Because They're Young (song)

"Because They're Young"
Single by Duane Eddy
from the album $1,000,000 Worth of Twang
B-side	"Rebel Walk"
Released	April 1960
Genre	Instrumental rock, rock and roll
Length	1:59
Label	Jamie Records 1156
Songwriter(s)	Aaron Schroeder, Don Costa, Wally Gold
Producer(s)	Lee Hazlewood, Lester Sill
Duane Eddy singles chronology
"Shazam!" (1960) "Because They're Young" (1960) "Kommotion" (1960)

"Because They're Young" is an instrumental performed by Duane Eddy. It appeared on his 1960 album, $1,000,000 Worth of Twang . ^[1]

Background

"Because They're Young" was written by Aaron Schroeder, Don Costa, and Wally Gold, and produced by Lee Hazlewood and Lester Sill. ^[2] It ranked #37 on Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1960. ^[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1960)	Peak position
Canada (CHUM Chart) [4]	5
New Zealand (Lever hit parades) [5]	3
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [6]	2
US Billboard Hot 100 [7]	4
US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard) [8]	17

Other versions

• James Darren released a vocal version as a single in 1960. It went to #29 in the UK ^[9] and #4 in New Zealand. ^[10]
• Helen Shapiro put out her rendition on 10 March 1962.

Popular culture

• The song was featured in the 1960 movie, Because They're Young sung by James Darren and arranged by Ernie Freeman.
• In the 1960s, various rock radio channels used Because They're Young as their theme music. ^[11]
• Since 1984, Because They're Young is the official theme music of the Flemish musical nostalgia radio show De Pré Historie . The same theme was also used for the TV adaptation. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. Duane Eddy, $1,000,000.00 Worth of Twang, Discogs.com, Retrieved January 25, 2014
2. Duane Eddy, "Because They're Young" single release, 45cat.com, Retrieved January 25, 2014
3. "Billboard Top 100 - 1960". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
4. "CHUM Hit Parade - July 4, 1960".
5. "Lever Hit Parade - September 1, 1960". Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
6. "officialcharts.com". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
7. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 267.
8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 182.
9. James Darren, "Because They're Young" Chart Position, Musicvf.com, Retrieved January 25, 2014
10. "Flavour of New Zealand, 8 September 1960". Flavourofnz.co.nz.
11. "Blad 2123: Radio Memory, Erik de Rouck, BBC World Service, Duane Eddy". 2 May 2024.
12. "Blad 2123: Radio Memory, Erik de Rouck, BBC World Service, Duane Eddy". 2 May 2024.
13. Werbrouck, Stefaan (1 October 2021). "'Voor altijd kampioen' op Eén leert dat VTM de échte schuldige is achter 'F.C. De Kampioenen'". Humo (in Dutch).