Comments on: David's last summer - or, music that deals with the transition from adolescence into a different world

Question: David's last summer - or, music that deals with the transition from adolescence into a different world

greycap — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:22:04 -0800

Looking for songs that have a wistful, bittersweet feel to them that captures the move from adolescence into "adult" life - eg the moments before leaving school, or before getting your first job.

Why do I ask? Well, my Ipod spat out the following songs on shuffle the other day:

Pulp - David's Last Summer
Belle and Sebastian - A Summer Wasting
The Divine Comedy - The Summerhouse

They all have a definite hint of nostalgia to them, and all touch on the transition from one phase of your life into another. I thought I'd try to put together a playlist including them and other similar songs. It doesn't have to be specifically about "last summers", simply about those threshold-type moments where you go from one phase of your life to another.

Any suggestions? Although the examples above are all pretty mainstream indie, I'd be interested in any musical style, genre or era.

Note - I'm really after songs that specifically deal musically or lyrically with these sort of themes, rather than songs that don't directly deal with them but which you associate with such moments due to your own personal experiences.

By: i8ny3x

i8ny3x — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:29:26 -0800

Dar Williams - The End of Summer
Stars - Reunion
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - Topsy Turvy

I don't know any more! Good topic, by the way.

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:31:52 -0800

Britney Spears - I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

There's a wikipedia article about this song. Amazing.

By: Pattie

Pattie — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:34:42 -0800

Neil Young, Sugar Mountain

By: yodelingisfun

yodelingisfun — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:35:08 -0800

New Slang by The Shins

By: Siobhan

Siobhan — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:36:17 -0800

Death Cab for Cutie - Photobooth.

By: dan g.

dan g. — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:36:41 -0800

In Tall Buildings, John Hartford.

By: aparrish

aparrish — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:36:48 -0800

Pretty much anything by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:38:22 -0800

The Boys of Summer, by Don Henley or The Ataris - it makes me sad.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:39:00 -0800

Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69"
Bob Seger, "Against the Wind"

/sappy on the inside

By: muddgirl

muddgirl — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:40:13 -0800

White Stripes - We're Going to Be Friends.

By: lilnemo

lilnemo — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:41:31 -0800

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
John Coltrane - Blue Train
U2 - Bad
Simon & Garfunkle - Sound of Silence
Five Stairsteps - Ooh Child
Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane

By: amro

amro — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:41:37 -0800

Father & Son, by Cat Stevens

By: amro

amro — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:43:55 -0800

Actually, Wild World by Cat Stevens is better (for your theme).

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:45:06 -0800

To Sir With Love, by Lulu.

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:45:56 -0800

Ummm....how about the whole Smith's catalog? Nobody does angst like Morriessy.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:47:26 -0800

"Still Fighting It" by Ben Folds.

By: sellout

sellout — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:48:21 -0800

Harry Chapin, "Cat's in the Cradle".

By: JekPorkins

JekPorkins — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:48:42 -0800

Most Jimmy Eat World songs would probably fit the bill. Guys in their 30s singing about the angst of teens and early twenties does it everytime.

And Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie album.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:50:46 -0800

"Puff, the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul, and Mary

"Return to Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins

and for something darker...

"Terry" by James McMurtry

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:53:30 -0800

"The City" by The Dismemberment Plan, fits the bill, but it's about being left somewhere, rather than leaving.

By: Ostara

Ostara — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:54:29 -0800

Broke Into the Old Apartment - Barenaked Ladies
The Freshman - Verve Pipe
Breathe - Anna Nalick

By: surferboy

surferboy — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:56:56 -0800

Just Like Honey by Jesus and Mary Chain. Sort of.

By: gergtreble

gergtreble — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:57:08 -0800

Nothing Lasts Forever - Echo and the Bunnymen

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Thu, 11 May 2006 12:58:32 -0800

Forever Young-Alphhaville
Summer Feeling-Jonathon Richman

By: lilnemo

lilnemo — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:00:19 -0800

Joe Walsh - In the City

By: kimdog

kimdog — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:01:34 -0800

Dropout- Flaming Lips

By: Mean Mr. Bucket

Mean Mr. Bucket — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:02:31 -0800

I don't think Chris Isaak means it literaly, but "Graduation Day" fits the bill.

