| Thirteen | |
| Cover: | Thirteen single label.jpg |
| Caption: | Label to the single with mislabeling as "Don't Lie to Me" |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Big Star |
| Album: |
|
| B-Side: | Watch the Sunrise |
| Released: | 1974 |
| Recorded: | Late 1971 |
| Studio: | Ardent, Memphis |
| Label: | Ardent |
| Producer: | John Fry |
| Prev Title: | Don't Lie to Me |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | O My Soul |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
"Thirteen" is a song by the American rock band Big Star. Rolling Stone describes it "one of rock's most beautiful celebrations of adolescence", and rated it #396 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.[1] It was written by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell.
Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom writes in his AllMusic review of the song, "There are few songs that capture the aching innocence of adolescence as well" and calls it a "perfect melancholy ballad".[2] The song encompasses folk and pop characteristics with its use of simple lyrics and the acoustic guitar.[3]
Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as Big Star's 2nd best song, calling it "a gorgeous song" that "goes straight to the heart."[4] Kachejian particularly praised the "beautiful harmonies" and felt that it influenced bands such as the Replacements.[4]
SingersRoom critic Simon Robinson rated it Big Star's best song, praising the "catchy melody and jangly guitars that perfectly capture the carefree and optimistic spirit of youth" and the "simple yet poignant" lyrics that evoke the "experience of teenage romance and heartbreak."[5]
The song was originally featured on the 1972 album
. It was released as a single by Big Star with “Watch the Sunrise” as the B-Side, on Ardent Records,[6] but was mislabeled as “Don’t Lie to Me”.
"Thirteen" was featured in the season 6 and season 8 finale of That '70s Show. The song was covered by Grace VanderWaal and Graham Verchere in the 2020 movie Stargirl on Disney+ with a Grace Vanderwaal only performance appearing as a bonus on the soundtrack.
"Thirteen" has been covered by several notable musicians. They include:
| Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| Bedouine, Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff | Thirteen (single) | |
| Beach Slang | Quiet Slang | |
| Evan Dando | Live at the Brattle Theatre | |
| Daryll-Ann | Stay single (B side) | |
| dEUS | Sister Dew single (B side) | |
| Epic Soundtracks | Change My Life | |
| Garbage | Version 2.0 (Japanese edition), "Push It" single | |
| Albert Hammond Jr. | Cool For School: For the Benefit of The Lunchbox Fund | |
| Happy Flowers | Lasterday I Was Been Bad | |
| Håkan Hellström | Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått | |
| Katell Keineg | At The Mermaid Parade | |
| Kind of Like Spitting | The Thrill of the Hunt | |
| Mary Lou Lord | Live City Sounds | |
| Magnapop | Magnapop | |
| Rose Melberg | September | |
| The Menzingers | Covers EP | |
| Obadiah Parker | The Tip Jar | |
| Elliott Smith | New Moon | |
| Wilco | Big Star, Small World | |
| Kathryn Williams | Relations | |
| Textor & Renz | The Days of Never Coming Back and Never Getting Nowhere | |
| Spotify Singles (Recorded At Spotify Studios at NYC) | ||
| Joshua Radin | 10 Years of Mom+Pop (Label Compilation) | |
| Jesse Malin | Meet me at the end of the world | |
| Lemon Sparks | Lemon Sparks (album) | |
| Grace VanderWaal | Stargirl Soundtrack |
When asked if there was a Big Star cover he was especially fond of, lead singer Alex Chilton mentioned Garbage's version of this song.[7]