Talk:Hey Nineteen

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Is it really "interesting" that Fagen was 13 years older than the character in the song? Removed following sentence from the end of the first paragraph: "Interestingly, Fagen himself was only 13 years older than the song's subject when it was released." --Innocent42 (talk) 22:43, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

And, moreover, it appears that what you removed was unsourced WP:OR. Kudos, brava/bravo for this edit. 98.223.85.159 (talk) 21:35, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Even more interesting (and truly ironic, not in the Alanis Morissette way)? Today, a woman who was 19 in 1980 is almost certainly more likely to recognize Aretha Franklin than Steely Dan. --RBBrittain (talk) 06:20, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

Story

I don't think this song is so dense that "according to one reviewer's interpretation" is really necessary. The New York Times review when the album was released described it the same way, as the interior monologue of a (then) thirtyish man dating a teenage girl and realizing they have "nothing in common" other than the alcohol and marijuana they're planning to share. I'll see if I can find the cite. Daniel Case (talk) 18:44, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

@User:Daniel Case—Let's find and add that NYT source. It would be a quality addition to the article. But we do not agree that a description of the lyrics is not in order, as every review that has appeared, that we have seen—including the NYT that you mention—addresses the intergeneral seduction that is the focus of the song. 98.223.85.159 (talk) 21:37, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Soul Survivors

I removed this paragraph from the article, because it's not all that relevant, and seems more like it belongs on the talk page anyway:

Note to editors: Pretty sure this refers to a one-hit group the Soul Survivors on Crimson Records who released "Expressway to Your Heart," and that was it, hence the "hard times befallen"

"Jazz Fusion"?

" hey 19" is many things, but Jazz Fusion it is not. Just because a recording has Fender Rhodes and percussion does not automatically assign it to the Jazz Fusion genre. Fp cassini (talk) 22:13, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

Dead right. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2401:D006:A202:7E00:F496:C0B1:2333:2667 (talk) 19:40, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

AllMusic, a reliable source here, presents the song's genres as "pop/rock" and "jazz", and its styles as "jazz-rock", "funk", and "fusion". See this link. Description here should follow such published sources, and not infuse WP:OR perspectives. 98.223.85.159 (talk) 21:41, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Lyrics…

I’ve been a Dan fan since God invented vinyl, but one has to take their lyrics with a good pinch of salt. However fine and progressive their music, Wally and Donny remained at heart English Literature majors publishing obscure verse in the college mag. Slick, allusive stuff that seems just like poetry but falls apart if subjected to analysis.

That said, compare Fagen’s ‘Slinky Thing’ for a much franker exploration of the same idea as ‘Nineteen’, and you may add ‘The New Breed’. 2401:D006:A202:7E00:F496:C0B1:2333:2667 (talk) 19:57, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

Has such a connection been made in any WP:RS source, so that it might be added to the article? If not, we might have to remove this thread as WP:FORUM, sorry. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:15, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

Please do not remove, as this comment suggests an investigative course for serious editors here. This comment, and it alone, suggests a possible satirical intent of the music's composers, and that this and two other songs may be viewed as a stylistic subset of their songs. While this is an editorial opinion (of IP editor 2401:D006...)—expression of which, here, is acceptable—if the view is upheld by published authors, its addition here would be constructive for the article. (There are already many negative responses to the song in the modern era, in response to its prima facie meaning.) Hence, we echo your question—can we source this thought—but not the suggested removal of the thread. Our view, as former academic, and regualrly contributing logged editors here. 98.223.85.159 (talk) 21:50, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

See also the current closing sentence of the Music subsection, where a reviewer is cited suggesting a song emphasis to be "self-satire". 98.223.85.159 (talk) 21:51, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Well we await further "published authors". Probably would hat (too flat) anyway, not remove. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:54, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

Why is the "fine Colombian" linked to Marijuana, and not cocaine?

If one drug is associated with Colombia, it is cocaine. Plus, the "fine" is a wordplay on being good but also the opposite of course - as it being a powder. The Fine Colombian (talk) 18:32, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

I agree. Auroraaustrala (talk) 12:52, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

'resorted to getting the girl drunk and stoned enough to stop resisting.'

The lyrics in the song indicate substances are present and being used/enjoyed, but as the reviewer notes, it is ambiguous whether the singer is enjoying them alone or with the women he's singing to/about.

That said, there is no stated reason to believe he is plying her with the substances to 'stop resisting'. While she may or may not be participating in the drink and drugs, there is no indication that he is persuading her to participate, or that he is doing so for the purpose of overriding her will.

I recommend another source being found to talk about this ambiguity of whether he is doing the substances alone or with her. The AllMusic one, as it stands, introduces suppositions that are not objectively represented in the content of the song. ~2026-52783-48 (talk) 12:51, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

'an older man is seducing a 19-year-old girl.'

I do not believe this song is about a man 'seducing' the girl. I believe it's about his interactions with her and considering whether or not to pursue her, and on the fence about whether it's worthwhile (while leaning no).

I don't think there's any objective evidence that in the progress of the song itself he has actively decided to pursue her. It's more like he recognizes an attraction and also an incompatibility, and we're listening to his thoughts at that moment of ambiguity.

As a result, I think a different, more objective source should be found to summarize the theme of the song. Auroraaustrala (talk) 13:00, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

'young lover'

This description says 'the song "was about a middle-aged man's disappointment with a young lover"' but it is actually left ambiguous whether anything is ever consummated. It could equally be an extended interaction at a bar or party over the course of a night where an older man has intermittent flirtations with this girl, punctuated by reflections on his own obsolescence and lack of social agency in the context, for instance (well characterized here). A more objective description and source is in order. Auroraaustrala (talk) 13:12, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Misunderstanding of the use of the word "lazy"

in the AllMusic review, the writer doesn't use the word lazy as an insult to the quality of the song, but rather describing a particular atmosphere to the song. It's used in the same way one would use the word in the phrase "lazy river", the river itself is not actually lazy in the sense the word is typically used. ~2026-56542-13 (talk) 07:12, 24 October 2026 (UTC)