By: Atom12

Atom12 — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:05:28 -0800

I Don't Want To Grow Up by Tom Waits?

By: matteo

matteo — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:08:22 -0800

wouldn't it be nice, beach boys

By: Mean Mr. Bucket

Mean Mr. Bucket — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:09:21 -0800

I love questions that test my musical knowledge.

"Stay Gold, Ponyboy" by the Get Up Kids. That whole Four Minute Mile album really is soaking in cheep teenage nostalgia, but hey, emo is for the kids, baby!

By: Mean Mr. Bucket

Mean Mr. Bucket — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:12:11 -0800

matteo's answer reminds me of another: "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke.

By: ed\26h

ed\26h — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:14:06 -0800

"The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. One" by Neutral Milk Hotel.

Bit dark though.

By: briank

briank — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:14:17 -0800

"Jack and Diane" - John Cougar Mellencamp

"The Circle Game" - Joni Mitchell

"It Was A Very Good Year" - Frank Sinatra

"When I Grow Up" - The Beach Boys

By: dilettante

dilettante — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:14:32 -0800

Jack and Diane - John Cougar (Mellencamp)

By: dilettante

dilettante — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:14:54 -0800

Damn it, I type too slowly.

By: Lotto

Lotto — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:15:12 -0800

"So Far Away" by Carole King is very nostalgic for me... a group of musicians (including me) from our music class performed it at our secondary school national record of achievement evening - the evening consisted of people being called up individually, their tutor saying something nice about them and them being handed their stupid NRA folder. People were also sitting at tables with their friends, and wine and beer were flowing freely.

Anyway, by the time we got up to play everyone was fairly pissed, but the room fell silent as everyone contemplated who they would be going away from.

(Yes personal nostalgia, but if you look up the lyrics/hear the song you'll see the relevence.)

By: trinarian

trinarian — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:19:42 -0800

I don't think any band captures transition quite as well as (the) Verve does. The entire album Urban Hymn's is a coming clean album... most of the lyrical content is about trying to make amends with the people you were close to when you were doing something very different. "Sonnet", "Bittersweet Symphony", "The Drugs Don't Work", "Weeping Willow", and "Lucky Man" all have very strong messages about moving on and making peace with the past. Awesome album in all respects.

Their earlier catalog has a lot of gems with that tone too. "On Your Own" and "History" both are great and both off A Northern Soul. "History" is the ultimate "I just found peace with a horrible breakup" song. "So Sister" is also in the category. There earlier stuff is better musically, but not lyrically.

The next best artist like that is Josh Ritter. He's an amazing singer-singwriter from Idaho who just recently blew up... in Ireland of all places. Haven't heard the new album, but "Roll On", "Otherside", and "Lawrence, KS." really have that coming-of-age tone in a more piney but still idealistic-Norman Rockwell kinda way...

Other songs...

G. Love - "The Things That I Used to Do": good, if a little goofy.

Jane's Addiction - "Summertime Rolls": has a very nostalgic effect with dreamy distortion.

Gov't Mule - "Soulshine": Some father-to-son advice goodness

MoFro - "Fireflies"

Sublime - "Jailhouse"

Iron & Wine - "Passing Afternoon": see Summertime Rolls

Led Zeppelin - "Going to California"

Modest Mouse - "Trailer Trash", "World at Large", and "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine" in a very obscure way

Smashing Pumpkins - "1979"

The entire Garden State soundtrack and maybe RCHP's "Scar Tissue"

By: saladin

saladin — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:22:00 -0800

Pretty much all of If It Weren't For Venetian Blinds by Piebald, especially the songs "Grace Kelly With Wings" and "Location is Everything".

By: Seamus

Seamus — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:22:47 -0800

Kids (Don't Know) by the Orange Mothers works for me every time.

