Sweet 16
Sixteen. She rolls her eyes at you twice a day, and you still remember the first time she said your name.
A sweet 16 song with her name in the chorus
A sweet sixteen sits between childhood and leaving home. Parents tend to want a soft song about how fast it went; the birthday girl usually wants something she can dance to with her friends. You can make either from the same few lines.
Hear the second a name lands
Niamh, my sweet girl, you are eighteen today.
You wrote“Paints tiny watercolour foxes.”
The song singsNow you paint tiny foxes on the page.
From a real song made here: “Your Gentle Way”, for Niamh, from what her mum typed.
The moment you give it
She begs you not to do anything embarrassing. Then the song plays with her name in the chorus and her friends start screaming, and suddenly it's the coolest thing that has happened all night.
SWEET SIXTEEN · THIS ONE IS HERS · SWEET SIXTEEN · THIS ONE IS HERS ·
Sweet sixteen, backyard, 9 pm · Fairy lights, a dozen friends, one mortified birthday girl
Start with one memory
Pick a question. The form opens with your first line already started.
A birthday song for a daughter
Our closest sample was written for an eighteenth: a soft piano ballad from a parent.
What you get for $12.99
You hear it first, free. You pay once, only if you keep it.
- Free preview
- The first 60 seconds, ready in about two minutes after you enter your email. No card.
- The song
- The full song, about two minutes long, as an MP3 to download and keep.
- Lyrics
- Every line is on the preview page before you pay. Unlocking adds the lyric sheet, to print or save as a PDF.
- Their link
- A private link that plays the whole song without an account, with your name and a short note. Switch it off any time.
- Photo video
- Free: a vertical 9:16 photo video of your photos with the lyrics on screen, plus 15- and 30-second cuts. Made in your browser.
- The name
- Unusual name? Type how to say it (SEER-sha for Saoirse) and the singer says it that way.
- Re-record
- One free re-record per song: change a line, the style or the voice and record it again.
- Name sung wrong?
- After you pay, a free remake with the name fixed, once per song.
- Languages
- Sung in English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese.
- Teaser
- Before you pay, a 15-second teaser link that tells them a song is on its way.
- For this song
- From mom or dad: pick daughter or son in the form and the lyrics are written in a parent's voice.
- Posting it? The 15-second cut fits an Instagram story and the 30-second cut a Reel, with the lyrics already on screen.
Two kinds of sweet 16 song
| From a parent | For the party | |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Piano ballad or acoustic pop | Upbeat pop |
| Write about | The little kid she was | Her friends and her obsessions |
| Play it | At breakfast or before the party | When the dancing starts |
What to write about a sixteen-year-old
- The song she plays on repeat this month, described rather than named.
- Her best friends by name, if she would not mind.
- What she is obsessed with this year: a team, a show, a craft, a band.
- Her first car, permit or job, if one is happening.
- Something she did at six that is still completely her.
- What you hope she keeps as she grows up.
For example
A mom writing for a sweet sixteen might type:
- Ava has played goalie since she was seven and still sleeps in her jersey.
- She and her best friend Zoe have matching friendship bracelets from fourth grade.
- She just got her learner's permit and already backed into the mailbox once.
Getting the details right
Teenagers notice everything, so check spellings of her friends' names and the teams or bands you mention. If her name has an unusual spelling or pronunciation, type how it is said; the singer uses your version while the lyric sheet keeps hers.
More song ideas
Questions
Sixteen, and a song she will keep.
Type her first name and what she is obsessed with this year.