At Just 16, Jackson Browne Wrote A Nearly Perfect Song That '70s Artists Jumped To Cover

One of the most beautiful and touching songs in rock history was written by a star years before he'd find fame — and when he was merely 16 years old. In the late 1960s, Jackson Browne, part of the folk-and-country-laced, soft-rocking, singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, composed "These Days," and he pitched it to the music industry at large. In the years before the release of his own '70s material, Browne wrote songs for publisher Nina Music, and he recorded a demo for what would become "These Days." The song was relatively old, with Browne having written it in the mid-1960s when he was around 16.

While Browne would go on to both score hits and churn out flop '70s songs that sound even cringier today, "These Days" is a gorgeous, layered song full of wisdom and melancholy. It's at turns introspective, regretful, and wistful, and it emerged from the mind of a young person without a lot of life experience. German vocalist Nico was the first to take on "These Days," but she'd be far from the last musician to get a shot. Throughout the 1970s, numerous artists clamored to record their own take on the lovely song written by a very young Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne's demo of "These Days" was simple and straightforward, but the song has held up to musical experimentation. Nico's recording, on her 1967 album "Chelsea Girl," is moody, atmospheric, and slightly psychedelic. Gregg Allman included "These Days" on his 1973 LP "Laid Back," rendering a gentle and emotional Southern rock version. That same year, Browne released his first official recording of his own song, on his second studio album, "For Everyman," and in a jangly, sweeping '70s singer-songwriter style.

"These Days" became a '70s standard. Never a massive hit single for anyone, it popped up as an album track on lots of big releases of the decade. Iain Matthews of the folky Fairport Convention included it on his "Valley Hi," in 1973, followed by industry titan and prolific producer Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son, on his self-titled debut record in 1974. Among the other '70s musicians who embraced Browne's early work were bluegrass band New Grass Revival and Cher. 

In the 1990s and 2000s, alternative rockers exhibited an affinity for the song, with 10,000 Maniacs, Fountains of Wayne, and St. Vincent all putting their spin on "These Days." It inspired and delighted a whole new generation when Nico's cover of Browne's song was prominently used in Wes Anderson's 2001 film "The Royal Tenenbaums."