Phoebe Bridgers’ cover of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’
Say what you like about Wheatus, I’ll be damned if ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ doesn’t at least flood you with more memories than a trip to the seaside or logging back into MySpace. Whether it’s hanging around outside of Oddbins waiting for a good Samaritan to buy you White Lightning if you’re British, or perhaps if you’re American, taking your first ‘E’ at prom and telling the Principal how you really feel, ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ is full of so much nostalgia that it’s bound to bring something forth. And that is what Phoebe Bridgers looks to do with this cover.
The singer was eight when the classic track was released in 2000 and no doubt she saw the video frequently on MTV or VH1 when she was growing up. Like the rest of us, somehow this song forms a mystic touchstone to that time in our lives. I don’t know how Wheatus did it, and neither do they because they were never able to reach that height again, but somehow they lodged a song right where nostalgia sits in our cortex.
In fact, it even seemed nostalgic at the time of release. It’s not like it has a throwback sound or makes references to the past, there is just something inherently reverie-inducing about the song. And as frontman Brendan Brown explains, it is simply about “a skinny guy with a mullet who probably didn’t have a lot of friends.”
Beyond that, it’s fairly dark but Bridgers brings a soft sort of bittersweet light to it. Stripped down and sullen, there is a pillow-propped sound to her effort and a lava lamp somewhere in the corner. Ultimately, her take is somehow joyous and deeply sorrowful at the same time, like a bizarre collision between Elliott Smith and The Cure (when they’re happy).
This reflective aura is something that she feels strongly about as a songwriter. As she told the San Diego Union-Tribune: “I write what I feel the most heavy about. So if there is one day of the week when I feel completely crushed by existential dread, I’ll end up writing about it, not the great day I had at the park with my friends. I hope it resonates with people – and it does, with some.”
Check out her crooning, crushing cover of the pop classic below and feel your youth wash back over you in a bittersweet dayglo hue.
