Or was this acceptable in the 60's?

[luckylucky24]

Today I came across this song by Neil Sedaka called "Happy birthday Sweet 16". It appears that he released a song at age 22 singing about a girl he has known for a while and has been watching and waiting for her to come of age. I find it quite uncomfortable. You couldn't release such a song nowadays so was this okay in the 60's? AIBU to be so uncomfortable with a song that probably hasn't had airtime for 50 years?
Here are the Lyrics
Tra la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Happy birthday, sweet sixteen
Tra la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Happy birthday, sweet sixteen
Tonight's the night I've waited for
Because you're not a baby anymore
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy birthday, sweet sixteen
What happened to that funny face
My little tomboy now wears satins and lace
I can't believe my eyes you're just a teenage dream
When you were only six, I was your big brother
Then when you were ten, we didn't like each other
When you were thirteen, you were my funny valentine
But since you've grown up, your future is sewn up
From now on you're gonna be mine, so
If I should smile with sweet surprise
It's just that you've grown up before my very eyes
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy birthday, sweet sixteen

When I was growing up and reading Seventeen magazine in the US (early 80's) they still had a month where they featured weddings and talked about setting up home. I can also remember articles on quitting smoking. I am not saying that the past should get a 'free pass' so to speak but 16 them isn't the 16 of today in terms of perceptions of maturity. For God'd sake I can even remember one Mother's Day feature when a mum was writing to her teenaged daughter about how she knew 'every cell in her body was desperate to have a baby' and even then thinking: what decade are we in exactly????!

'Claire' by Gilbert O'Sullivan takes the prize for creepiness, though. I thought it was weird when it came out, and I was in my early teens at the time.

I can't remember which commercial radio station it was, must have been around 1998 when they did a daily count down until Billie Piper was 'legal.' Think that's worse.

Sorry, VeryButchy, misread the tone there!

The age of consent in the US varies from state to state, I think, but I was gobsmacked to learn recently that if a judge consents children as young as 12 can marry. Often seen as the solution to teenage pregnancy or even cases of rape, which is horrific.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic makes a very good point:

"Until the 1950s, society abruptly thrust young people from childhood to adulthood on the tail end of puberty."

Must have been both very bewildering and very liberating for that first generation of '50s/ '60s "Teenagers"...especially navigating new rules around sex.

Isn't Claire GOS's daughter?

CaveMum, we picked "Come On Eileen" to sing in our class choir, our music teacher visibly paled when she received the lyrics from a fellow choir member, who was completely oblivious as to what they were about. We were 11, and the school wasn't exactly progressive, being a convent staffed by nuns. The last I saw Dexy's Midnight Runners lead singer, he was dressed like a 4 yr old - all be-ribboned wearing a frilly mop cap, short frilly dress, finished off with little girls' shoes. When he lifted his arms, showing his bulge through the white tights you could see he'd kept the tangled pit hair. I think it was so disturbing because he was gyrating about in a very sexual manner.

Urgh, and I agree with PP about that horrible "Thank Heaven For Leetle girls" song. Just bleurgh.

Have you ever listened to the lyrics of Jailhouse Rock? Bear in mind it's a men only location.

Yes the word 'rock' was used in place of 'fuck'. Imagine my surprise when I realised that Bill Haley wasn't actually suggesting a 24 hour jive when he sang Rock Around the Clock.

I've always liked 'Young Girl' and Gary Pucket. Thought I'd have a trip down memory lane and catch a look at the video on YouTube. Oh dear, the dolls were really creepy.

What about Save you kisses for me? I assumed like Clair that it was meant to be the daughter.

I think that the song is innocent, but that society is so heavily sexualised nowadays, and we are so much more aware of grooming, sexual predators and the like, that often when we encounter something innocent, we often think it's corrupt in some way.

I would much rather listen to the song the op mentioned than most of the outwardly filthy lyrics of today, or from recent years. I also cannot stand the semi pornographic videos that accompany them either.

I say all of the above as a 31 year old woman, who watched MTV as a teenager, and remembers very sexualised videos and songs from then. I'm not sure that the current songs are any more sexual than they were 15 years ago, but the singers seem a hell of a lot more talentless on the whole (especially the women), and the videos, clothing, hair and make up certainly resemble something out of porn films.

Ringo Starr singing "your'e 16... seemed pretty creepy to me at the time (he looked like an old guy to me then . I think he was about 33)

Iggy Pop - Look Away (I slept with Sable when she was 13) just vile. That whole underage groupie thing was foul.

Never understood why there was not more of an outcry over Bill Wyman "dating" (grooming) Mandy smith when she was 13!!!

No where in Sedakas song does it refer to the guy being a lot older.
Songwriters often refer back to things intheir youth, or even imaginary scenarios. Not all songs are autobiographical, OP

The Gary Puckett song is all about him resisting the girl when he finds out her true age.

Now Bay City Rollers bye bye baby is all about a married man leading a girl on

Not sure what is wrong with the lyrics.

i used to love frankie sister sledge until i remembered this lyric

You were fifteen, I was twelve
It was summer, we were so in love.
I never loved anyone this much
Look at me, I'm thrilled to your touch.

why is a 15 yar old with a 12 year old

Also remember that in the 60s at 16 many young women were working having left school and many were engaged and married by 20. 'You're gonna be mine' to me means be my girlfriend not had sexually.

Gabs I think you're reading it wrong. First crushes, boyfriends/girlfriends happen at that age. Thrilled to your touch at that age means holding hands to me!

The Gary Puckett song is all about him resisting the girl when he finds out her true age.

It's his implying she's really young but really gagging for it that icks me out.

I was born in 1961. When I was 10 or so I used to song along to Chuck Berry singing I want you to play with my ding a ling. I had no clue about the double entendre until years later.

Looking back, we also had some really dubious TV shows back then that just wouldn't be aired now.

Interesting article on underage sex in pop

I like the disdain of Abba's "Does your mother know that you're out?"

not when i was 15 it didnt!

dont be so pathetic

In Young Girl he was really young himself, maybe 2 or 3 years older, if he was "really gagging for it" well so are most 19 year old lads, they have done since time began, but he was proper enough not to try when he realised she was younger than him.