The band released their self-titled first album in March 1995 via PopLlama Records. After they garnered massive acclaim, Columbia Records quickly signed them. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and has shipped over three million copies. The RIAA has certified it as triple platinum. Songs "Peaches", "Kitty", "Lump", and "Dune Buggy" received major airplay.
Their 1996 follow-up album, "II", did not reach the same acclaim, though it reached the top forty on the Billboard 2000. Single "Mach 5" also garnered some airplay. The band then fell of the radar for many listeners, dropped by their major label. However, their albums of the new millennium, 'Freaked Out and Small' followed by 'Love Everybody' and 'These Are the Good Times People' (released in 2000, 2004, and 2008, respectively), picked up positive critical reviews, such as from the All Music Guide. Although their touring schedule became more sporadic into the 00s and 10s, they continue to perform and satisfy audiences with their off-beat humor and catchy hooks.
Teenage Girl
The Presidents of the United States of America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a dream location but she's tearing it apart.
Tongue-tied and twelve,
Staring up at perfect pearls.
He's thirteen, she's thirteen.
She's a teenage girl,
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Skin the surface like a Mach-five flower.
Fibreglass shakin', and it shatters from the power.
It's crush and blow,
When the engine overflows.
That motor's pride.
Just say goodbye to Water World,
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Tongue-tied and twelve,
Staring up at perfect pearls.
He's thirteen, she's thirteen.
He's thirteen, teenage girl.
He's thirteen, she's thirteen.
He's thirteen, she's thirteen.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
Teenage girl.
The song "Teenage Girl" by The Presidents of the United States of America appears to describe a young girl who is caught up in the excitement of a powerful hot-rod car, but in the process is destroying both herself and her environment. The car's engine is likened to being put into her heart, suggesting that it is consuming her and becoming an obsession. The line "it's a dream location but she's tearing it apart" could be interpreted as the girl's surroundings being an ideal, but she is ruining it herself. The lyrics go on to describe the car as a force that is crushing and destroying everything around it, perhaps symbolising the damaging influence the teenage girl is having on her own life and the lives of those around her.
The repeated chorus of "Teenage girl" could represent a sense of identity crisis, as the girl seems to be losing herself to her destructive obsession. The line "skin the surface like a Mach-five flower" suggests a rapid, reckless pace, likened to a flower being stripped down to its core. The use of the phrase "Water World" may be a reference to the 1995 movie of the same name, which is set in a dystopian future where water is scarce, possibly suggesting that the girl's heedless actions are contributing to an already difficult situation.
Overall, "Teenage Girl" seems to paint a cautionary tale of youthful obsession leading to destruction, both on a personal and societal level.
Line by Line Meaning
They took a hot-rod motor and they put it in her heart.
She's got passion, drive and power inside to achieve anything she wants, but someone else put it there for her.
It's a dream location but she's tearing it apart.
She's living the perfect teenage dream, but she's not content with that and wants to challenge the status quo.
Tongue-tied and twelve, Staring up at perfect pearls.
She's feeling shy and self-conscious at a young and impressionable age, looking up to those who seem to have it all together.
He's thirteen, she's thirteen.
They're both at a pivotal age where they're discovering themselves and venturing out into the world for the first time.
She's a teenage girl, Teenage girl. Teenage girl. Teenage girl. Teenage girl.
She's more than just a label or stereotype, but society tends to reduce her to one and overlook her complexity and potential.
Skin the surface like a Mach-five flower.
She's vulnerable and exposed but has a fierce exterior that can cut through anything like a fast vehicle with razor-sharp petals
Fibreglass shakin', and it shatters from the power.
Her seemingly tough exterior begins to crack when the pressure or expectations become too much, and she risks breaking apart under the strain.
It's crush and blow, When the engine overflows.
She's in danger of burning out or losing control when her emotions or ambitions become too intense and unmanageable.
That motor's pride. Just say goodbye to Water World,
She takes pride in her accomplishments and drive, but the world she's in may not always be able to keep up with her and may fall behind as she zooms ahead.
He's thirteen, teenage girl.
He sees and accepts her for who she is, beyond just her gender or age, and empathizes with her struggles.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WELDON BALLEW, DAVID MICHAEL DEDERER, JASON S FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
drealenise
LOVE IT!!!!
SHREEVER 94
Should be more popular. Them again, so should pretty much all of their songs
Brian Laug
one of my favorite songs about absolutely nothing
Jean-Denis Harvey
the first cd i bought... with my own money xD
Elber M. Rock
+Jean-Denis Harvey holy shit! i was my first cd i bought myself too! haha
Rodrigo Buzato
viva 90´s.....