1) In a gust of pheromo… Read Full Bio ↴There are three groups called The Teenagers:
1) In a gust of pheromones and with a warm purr of guitars arrives the saviour of French indie pop, The Teenagers. 2008 has seen few Europeans garner more fevered hype than these three Parisian dreamboats, proving once and for all that style and substance needn’t be mutually exclusive. At a time when far too many seemed to be sat waiting for the next novelty bandwagon to jump onboard, this trio of hipper-than-thou ne’r-do-wells have reignited the imaginations of clued-up music lovers across the globe with a curve ball of pervy wit, classic synth-work, and sunshine strumming. Together vocalist Quentin Dalafon, guitarist/synth man Dorian Dumont and bassist Michael Szpinner, have created a daydream world of enchanting melodies and engrossing narratives, as life-affirming as they are insatiably hormonal, and of course all delivered with that trademark audaciously sharp Parisian attitude. Their invitation to either celebrate or recapture one’s youth has proved a hard one to turn down, with a hysterical fanbase growing by the second. And now on the eve of the release of their debut long-player, they stride from underground chic into the mainstream limelight, as one of the world’s most enticing and individual new musical sensations.
Fittingly the bond between the three twenty-somethings was formed in the midst of their teenage years, when childhood pals Michael and Dorian stumbled across Quentin, one of their high school’s true eccentrics. Together, like many kids in Nineties inner city Paris, they fawned over the import of American trash TV, revelling in the sickly-sweet coming-of-age melodrama of shows like Beverly Hills 90210, something that would stay with them. Growing-up together musically, trading mixtapes, they developed a rich tapestry of influences, from national hero Jaques Le Cont and his one-time collaborator Madonna, to classic Nineties rock like Weezer and Nirvana, and further afield to the metal cry of Slayer and Dillinger Escape Plan. Although both Dorian and Michael had spent their teens in and out of bands (Dorian trying his hand at pop and electronica, Michael doing the rounds on their local hardcore punk scene), it wasn’t until one boozy Christmas evening in 2005 that they finally decided to put their creative heads together. The result was 'Fuck Nicole' which prompted the boys to officially form The Teenagers and start a Myspace page. It wasn’t long before their unmistakable sound emerged, with tracks like 'Homecoming' and 'Starlett Johansson' rapidly causing a stir online. These tasters showcased Quentin’s sardonic, often spoken word delivery, and deliciously sleazy lyrics, against a sublime backdrop of woozy synthesisers, simple drum machines and fluttering, twee guitars. A familiar Noughties success story followed – insane online attention gave way to a record industry cat-fight – with label du-jour Merok/XL (having launched the careers of Klaxons and Crystal Castles) winning through in the end.
2007 beckoned with a slew of releases in the pipeline. First up was the group’s X-rated rallying cry, 'Homecoming', already an anthem in some circles by the time it hit shop shelves. The release was complimented by the couldn’t-be-more-perfect promo video by acclaimed director Kinga Burza (Kate Nash etc), nailing the track’s playful, saucy mood with startling poignance. Starlett Johansson – a heart-felt, and typically droll ode to their favourite Hollywood starlet - followed later in the year, coinciding with the group’s first full-scale tour, joining fellow trendsetters Crystal Castles and These New Puritans on Vice Magazine’s show-stopping Unitaur. The massive increase of commitments meant that Dorian and Michael were to join Quentin in the London.
From there they’d meet long-term collaborator Lexxx in the studio to ready their first album 'Reality Check'. The precursor singles are joined by huge new tracks like 'Love No', 'Feeling Better' and others. While the band’s components aren’t dissimilar too many an act of the moment, their implementation is unparalleled. Their candid commentary, both emotional and sincere and ferociously cutting, has resonated in a way that’s neither nostalgic or trendy, but timeless. Their press coverage, having ticked all the major music and style titles off within the release of their first single, has seen the buzz ripple out to tabloid newspapers, surely just a taster of the mainstream acceptance soon to follow.
2)The Teenagers are an American integrated doo wop group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead singer, is also noted for being rock's first all-teenaged act.