By: simbiotic

simbiotic — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:23:48 -0800

The Clash -- Stay Free

By: rolypolyman

rolypolyman — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:24:03 -0800

I have to say that some of the songs in this thread seem to be about growing up but don't capture the bittersweet, emotional feelings the poster wants (some in fact are kind of carefree or nonchalant). I'm hesitant to point out examples, but I promise they're there.

By: Good Brain

Good Brain — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:24:28 -0800

Friends Forever -- Old 97s makes me think about my friends and I, each of us discovering things about ourselves that would lead us on diverging paths.

By: junkbox

junkbox — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:25:45 -0800

"Ghost World" -- Aimee Mann. Inspired by the graphic novel that became a movie.

And speaking of soundtracks, the Cruel Intentions soundtrack contains lots of teen nostalgia songs from the late 90's, including Verve's Bittersweet Symphony mentioned above.

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:30:23 -0800

Sister Christian - Night Ranger

By: macadamiaranch

macadamiaranch — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:32:11 -0800

Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart

By: aeighty

aeighty — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:32:17 -0800

"Graduation" by Vitamin C? Can't believe nobody mentioned that.

"Do you realize" by The Flaming Lips.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:32:56 -0800

Three by Springsteen:

"4th of July, Asbury Park"

"I Came for You"

and

"Spirits in the Night"

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:34:14 -0800

Also by Springsteen: "Thunder Road" ... absolutely amazing song, especially if you grew up in Jersey in the 70's.

By: hangashore

hangashore — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:41:49 -0800

"At Seventeen" - Janis Ian

By: Vervain

Vervain — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:43:16 -0800

Hmm. Off the top of my head, I'd say "Disco 2000" by Pulp and "Peppermint Taste" by Hefner would probably serve you well. Oh, and either "Leaves That Are Green" or "Old Friends" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Would "A Very Good Year" by Sinatra be too cheesy?

By: |n$eCur3

|n$eCur3 — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:49:04 -0800

The Beatles - You Give Me Your Money

Out of college, money spent
See no future, pay no rent
All the money's gone, nowhere to go...
But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go

THEN

One sweet dream
Pick up the bags and get in the limousine
Soon we'll be away from here
Step on the gas and wipe that tear away
One sweet dream came true today

The music starts out with a melancholy feel as does the story, but then the story evolves along with the musical tone. By the end it is upbeat rather than wistful, though still not lacking a feeling of being slightly detached and transitional.

By: jacobm

jacobm — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:06:13 -0800

I don't know why, but I have always felt like Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" captured that feeling exactly, and also lots of very early REM but especially "We Walk". Not that the lyrics to either of those songs have anything particularly to do with the theme, they just feel that way to me.

By: jacobm

jacobm — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:08:56 -0800

Err ... so, it turns out that I can't read. Sorry about that :)

By: Artifice_Eternity

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:12:49 -0800

There were tons of new wave pop songs along these lines...

Dream Academy - "Life in a Northern Town"
Tears for Fears - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
a-ha - "Take on Me"
Alphaville - "Forever Young"

By: itchie

itchie — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:17:04 -0800

Though a little bit different than what you're looking for, but "Dammit" ("Damnit"?) by Blink 182 is perfect.

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:36:00 -0800

Closing Time by Semisonic.

By: scody

scody — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:37:14 -0800

"Thick as Thieves" and "I Got By in Time" - the Jam

By: luneray

luneray — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:38:40 -0800

U2 "Twilight"

My body grows and grows
It frightens me you know...
In the twilight/
Boy meets Man

although I guess this is a song about adolescence itself, not the transition out of it.

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:45:10 -0800

I saw one mention - but I'll second it - pretty much anything by Jonathan Richman. Especially Summer Feeling.

The Lucksmiths capture this pretty well also. Tee Shirt Weather and Southernmost come to mind as the most wistful.

A smallish band out of the northwest called Math and Physics Club have some great songs about high school and the rush of first crushes and things if that does it for you. I can't get enough.

