It’s easy to get precious about nostalgia. As you enter your early 30s, though, the distance from unanxious youth becomes all the more distinct. It becomes easier to be wistful for your teenage years when you’re separated from them by two-fold. So when now 32-year-old Ellie Goulding sings of being “Sixteen” on her new single, there’s a palpable sincerity.
“Time/ Suddenly we got no time,” the British pop star sings over a simply produced electro beat. “We’re so busying doing life/ That I miss your eyes on mine.” It’s a reminder that we 30-somethings can still feel a bit of magic so long as we remind ourselves that it didn’t just disappear because we grew up.
Speaking of the track in a press release, Goulding said,
“I’m so excited to share ‘Sixteen’ with everyone. That age was such a pivotal year for me in many ways and this song is so close to my heart. It takes me back to the reckless days of being a teenager and I hope it reminds us all about the innocence of youth.”
Take a listen via the lyric video below. Update April 17th: Goulding has shared the official music video for the song, which you can view now.