Songfacts®:

• This anthemic belter was released as the second single from The Vaccines sophomore album, The Vaccines Come of Age. Frontman Justin Young told NME: "This is a self-conscious, introspective song about self-confidence. It's confident and upbeat but it's also very tongue-in-cheek."
• Young admitted to the NME: "I really hate listening to second record songs, people singing about the place they've found themselves in, and then I realised I've kind of done that with this song…"
• Justin Young professes discomfort at being put on a pedestal by fans when he sings, "I'm no teenage icon. I'm no Frankie Avalon." Young admitted to NME that he referenced the 1950s pop star, Frankie Avalon, as he couldn't think of anything else that rhymed.
• Like Young, guitarist Freddie Cowan finds it difficult to relate to being a teenage icon. "Justin was referring to himself," Cowan told Spinner. "What he's saying is when he stands onstage, he's supposed to feel like that guy - a teenage icon - but he doesn't. I don't feel that way at all. I respect musicians for what they do, but I think there are actors and other people that deserve to be icons. Most of the time, I'm more in love with the music than the person."
• The NME counted 13 reasons why Justin Young believes he is "no teenage icon" in this song. They are:
  So ordinary
  So obvious
  Nobody's hero
  Reserved and shy
  No piercing stare
  Out of shape
  Messy hair
  Not magnetic
  Not mythical
  Suburban
  Typical
  Not leather clad
  Not dangerous