Mix CD for 30th birthday

December 13, 2007 7:16 AM

Songs about thirty for a 30th birthday mix CD.

My brother turns 30 next week and I'd like to make him a mix CD. What are songs about your thirties, the number thirty, or anything equally fun/appropriate/interesting?

posted by Huw to society & culture (23 comments total)

In iTunes, go to the "store" section and perform a search for "30" and "Thirty". Sort the results by title. Scan through and click anything that looks interesting, you'll get to hear a 30 (!) second preview.

This is not a snark; I made a mix a while back based on the theme "5 Years" and that tactic led to my finding three or four really great songs I'd never heard before.
posted by hermitosis at 7:26 AM on December 13, 2007

It's not specifically about being 30, but this TMBG song seems something you might want to include on a CD for someone turning 30...
posted by sparkletone at 7:28 AM on December 13, 2007

The Good Life by Weezer ;-)
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 7:41 AM on December 13, 2007

30 something by Jay-Z, on Reasonable Doubt. It's the best song on the album and specifically about being a grown-up.

30's the new 20, indeed.
posted by sondrialiac at 7:44 AM on December 13, 2007

Tim McGraw, "My Next 30 Years"

"I think Ill take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now its time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

"Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things Ive done
Maybe now Ive conquered all my adolescent fears
And Ill do it better in my next thirty years"

Etc.

Corporate country, but fits your requirement.
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:07 AM on December 13, 2007

Here's a list, on LeosLyrics, of songs that contain the word "thirty" in the lyrics. You'll have to sort through to find the ones that refer specifically to age, but I'll bet there are some gems there.
posted by amyms at 8:15 AM on December 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Dar Williams' "Party Generation" (first line: "When he turned 34/but who's counting" - great, upbeat but a little wistful, fun to sing along to.
posted by rtha at 8:20 AM on December 13, 2007

The title track of In Flames' Come Clarity (lyrics) starts with the line "Rushing through thirty..." and seems to be more or less introspection on getting older.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:21 AM on December 13, 2007

It's depressing and it's about a woman, but it's a beautiful song. The chorus includes the line "take this deep despair of a 30-year-old square to the rocking chair":

The Beautiful South: The Rocking Chair
posted by tk at 8:32 AM on December 13, 2007

Spoon: 30 Gallon Tank
Deltron 3030: 3030
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 8:58 AM on December 13, 2007

Seconding Hermitosis' suggestion, I've done the same thing many times.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:06 AM on December 13, 2007

Not specifically about 30, but The Pursuit of Happiness' seminal "I'm an Adult Now" is spot on brilliant.

And it totally rawks too, dude!
posted by Naberius at 9:51 AM on December 13, 2007

Robert Earl Keen's "The Road Goes on Forever (and the party never ends)"
Not specifically address' 30 but the song really is a testament.
Come on, the road goes on forever and the party never ends...timeless!
posted by doorsfan at 10:15 AM on December 13, 2007

"30/90" from the musical "Tick, Tick... Boom!" is specifically about turning 30 in the year 1990, but the sentiments in the lyrics hold true some 17 years later:

Friends are getting fatter
Hairs on you head are getting thinner
Feel like a clean up batter
On a team that ain't a winner

Don't freak out, don't strike out
Can't fight it, like City Hall
At least you're not alone
Your friends are there too
posted by 23skidoo at 10:21 AM on December 13, 2007

R.E.M.'s "Little America" starts out "I can't see myself at thirty, I don't buy a lacquered thirty..."
posted by Casuistry at 10:49 AM on December 13, 2007

Reelin' in the Years was a tune I put on a similar mix for a friend.
posted by Miko at 10:52 AM on December 13, 2007

The theme song to thirtysomething (yes, I'm hilarious).

"What Up Fat Lip" by Pharcyde (brilliant music video, too, as found on the Spike Jonze DVD set).

It's not really about turning 30, but "No Regrets" by Aesop Rock deals with looking back at your life and making sure you've always made the right choices for yourself.

"1000 Memories" by Bad Religion is about a divorce (well, an ex-wife) but it also deals with maturity, facing the past, making the right decisions, and looking to the future. A little somber for a birthday, but it could work.

"Losing My Edge" by LCD Soundsystem is an acerbic song about growing older and not being as "cool" as one once was.

"Whatever Happened To Soy Bomb" by Eels deals with watching your life moving past cultural ephemera and other distractions. And honestly, whatever did happen to Soy Bomb?

"Help The Aged" by Pulp. No explanation necessary!

"Proclaim Your Joy" by Mark Eitzel has a place on every mix CD ever.
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:56 AM on December 13, 2007

Also, there's always "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" by Tom Waits.

"Forever Young" by Alphaville. If you retch at anything which reminds you of Napoleon Dynamite (or Jean-Luc Godard), you can try the very nice cover by Youth Group.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:00 AM on December 13, 2007

Ben Folds Five's "Army." Doesn't mention 30, but is suitably retrospective about one's misspent youth. Heavy on the irony, but it always cheers me up.
posted by azure_swing at 11:25 AM on December 13, 2007

The Schoolhouse Rock song "Three is a Magic Number" has that nice little chorus where it goes "3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, THIRTY!!"
posted by doift at 12:18 PM on December 13, 2007

Lather - Jefferson Airplane
Lather was thirty years old today.........
posted by BoscosMom at 12:28 PM on December 13, 2007

Blur: End of A Century: "and your mind gets dirty/as you get closer/to thirty"
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:19 PM on December 13, 2007

The Hold Steady's "Stevie Nix" interchanges the lines at the end: "Lord, to be 17 forever," and "Lord, to be 33 forever." Pretty cool effect whenever I listen to it.
posted by yeti at 1:31 PM on December 13, 2007