The Sprites, while maybe nothing summery per se have some great kind of growing up nostalgia songs.

Please post a track list of the eventual glorious mix you make from all of these suggestions.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:54:43 -0800

Pursuit of Happiness I'm an Adult Now.
The Kinks Do You Remember Walter
The Kinks People Take Pictures of Each Other
The Kinks Photograph

In fact, nearly anything by the Kinks from their Something Else through Arthur period.

(Oh, and ignore a good 60% of the suggestions above. They're more bad AskMe musical advice: a mix of bad taste, ignoring the question and just dropping whatever they think might be tangentially related.)

By: buddha9090

buddha9090 — Thu, 11 May 2006 15:01:15 -0800

The Decemberists - Shiny

Was also going to be my suggestion for the 'most perfect' song thread that got deleted earlier this week. Not really sure about its lyrics, but musically, it always makes me think of riding on the back of a bus, looking out the window, nostalgic for the things you are leaving behind, cautiously excited about the things you are heading towards. That, of course, is just my association with it.

By: gd779

gd779 — Thu, 11 May 2006 15:43:33 -0800

Today, by Poe. It'll catch you by surprise.

By: sarahnade

sarahnade — Thu, 11 May 2006 15:56:56 -0800

"Wide Open Spaces" written by Susan Gibson, and made into a huge hit by the Dixie Chicks. (link goes to the lyrics)

By: lilnemo

lilnemo — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:00:08 -0800

Gary Jules - Mad World

By: chrominance

chrominance — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:14:17 -0800

Seconding "Ghost World." Thirding it, too. Aimee Mann basically took all of the emotions I felt after seeing the movie and packed them into a four-minute pop song, and for that I will always be grateful.

By: educatedslacker

educatedslacker — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:37:38 -0800

Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of your Life)

Really thought I'd see that one before I got to the bottom of the thread.

By: Zurishaddai

Zurishaddai — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:44:16 -0800

What Pattie said.

Also Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan's Dream.

I can think of more, but these are already too depressing.

By: trinarian

trinarian — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:45:37 -0800

"Do you realize" by The Flaming Lips.

As much as I dig the Lips, there's nothing really in that song that's bittersweet in a looking-back way lyrically ... i just think the whole dreamscape approach to their sound makes one think of childhood. it's very childish music in the best way possible... like ween and phish at their best.

By: jdroth

jdroth — Thu, 11 May 2006 16:58:44 -0800

Dakota by The Stereophonics typifies this type of music for me. It makes me pine for my youth.

Thinking back, thinking of you
Summertime think it was June
Yeah, think it was June
Laying back, head on the grass
Chewing gum, having some laughs
Yeah having some laughs.

You made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one, the one

Drinking [or 'dreaming'] back, drinking for two
Drinking with you
When drinking was new
Sleeping in the back of my car
We never went far
Didn't need to go far

You made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one, the one

I don't know where we are going now

Wake-up call, coffee and juice
Remembering you
What happened to you?
I wonder if we'll meet again
Talk about life since then
Talk about why did it end

You made me feel like the one
Made me feel like the one, the one

I don't know where we are going now
So take a look at me now

I know there are other songs that evoke these feelings for me, but this one does it best.

By: educatedslacker

educatedslacker — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:15:53 -0800

Thought of a couple more:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Learning to Fly
Cake - Alpha Beta Parking Lot
Led Zeppelin - Going to California (on preview: seconding this one from above)

By: eatdonuts

eatdonuts — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:16:52 -0800

heh.

did someone yet say 'dust in the wind' - by kansas? the 'sister christian' by night ranger jogged it loose. i love the 'boys of summer' suggestion too.

gads, now i remember those old roller skating days.

By: katyggls

katyggls — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:28:24 -0800

World in 1984 by Shearwater. It's a beautiful, bittersweet song about a kid who's 16, and his parents try to tell him what it's like to be an adult, but he is unable (blinded by his youth) to understand. That link to the mp3 is from their own website, btw, so completely legal for you to download and listen. You can see the lyrics here, at a blog post I did about the song. Sorry for the self-link, but I can't remember how I found the lyrics and I can't find them anywhere else online.