The Teenagers had their origins in The Earth Angels, a group founded at Edward W. Stitt Junior High School in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan by second tenor Jimmy Merchant and bass Sherman Garnes. Eventually, Garnes and Merchant had added lead singer Herman Santiago and baritone Joe Negroni to their lineup and evolved into The Coupe De Villes. In 1955, twelve-year-old Frankie Lymon joined the Coupe De Villes, who changed their name to first the Ermines and later The Premiers.
The same year Lymon joined the group, he helped Santiago and Merchant rewrite a song they'd composed to create "Why Do Fools Fall In Love". The song got the Teenagers an audition with George Goldner's Gee Records, but Santiago was too sick to sing lead on the day of the audition. Lymon sung the lead on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" instead, and the group was signed to Gee as The Teenagers, with Lymon as lead singer.
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was The Teenagers first and biggest hit. The group, known for both their harmony and choreography, also had hits with "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" and "The ABCs of Love".
By 1957, the group was being billed as "Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers". This caused in-fighting, and by September Goldner had pulled Lymon out of the group to record solo. The Teenagers continued recording, bringing in new lead Billy Lobrano. Lobrano, as the group's first white member, made them even more racially mixed, now with two black, two Hispanic, and one white member. The group had little success with Lobrano, and he left in mid-1958.
Merchant, Santiago, Garnes, and Negroni continued as a quartet, but were not able to find success in any new recordings. They tried a quintet lineup again in 1960, first with new lead Howard Kenny Bobo, then with another lead, Johnny Houston, but to no avail. They continued mainly as an "oldies circuit" group from this point on. By 1973, the Teenagers had resorted to using a female singer to imitate Lymon's prepubescent voice; the last of their female lead singers was Pearl McKinnon.
Sherman Garnes died of a heart attack in 1977, while Joe Negroni died a year later due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Their replacements were Bobby Jay and Frankie's brother Lewis Lymon, respectively. By the 1980s the group had settled on a new lead, Jimmy Castor. Castor remained lead until the 1990s, when he was replaced by Timothy Wilson, former lead of Tiny Tim and the Hits. This lineup appeared on the PBS special, Doo Wop 51, in 2000.
Lewis Lymon left to join Beary Hobbs' Drifters around 2003. He was replaced by Dickie Harmon. Jimmy Merchant retired shortly thereafter, and the group continued as a quartet. The group's current lineup is Herman Santiago, Bobby Jay, Timothy Wilson, and Dickie Harmon. They are often billed as "Frankie Lymon's Legendary Teenagers". This lineup appeared on the PBS special, My Music: Doo Wop Love Songs, in 2007.
In late 2008 Bobby Jay and Dickie Harmon both left the group. Jimmy Merchant has come out of retirement and returned to the Teenager's current line-up.
3) A punk rock duo from Jersey City featuring Ryan Larsen of The H-Bombs and Dead Tired, and Peter Murphy
4) A generic group of performers from the musical Bye Bye Birdie
Homecoming
The Teenagers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On day 1 I met her hot step daughter
She's a cheerleader, she is a virgin and she is really tan
As she stepped out of her massive car
I could only notice she was more than fuckable
I think she was coming back from the game or something
Cause she was holding those silly pompoms
On day 2 I fucked her and it was wild
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
It was dirty a dream came true
Just like I like it she's got nice tits
It was perfect a dream came true
Just like a song by blink182
ok listen girls
I met the hottest guy ever
Basically as I was stepping out of my s.u.v.
I came face to face with my step cousin or whatever
Who cares
Anyway he was wearing skinny jeans had funky hair
And the cutest british accent ever
Straight away I could tell he was a rocker
With his sexy attitude and the way he looked at me
Mmm he is totally awesome
Oh my god I think I'm in love
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
It was dirty a dream came true
Just like I like it she's got nice tits
It was perfect a dream came true
Just like a song by blink182
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
I fucked my american cunt
I loved my english romance
It was so nice to meet you
Pleasure is mine I do like you
Come to cancun for springbreak
Ill think about it it could be great.
And don't forget he send me a "friend request".
As if.
The Teenagers' song "Homecoming" is a satirical take on the popular cultural stereotype of American teenagers living in Southern Californian suburbs. The song also plays on the cultural differences between America and England through the two intertwined stories of the main characters, the male and the female.
