Hey Nineteen

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"Hey Nineteen" is a song by American jazz rock band Steely Dan, written by members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and released on their 1980 album Gaucho.

Set in Scarsdale, New York, "Hey Nineteen" describes the obstacles encountered by a middle-aged male protagonist wooing a 19-year-old college girl^[1]. Sings Fagen:

We got nothin' in common

We can't dance together

We can't talk at all

Please take me along when you slide on down

The song's primary theme is generational differences. Most troublingly to the narrator, his companion is too young to "remember the Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin. The two dance to different music, and would seem completely incompatible, having no mutual interests, save possibly for "the Cuervo Gold" (tequila) and "the fine Colombian" (cocaine). However, the song's ending is possibly ambiguous by design, unclear as to how these items actually fit into the puzzle^[2].

"Hey Nineteen" peaked at #10 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart (higher than any other Gaucho track), and #68 on the Black Singles chart^[3].

The sixteenth episode of the sitcom Wings' fifth season (88th overall) was named "Hey, Nineteen" after the song, and aired February 10, 1994^[4].

In late July of 2006, actor-screenwriter Owen Wilson referred to the song, ostensibly as a potential title for an upcoming film, in a tongue-in-cheek statement released through his spokeswoman. This was in response to the "open letter" to Wilson's brother, actor Luke Wilson, which was posted on Steely Dan's official web site on July 17, 2006^[5]. This letter implied, in part, that the film You, Me and Dupree, produced by Owen Wilson, was an uncredited adaptation of their song "Cousin Dupree", released in 2000. Said Wilson: "I have never heard the song `Cousin Dupree' and I don't even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, `HEY 19.'"^[6]

[edit] Notes

^ Layman, Will. Jazz Today: The Strange, Mixed Fate of Steely Dan (April 10, 2006). Accessed July 31, 2006.
^ All Music Guide. Hey Nineteen. Accessed July 31, 2006.
^ All Music Guide. ((( Gaucho > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). Accessed July 31, 2006.
^ TV.com. Wings: Hey, Nineteen. Accessed July 31, 2006.
^ Becker and Fagen. Open Letter to the Great Comic Actor, Luke Wilson (July 17, 2006). Accessed July 31, 2006.
^ Associated Press. Owen Wilson Says 'Dupree' Is No Rip-Off (July 28, 2006). Accessed July 31, 2006.

According to the John Belushi biography, "Wired", Belushi called this one of his favorite songs. He was so inspired he even wrote a script based on the story in the song.