Released 1974 Genre Power pop
jangle pop Label Ardent | Recorded 1973 Length 2:41 Writer(s) Alex Chilton | |
"September Gurls" is a song by the rock band Big Star. Written by Alex Chilton, it was featured on the group's second studio album Radio City. The track was released in 1974.
Contents
Background
"September Gurls" was also released as a single. While it never was a big seller, it is considered a classic song by publications such as Rolling Stone and Allmusic.
The track was rated #180 by Rolling Stone in the magazine's top 500 songs of all time, and is described as a "power pop classic".
Jason Ankeny of Allmusic describes the song as "sweetly gorgeous sound that's both familiar and novel; poignantly ragged and breathlessly reckless..." and says it "reveals a surprising tenderness, tempering its venom with achingly lovely vocals and sun-kissed harmonies".
Covers
The Bangles released a cover of this song on their 1986 album Different Light. Other bands who have recorded the song include Superdrag and The Searchers.
Tributes
The title of Katy Perry's 2010 number one hit "California Gurls" was spelled as a tribute to Chilton and Big Star. Perry's manager is a fan of the band, and asked her to spell "girls" with a "u".