collating songs for this list and put this one on and it is awesome. This one could well sneak into my favourite Bowie tracks list, and is just a great song, and the mantra of so many of us.
'Act Yr Age' by Blueju!ce (2011)

It's there in the title. You're older – act your age! Something that way too many of us don't listen to until our bodies give up on us in the worst or in sudden ways. Of course, it could also work the other way, when a younger person acts like they are older than everyone else. One of those songs that can be used to talk to all generations!
'Oldest Surfer On The Beach' by Jimmy Buffet (2013)

Yes, Buffet at this point in time very probably was one of the oldest surfers on the beach! It's about not wasting your days as you get older, and how it's just a matter of doing, not competing. I love this track; Buffet is so underrated as a performer.
'I Need Never Get Old' by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (2015)

From one of the best albums of the 2010s (self-titled), this fun track about denying growing old is the one that the guys eventually chose for me as my theme song. I love this track and the soaring chorus is phenomenal. If you can find the video of these guys singing this on Jimmy Fallon's show, it is singularly awesome.
I don't think I've had a list like this with so many songs from the twenty-first century before! Maybe it's because those singers from the years I prefer started to look at their own mortality. It doesn't matter, because this list is a fine tribute to getting older and still living life.

Hope it makes anyone "getting on in years" feel better about this time of their life, and for younger readers, know it doesn't stop being fun, no matter your age.

Hope you enjoyed the list!
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83982 - 2023-06-11 06:48:16

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