"Seventeen" is the first track and first promotional single from Alessia Cara's EP, Four Pink Walls along with her debut studio album, Know-It-All. It was released through Def Jam Recordings and Universal Music Group on August 26, 2015.
Background[]
This song was made in New Jersey during a day of writer's block. Just as they were going to call it a day, Sebastian Kole asked Cara's father what he would write about if he were to write a song. He came up with the concept of life going by too fast, and thus the first line of Seventeen was born, My daddy says that life comes at you fast..."
Lyrics[]
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
My daddy says that life comes at you fast
We all like blades of grass
We come to prime and in time we just wither away
And it all changes
My view with a looking glass won't catch the past
Only photographs remind us of the passing of days
Oh nothing stays the same from yesteryears
See I recall being afraid of the dark
And holding on to teddy bears
I'd wrap myself in blankets just to cover me from fears
That was then and now I'm here
And the night is mine
So hear me scream
I was too young to understand what it means
I couldn't wait til I could be seventeen
I thought he lied when he said take my time to dream
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
I'm seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
My mother said don't forget where you come from, where you've been
Always keep your closest friends they can't slip away
They keep you grounded
Oh keep yourself surrounded with good advice
And yeah I guess that sounded nice when I was ten
Oh but never were there truer words
In all my days I've ever heard
And when she told me little girl the answer is love
So those are words that I keep with me
Though the seasons change so quickly
Keep them buried in my heart
And never fought
So hear me scream
I was too young to understand what it means
I couldn't wait til I could be seventeen
I thought she lied when she said "take my time to breathe"
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
I'm seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
I been goin on, I been growin up
I'm a know it all, I don't know enough
See I was racing and waiting for the day that I would be old enough
Guess I'll be patient and pace myself gotta prepare for when goings rough
I was too young to understand what it means
I couldn't wait til I could be seventeen
I thought she lied when she said "take my time to breathe"
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
I'm seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Ohh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Seventeen
Now I wish I could freeze the time at seventeen
Critical Reception[]
Hit the Floor writer Fabio Magnocavallo stated: "‘Seventeen’ still remains one of Cara’s best songs with her singing about wanting to stay seventeen and wishing she could go back. For a singer-songwriter, Alessia has the audience relating instantly." [1]
Music Video[]
The music video was released on December 15, 2016. The video begins with Cara as a child with her dad. Then it shows Cara as a young teenager going to school and then with a friend at her current age. It then shows Cara in a couple of years, and then with a child of her own. Now her child is a teenager and she is middle-aged. After that, Cara is then alone as an elderly woman. At the end of the video, Cara is back at her current age.
Trivia[]
- The “teddy bear” mentioned in the song was actually a cat named Snowball. Cara has had her since she was two. She has one eye.
- This song had set the foundation for the Know-It-All album, allowing Cara to figure out what she wanted the album to mean.
- Cara thought there was no way she she could reach the high note in the chorus, but Sebastian Kole made her try it and it worked.
- The title of the album, Know-It-All, was taken from a line in the bridge of this song: "I'm a know-it-all, I don't know enough..."
- Cara feels that that line represents every song on the album, whether it's in a direct or indirect way.
- This song was the most reproduced and rerecorded on the album. Cara wanted to get it as flawless as possible so she made herself sing it over many times. It was originally produced by Kuya and later reproduced by Pop & Oak.[2]
References[]
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| Four Pink Walls | ||
|---|---|---|
| Singles | Here | |
| Songs | Seventeen • Here • Outlaws • I'm Yours • Four Pink Walls | |
| Artists | Alessia Cara | |
Credits | Certifications | Charts
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