To think the sunscreen song is the most important piece of music

[PoultryBallot]

Class of 99 wear sunscreen

Enjoy the power of your youth, trust me in 20 years you will look back at photos of yourself in a way you can not grasp now and see the beauty and opportunity you had.

How can this be 20 years ago? I know it's twee but when I listened to this 40 was an eternity away, now it's two years.

Voting Ianbu this is a seminal song
Iabu stop being such a sap.

Get to know your parents..

[LifeofClimb]

Love the song, it makes me feel so nostalgic! Every word is truth, it is beautifully written. I didn't know it was written by a woman. Makes sense

[2stepsonthewater]

It really bugs me that most people don't know it was written by a woman. Even when Baz Luhrman was on Chris Evans show on radio 2 a year or so ago and talking about how he made the track he still didn't credit the woman who wrote the words. Some things never change.

[willstarttomorrow]

I love this song/ poem and I think it was originally published in a US newspaper as a contributor piece. I have it on Spotify, along with loads of tracks from my youth (Joe le taxi a particular fave). It really is about hindsight. I work with beautiful but troubled teenagers and all are totally self-absorbed and really believe all the angst they go through. As did I. Honestly I was so slim and attractive and full of potential, but it was so wasted on me at the time.

[Wallabyone]

@Selfcarequeereyestyle Ah, yes-that makes sense!x

[ShinyGiratina]

It takes me back to my holiday job in a shop. That song was an oasis of calm and wisdom on a 45 minute cassette looping round with pacy trendy music like the Chemical Brothers.

The lyrics still stand up 20 years on.
I downloaded it earlier this year. I might have to have a little listen again...

[AutumnRose1]

DANCE!

The bit about knees worries me though

[Letsdoanamechangeagain]

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the 'Funky Chicken'
On your 75th wedding anniversary
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much
Or berate yourself either
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's

[Rystall]

It’s an amazing song. It came on the radio about a month ago and I hadn’t heard it in years. Stopped me in my tracks. When it first came out, I was in my 20s and sort of nodded sagely to it. Now 20 years later, I found myself really relating to the song - thinking of the life plans I and some of my friends had and what’s actually happened since. It’s mind boggling really. And that line ‘your choices are half-chance, so are everybody else’s’. How true is that?

[Youseethethingis]

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

^ further to sunscreen song wisdom, which I am absolutely on board with. I Hope You Dance always sounded like a prayer for my children, even many years before I had them. I want them to enjoy the world, take opportunities, always have perspective, and always be loved. That’s it.

[PoultryBallot]

@Youseethethingis completely agree, that song always chokes me up 'never settle for the path of less resistance'

[GinDaddy]

It's about as profound as the greetings cards in Card Factory

YABVU

[MistyCloud]

Agree. It's very good. Very thoughtful ...

From genius.com

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Baz Luhrmann... Featuring Lee Perry (Narrator)

------------------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97:

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; or never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
Bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
Never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday

Do one thing every day that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts; don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself

Remember the compliments you receive; forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
Life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t

Get plenty of calcium

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t
Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40

Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary

Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance; so are everybody else’s

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them

Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly

[Hook]

Brother and sister
Together, we'll make it through
Someday our spirits
Will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting
But I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out
Whenever I can

Get to know your parents; you never know when they’ll be gone for good

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the
People most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you
Should hold on

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard

Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old-- and when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders

Respect your elders

Don’t expect anyone else to support you

Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it

Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth

But trust me on the sunscreen

[Hook]

Brother and sister
Together, we'll make it through
Someday our spirits
Will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting
But I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out
Whenever I can

Everybody's free
Everybody's free
Oh, yeah
Don't you fear

[GinDaddy]

It doesn't get any better by posting the entire lyrics either

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I love it.

[MistyCloud]

I love it too DioneTheDiabolist. The lyrics are brilliant. Very profound and meaningful and clever.

[highheelsandweathercocks]

I was 15 when it came out. I wasn't that into it as it wasn't as catchy as the songs I was into at the time. Now I'm 37 and it makes so much sense to me.

[LaurieMarlow]

It's about as profound as the greetings cards in Card Factory

What Card Factory are you going to then? I must pay it a visit.

[BatleyTownswomensGuild]

"Get to know your parents, you'll never know when they'll be gone for good..."

Yep. Ain't that the truth...

[MarshaBradyo]

Yep it’s probably naff to like it but I think it’s pretty spot on

[MyHeartIsBrokeButIHaveSomeGlue]

Even just reading this thread has made me cry (but I am also 38 weeks pregnant!)!! I remember when this came out so clearly and the nostalgia and accuracy of the lyrics is very meaningful.

[hazeyjane]

Throw away your old bank statements

Glad I didn't follow this advice as it made my PPI claim much easier to have my old bank statements.

[SlayingDragons]

My DC are all bug fans of 90s pop ( proud parent polishes halo for raising kids right). I played this to them summer of ‘18 - they listened intently and when it said to “Floss” they all asked why that was part of the advice. They thought it meant the dance, not the teeth hygiene action!

[Strongmummy]

No it isn’t. Musically is void of anything interesting. The lyrics are twee, but cute