By: JekPorkins

JekPorkins — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:33:41 -0800

(Don't Go Back To) Rockville, by R.E.M.

By: Brainy

Brainy — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:34:20 -0800

"Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying" always felt that way for me, as did "Stars of Track & Field" and "Seeing Other People". I don't know if the lyrics fit quite well enough though.

By: Brainy

Brainy — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:34:40 -0800

Doh! by Belle & Sebastian! Sorry.

By: bim

bim — Thu, 11 May 2006 17:36:08 -0800

The Long & Winding Road -- Paul McCarthy

You've Got A Friend -- written by Carol King & sung by lots of people including James Taylor

Same Auld Lang Syne -- Dan Fogelberg

Someone to Pull the Trigger Lyrics -- Matthew Sweet

Ain't No Mountain High Enough -- Ashford & Simpson

Keg on My Coffin -- The Push Stars

If you Love Somebody (Set Them Free) -- Sting

One Headlight -- Wallflowers

By: holgate

holgate — Thu, 11 May 2006 18:06:16 -0800

In the new wave tradition of 'Life in a Northern Town': It's Immaterial - 'Driving Away From Home'. (It does seem to be something of a northern thing in England: Pulp, The Verve, etc.)

By: hot soup girl

hot soup girl — Thu, 11 May 2006 18:21:01 -0800

She's Leaving Home, the Beatles.
Levi Stubbs' Tears, Billy Bragg
Gold Soundz, Pavement
The New Year, Death Cab for Cutie

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Thu, 11 May 2006 19:12:21 -0800

This Time of Year - Better Than Ezra

By: padraigin

padraigin — Thu, 11 May 2006 19:24:39 -0800

"Celebrated Summer" by Husker Du.

"Here Comes A Regular" by the Replacements.

By: Godbert

Godbert — Thu, 11 May 2006 20:22:49 -0800

I'm somewhat to see that no one has mentioned Eve 6's "Here's To The Night". I think it fits the bill quite nicely (and in fact, it was the music backdrop for my high school's video yearbook, mostly because it's great as a looking back/transition song).

By: eritain

eritain — Thu, 11 May 2006 22:09:23 -0800

Looking through my music collection, I see four cuts that are pretty much bull's-eyes for you:

Fields of Gold, by Sting (but I prefer Eva Cassidy's recording of it).

100 Years, by Five for Fighting.

Leaving on a Jet Plane, which I think is by John Denver, but anyway, I learned it from Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Shenandoah.

Several more that may hit or miss:

In My Life (Lennon/McCartney, though I'm pretty sure it was almost all Macca really; my preferred recording is by Tuck and Patti). The first verse is a bull's-eye, the second less so.

I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow: 'I bid farewell to old Kentucky/the state where I was born and raised'. My favorite cut is by the Wayfaring Strangers and features the inimitably crusty Ralph Stanley, some superb jazz piano, and a really tight, quasi-Indian groove.

Children of the Wind, recorded by Blood, Sweat, & Tears for their second album but omitted for lack of space; released in the What Goes Up collection. I'm not sure if this one does what you're looking for.

The ever-so-trendy, glurgey socialites who were my 'student government' in high school decreed 'I Will Remember You' our class song just before we graduated. Gah. A good friend restored my karmic balance with an informal rendition of It's Over, by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. ('It's all over,/there isn't any more./It's all over,/but what's it over for?/Just when you think the party's starting,/It's over.')

With the way this thread is goingheck, with the way my post is going, you're assembling an album, and you need a quiet instrumental to close it out. I recommend Blue Serge, by Duke Ellington (the Blanton-Webster band); Blue in Green, by Miles Davis (and, probably, Bill Evans); High Noon, recorded by The Tony Rice Unit; or the Ashokan Farewell (the theme from Ken Burns's The Civil War), tune by Jay Ungar. (There are words, but use an instrumental.)

