September Gurls

Album: Radio City (1974)
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Songfacts®:

  • This paen to "September Gurls" was penned by vocalist Alex Chilton for Big Star's second album Radio City. Released as a single, it did not chart despite receiving excellent reviews, due mainly to poor marketing. The song was rated #178 by Rolling Stone in their 2004 list of the Top 500 songs of all time.
  • Alex Chilton once said of his songwriting: "I really loved the mid '60s British pop music, all two and a half minutes long, really appealing songs. So I've always aspired to that same format, that's what I like."
  • The Bangles covered this on their 1988 album, Different Light.
  • Alex Chilton died of a heart attack on March 17, 2010 aged 59. He had experienced shortness of breath and chills while cutting the lawn, but did not seek medical attention, in part because he had no health insurance.
  • September girls do so much
    I was your Butch and you were touched


    Big Star drummer Jody Stephens told Mojo magazine the "Butch" in Chilton's lyric refers to a DC Comics puppy dog.

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