Teenage Icon

Album: The Vaccines Come of Age (2012)
Charted: 39
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Songfacts®:

  • This anthemic belter was released as the second single from The Vaccines sophomore album, The Vaccines Come of Age. Frontman Justin Young told NME: "This is a self-conscious, introspective song about self-confidence. It's confident and upbeat but it's also very tongue-in-cheek."
  • Young admitted to the NME: "I really hate listening to second record songs, people singing about the place they've found themselves in, and then I realised I've kind of done that with this song…"
  • Justin Young professes discomfort at being put on a pedestal by fans when he sings, "I'm no teenage icon. I'm no Frankie Avalon." Young admitted to NME that he referenced the 1950s pop star, Frankie Avalon, as he couldn't think of anything else that rhymed.
  • Like Young, guitarist Freddie Cowan finds it difficult to relate to being a teenage icon. "Justin was referring to himself," Cowan told Spinner. "What he's saying is when he stands onstage, he's supposed to feel like that guy - a teenage icon - but he doesn't. I don't feel that way at all. I respect musicians for what they do, but I think there are actors and other people that deserve to be icons. Most of the time, I'm more in love with the music than the person."
  • The NME counted 13 reasons why Justin Young believes he is "no teenage icon" in this song. They are:
    So ordinary
    So obvious
    Nobody's hero
    Reserved and shy
    No piercing stare
    Out of shape
    Messy hair
    Not magnetic
    Not mythical
    Suburban
    Typical
    Not leather clad
    Not dangerous

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