By: greycap

greycap — Thu, 11 May 2006 23:07:17 -0800

Wow - I am overwhelmed by the responses here. I am going to have to spend the weekend going through them and then downloading the best from itunes. I'll post the eventual track list for those who are interested. (although listening to it is probably going to turn me into a nostalgia-ridden wreck!)

By: toddshot

toddshot — Thu, 11 May 2006 23:09:06 -0800

I immediately thought of In The Car by Barenaked Ladies, wherein the narrator reminisces about his first nearly-sexual relationship. Features the great line "We were waiting for our lives to start their endings".

By: featherboa

featherboa — Fri, 12 May 2006 02:21:03 -0800

Stephen Malkmus - Jenny and the S-Dog

Also, because apparently nothing satisfies this question like B&S, Expectations.

By: bim

bim — Fri, 12 May 2006 04:42:02 -0800

eritain -- I think we have the same CD collection, LOL. How about anything from Duke Ellington's "And His Mother Called Him Bill?" It's a lovely album dedicated to his late collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Very melancholy...

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Fri, 12 May 2006 06:16:41 -0800

"Fight Test" by Flaming Lips
"Drowse" by Queen, a great song no one knows, because it was written & sung by their drummer.
"Simple Song" by Lyle Lovett
"You Were the Fool" by Ween has that feel to it, tho it's a bit absurdist... "Who Dat" by Ween is probably closer.
"Party Girl" by Elvis Costello

By: blueshammer

blueshammer — Fri, 12 May 2006 06:17:06 -0800

Someone mentioned Semisonic for Closing Time, but their track El Matador off of All About Chemistry fits the bill perfectly.

Also, Mike Doughty's All The Dirt off of Skittish and Over the Rhine's Ohio off of Ohio, off the top of my head.

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Fri, 12 May 2006 06:19:04 -0800

Since it fits the description quite well and you can download it for free, I'm going to recommend a song that I just recorded: Summer's Ending.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Fri, 12 May 2006 06:36:01 -0800

She Is A Woman and Now He Is a Man by Husker Du.
My Last Christmas by The Dirtbombs.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Fri, 12 May 2006 07:42:36 -0800

Changes by Phil Ochs, covered by Ian and Sylvia, among many

Like a Rock by Bob Seger

Running on Empty by Jackson Browne

By: sarahnade

sarahnade — Fri, 12 May 2006 10:17:19 -0800

I just thought of another two (since I have been plugging this band in a few AskMe threads), Eddie From Ohio's "Fifth of July," off their "Looking out the Fishbowl" album is a good one. You can listen to the whole thing on their website (flash required). Also "Independence, Indiana" off their album "This is Me" might be good, although it's about a girl staying in a small town as all her friends go away.

By: Firas

Firas — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:44:02 -0800

Green Day, Welcome to Paradise

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Mon, 15 May 2006 21:41:46 -0800

Too late to add to this thread?

Bobby Goldsboro, "Summer (The First Time)"

By: TwoWordReview

TwoWordReview — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:02:24 -0800

Ash - "The Girl From Mars" and "Oh Yeah"
Oasis - "Fade Away" (also less bittersweet, but "round are way" and "stay young"
The Libertines - "What became of the Likely Lads"

Thought there'd be way more than that on a cursory glance through my mp3 player!

By: macadamiaranch

macadamiaranch — Fri, 26 May 2006 07:36:02 -0800

Just thought of another one -- "Thirteen" by Big Star. Actually, there's a lot of Big Star that could go on this list.

By: notswedish

notswedish — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 11:58:15 -0800

Arcade Fire's album Funeral. All the tracks are basically about the transition you mentioned, but the specifically melancholy/nostalgic ones would be tracks 1, 3, 5, and 10 (Neighborhood 1-Tunnels, Une Annee Sans Lumiere, Neighborhood 4 - 7 Kettles, In the Backseat). If you're anything like me, In the Backseat will blow you away.

And these have already been mentioned, but Mellon Collie by the Smashing Pumpkins (specifically 33, 1979, and Stumbleine) and the Garden State Soundtrack are also good.