Okay, so I’m gonna start out this Music Monday by acknowledging that this isn’t exactly the best song in the world for various reasons. The subject matter alone may make some people uneasy (and I won’t get into why right now.) In fact, while I was googling it the word creepy was actually in the suggested results. However when I was picturing how Justin would react to seeing Benny’s new girlfriend, something outrageous had to play in his head. Cherry Pie by Warrent is a bit overused and didn’t really fit. So what else would a seventeen year old 80s fan of glam rock think of but Winger’s Seventeen.
Released in 1988, I remember this song getting a lot of play on MTV. It was also one of Winger’s biggest hits, reaching all the way to Number 26 on the US charts. Supposedly, Kip Winger took inspiration from a line Beatles song I Saw Her Standing There when he came up with Seventeen. Though he also claims that he didn’t know this would be controversial.
This is one of those cases where I decided to go with how a teen would feel about the song. One, I don’t think Justin would actually be aware of anything given his inexperience, and two, it was a catchy song from his childhood that seems to fit the moment. Here is where he sees his best friends new girlfriend in a different light. He’s known her forever, but now that she’s with Benny he needs a way to sort out his feelings.
Because Justin likes glam rock/hair metal so much, it’s only natural that he would picture her slow walk towards them as if she was in a music video. The kind that Whitesnake would make, minus the cartwheels on the car. She’s no longer just some girl in band, she’s now part of his life. FYI: I’m withholding her name to avoid spoilers.
Here’s the video if you want to check it out:
Jake Martinez - Author 