What is the best song written by the youngest artist?

MES was 18 when the Fall started.

Undertones to thread.

Whiskeytown to thread

some would argue that some of the early Bright Eyes material is actually somewhat advanced for such a young guy, too

others would argue that it's unlistenable crap.

(is sexy dancer quoting them? sounds like it could be)

(also, I know its probably not true, but doesn't that one girl in Mum look like she's 12 oer 13?)

Best album by legal children?

Gonna start the bidding with Ulver - Bergtatt

I have our Alice on a vid on youtube inventing a song, she'd be about five. But I don't suppose that counts, right?

Ah, someone got to Janis Ian just before the revive. I'd nominate just about anything from her first couple albums (all pre-18 YO, and mostly amazing).

legal children

This phrasing really weirded me out at first.

If "legal children" is just anyone under 18 (or 21 in the States) then there will be a lot of contenders. I mean, hell, I started releasing stuff at 17. Or could you mean "age of criminal responsibility"? (This is 10 in the UK.)

Tony Williams needs mentioning in this thread. By the time he joined Miles Davis at 17, he'd already been a working pro for four years.

Laura Nyro's first album has "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoney End," "And When I Die," and "Blowin' Away," all of which she apparently wrote at age 18 or less and all of which became massive hits for other artists

Laura Nyro went to the same high school as Janis Ian, they missed each other by one year

Crank Dat Soulja Boy obvs

I did mean legally not an adult, so 18 in the UK, maybe 21 in the USA if we're feeling generous. All the Norwegian second-wave black metallers were like 17 but I don't know what the Norwegian age of adulthood is, assuming 18

Let's just say less than 18

Probably the one in that video called "This 13-Year-Old Just Blew Me Away With Her Lyrics!"

A whole album?

Phil Spector wrote "To Know Him Is to Love Him" at no more than age 18 - it went #1 US/#2 UK

Justin Hayward wrote "Knights in White Satin" when he was 19. Pretty good! Good job 19 year old Justin Hayward.

wasn't walk away renee written by a teenage michael brown?

I think that 3/4 of We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It were under 18 when Bostin' Steve Austin was released

Hey, Brits, just fyi: 18 is age of legal adulthood in US, as well.

Kate Bush was 13 when she wrote The Man With The Child In His Eyes. Think Stevie Wonder was like 15 when he wrote Uptight as well.

Frankie Lymon, age 13, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."
― briania (briania), Friday, October 1, 2004 10:41 AM (11 years ago)

came to post this

the Kate Bush writing The Man With The Child In His Eyes when she was 13 thing is always astonishing to me (and apparently it was recorded when she was only 16, a couple of years before the rest of Never For Ever was taped?) I wonder if it was amended and redrafted at all, or if the version she wrote at 13 is the same as the version on the record?

Frankie Lymon, age 13, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."

Probably actually written by Herman Santiago, who was 14; Lymon was given dubious credit on some releases

I believe so. You mean "The Kick Inside" ? xpost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONIJXHvoynw

^ never heard of this until it showed up in my spotify discover playlist today. officially freaked out.

yeah it's great

Taylor Swift wrote "Our Song" for her freshman year high school talent show, so I guess about 14

Also, Debbie Gibson was the sole credited writer, performer, and producer on #1 hit "Foolish Beat" at age 17

Suzanne Vega wrote "Silver Lady" when she was 14. A pretty good song that she still plays live occasionally.

It's too bad he didn't write the song or Jordy would've won this one in a walk.

dunno how y'all feel but I think Ben Lee wrote some pretty solid pop-rock songs w/ Noise Addict when he was 14/15ish.

Alex Chilton "The Letter", think he was 16

chilton didn't' write that tho

Mark Radice wrote 'Natural Morning' when he was 8 and recorded it in 1967 when he was 10. quality sunshine pop that could have been a hit in someone else's hands (Frankie Valli covered it the following year, but his recording was never issued)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keknvMXL3Oo

the answer to this revive is the first Throwing Muses album

1st Donnas album is pretty good too

Jimmy Webb was 19 when he wrote "By The Time I Get To Phoenix."