It had never even occurred to me that this song could be about a younger guy... it seems really obvious, based on the age I imagine she was when she wrote this, as well as similarly-themed lyrics from a few other songs on Frank (mainly 'Amy, Amy, Amy') that it's about an OLDER guy she works with.
I understand how the references to his 'battered jeans and Beasties tee' could suggest that he's a teenager or a 20-something, but think about it.... Amy was working in the music industry. It's completely plausible that this guy was kind of an edgy rocker type who dresses younger than his actual age... for example, he could be one of her band members or a sound tech guy or even a really dressed-down record exec. Note how in the first verse she describes how she's trying hard to impress this guy with her diverse knowledge of music (with 'Outsiders' and 'my new [Erykah] Badu' being records from her own personal collection) and trying to seem more mature by asking him to join her for a smoke... it seems clear that this guy has been-there-done-that in the music biz and she wants him to think of her as more than just some inexperienced little girl. Unfortunately for her, that's exactly how he feels -- he acknowledges that she's attractive, sure, but she's just a kid.
The rest of the song centers around Amy's frustration with the fact that she can easily string guys along and take her pick without having to try too hard ("he's nothing in the scheme of my years" and "I'm not used to this - I observe, I don't chase"), but of course the one guy she really wants and looks up to has little interest in her and, contrary to what she's used to, HE has the upper hand (so to speak, since he's older and more experienced in their shared trade and, presumably, in his sexuality).
I just love this song. It was quickly one of my favourite tracks off of Frank... "You sent me flying... when you kicked me to the curb." ... How brilliant is that line? Before I listened to it, based on the song title, I was expecting a saccharine love song about how her romance uplifts her into the sky and far off into the heavens... but nope!
It had never even occurred to me that this song could be about a younger guy... it seems really obvious, based on the age I imagine she was when she wrote this, as well as similarly-themed lyrics from a few other songs on Frank (mainly 'Amy, Amy, Amy') that it's about an OLDER guy she works with.
I understand how the references to his 'battered jeans and Beasties tee' could suggest that he's a teenager or a 20-something, but think about it.... Amy was working in the music industry. It's completely plausible that this guy was kind of an edgy rocker type who dresses younger than his actual age... for example, he could be one of her band members or a sound tech guy or even a really dressed-down record exec. Note how in the first verse she describes how she's trying hard to impress this guy with her diverse knowledge of music (with 'Outsiders' and 'my new [Erykah] Badu' being records from her own personal collection) and trying to seem more mature by asking him to join her for a smoke... it seems clear that this guy has been-there-done-that in the music biz and she wants him to think of her as more than just some inexperienced little girl. Unfortunately for her, that's exactly how he feels -- he acknowledges that she's attractive, sure, but she's just a kid.
The rest of the song centers around Amy's frustration with the fact that she can easily string guys along and take her pick without having to try too hard ("he's nothing in the scheme of my years" and "I'm not used to this - I observe, I don't chase"), but of course the one guy she really wants and looks up to has little interest in her and, contrary to what she's used to, HE has the upper hand (so to speak, since he's older and more experienced in their shared trade and, presumably, in his sexuality).
I just love this song. It was quickly one of my favourite tracks off of Frank... "You sent me flying... when you kicked me to the curb." ... How brilliant is that line? Before I listened to it, based on the song title, I was expecting a saccharine love song about how her romance uplifts her into the sky and far off into the heavens... but nope!