The male character narrates his trip to San Diego to meet his auntie, where he meets his step-cousin or step-daughter, who is a cheerleader and a virgin. He finds her attractive and soon sleeps with her on the second day. The lyrics are crude and offensive, about how "fuckable" she is, and how wild sex with her was. The female character, on the other hand, describes how she meets the "hottest guy ever" who has a British accent and is a "rocker." She immediately falls in love with him and invites him to Cancun for Spring Break.
The lyrics are intentionally offensive and vulgar, and the tone is satirical. The song is meant to ridicule the shallow and materialistic culture of Southern California, where cheerleaders and casual sex are celebrated, and where British accents and skinny jeans are fashionable.
Line by Line Meaning
Last week I flew to san diego to see my antie
I traveled to San Diego to visit my aunt
On day 1 I met her hot step daughter
The very first day I visited, I met my aunt's attractive stepdaughter
She's a cheerleader, she is a virgin and she is really tan
My aunt's stepdaughter is a cheerleader, a virgin, and has a great tan
As she stepped out of her massive car
I saw her emerge from her large car
I could only notice she was more than fuckable
I found her to be extremely attractive and desirable
I think she was coming back from the game or something
She appeared to be returning from a sports event or related activity
Cause she was holding those silly pompoms
I knew this because she was holding those silly pom-poms
On day 2 I fucked her and it was wild
The second day of my visit, I had sexual intercourse with her and it was passionate and exciting
She is such a slut
I referred to her negatively and judgementally as promiscuous
I fucked my american cunt
I had sexual intercourse with an American woman
I loved my english romance
I enjoyed a romantic experience with an English person
It was dirty a dream came true
It was a lustful and depraved experience that I had longed for
Just like I like it she's got nice tits
She met my physical preferences and had attractive breasts
It was perfect a dream came true
It was a perfect and idealized experience that I had fantasized about
Just like a song by blink182
It was reminiscent of a song by the band Blink182
ok listen girls
Attention ladies,
I met the hottest guy ever
I encountered an extremely attractive man
Basically as I was stepping out of my s.u.v.
As I was getting out of my sport utility vehicle,
I came face to face with my step cousin or whatever
I unexpectedly encountered my step-cousin or a related person
Who cares
This fact is irrelevant and unimportant
Anyway he was wearing skinny jeans had funky hair
Regardless, he wore tight-fitting pants and had unique hairstyle
And the cutest british accent ever
Additionally, he had a charming British accent
Straight away I could tell he was a rocker
I swiftly concluded that he is a person involved in rock music culture
With his sexy attitude and the way he looked at me
I found his demeanor and gaze alluring
Mmm he is totally awesome
My feelings toward this person are highly favorable
Oh my god I think I'm in love
I am experiencing intense romantic feelings for him
It was so nice to meet you
I enjoyed meeting you
Pleasure is mine I do like you
Likewise, it was my pleasure and I appreciate you
Come to cancun for springbreak
You should consider joining me for spring break in Cancun
Ill think about it it could be great.
I will consider your invitation as it could be a wonderful opportunity
And don't forget he send me a "friend request".
Also, it is worth noting that he sent me a friend request, but I am not interested.
As if.
That request is unlikely to be accepted.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM T. HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luisalcala5209
Even though this song is quite dirty, it makes me feel a sense of of warmth and innocence
@slavvewilliams1948
reminds me of being 22, not having a single care, and partying all night in my shitty middle American hometown. i dreamt of what it must've been like to do this in france... or new york... or anywhere else in the world.
@leslieblanco3536
exactly how i feel right now.
@federicom.2985
Ohh shut up!
@shanezuniga2647
Bring back freshman year or high school scrolling through MySpace
@uhuju1
Thats intentional, her POV is very naive and invested while his is a lot more laid back
@bestfullyy
god almighty i love this song. a combination of perverted lyrics and nostalgic innocence.
@leslieblanco3536
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY
@leylarose6599
what a contrast ;). It's amazing whenever I come to this video I'm reminded by my adolescence and the innocence and newness of everything. Everything was new to me and my senses were heightened. I miss it....why are we doomed to grow up? Why can't we stay 17 forever? The best year of my life with my friends.
@oompaloompa3730
This song always brings back memories from 2007-08. Good times