Like Young

By Andre Previn and Paul Francis Webster
1959

Last Thursday, February 28, we lost the brilliant Andre Previn, celebrated classical and jazz composer, musician and conductor. A man of many talents, Previn even dabbled in pop music, and today we spotlight what might be his best and most memorable pop song, written with lyrics by Paul Webster, the Oscar-winning lyricist of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", "Secret Love" and "The Shadow of Your Smile". Both the melody and lyrics were emblematic of the beat generation culture of the 1950s, with Webster's words in particular glorifying that lifestyle, complete with hipster slang. Previn himself introduced the song on record with a piano instrumental accompanied by the David Rose Orchestra that was nominated for the Best Record Grammy, losing to Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife".

Lyrics:

I'm out doin' the usual places
And I'm livin' it, like young
Then I dig me this face of all faces
He's the craziest, like young

He drinks coffee at Cafe Espresso
He reads Kerouac, like young
He goes where all the angry young men go
Recites poetry, like young

We start blowin' the pad around lovin'
And we're homin' it, like now
We spin records on cloud number seven
And he's reachin' me, like wow

I'm all unstrung 'cause, man
He's got me feelin' like young
If he were to brush me and go
I'm starting to wear my hair again
Like a square again

I keep gettin' the kookiest notion
I think maybe it's like love
I've been feelin' a crazy emotion
I think, baby, it's like love

Now we're ridin' a rainbow to Cloudsville
And we're makin' it like young
Love soft as April snow
Love warm as candle glow
Love, love is easy to go

I'm all unstrung 'cause, man
He's got me feelin' like young
Without him I'm no good at all
Without him I'm less than a decimal

I keep gettin' the kookiest notion
I think maybe it's like love
I've been feelin' a crazy emotion
I think, baby, it's like love

Now we're ridin' a rainbow to Cloudsville or Wowsville
We're makin' it, makin' it like, like, like young

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Martin Denny
Perry Como
Henry Mancini
Buddy Greco