The weird thing about this week’s edition of STACKS is that I honestly had it all planned, half written in my head, at least 24 hours before I heard the terrible news that Alex Chilton had suddenly passed away at the too young age of 59.

I had planned on writing about one of my favorite songs off of Big Star’s #1 Record, a track called “Thirteen”. I didn’t have anything incredibly enlightening or especially insightful to share. Then again, little else really needed to be said; its writer had already done all the work. The song speaks for itself. I’m not exactly sure what age Alex was when he wrote “Thirteen” but he nailed those awkward early adolescent feelings of romance and love.

I wanted to share a few covers of the song as well, by Wilco, Evan Dando and Elliot Smith respectively. All three choose to play it relatively straight here. When a song as fully formed and perfect as “Thirteen” comes along, there’s no use in trying to change things up.

In a way, it now seems more appropriate than ever to share other artists’ interpretations of Big Star’s music. For as much as I love the three albums the band gave us, they actually gave us so much more than that.

Big Star’s influence was simply staggering. So many of my favorite bands — and probably your’s too– cited Alex Chilton, Chris Bell and Big Star as formative influences. Can you imagine a world without the music of REM, the Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, the Posies and so many countless others?

Thankfully, we don’t have to. We owe at least some small part of that thanks to one Alex Chilton.

Big Star, “Thirteen” (alternate mix, 1972)
find it on Keep An Eye On The Sky (Rhino Records)

Wilco, “Thirteen”
find it on Big Star Small World (Koch Records)

Evan Dando, “Thirteen”
find it on Live At The Brattle Theater (Modular Recordings)

Elliot Smith, “Thirteen”
find it on New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)

See Also: PRS from The Middle 8 (who introduced this listener to Big Star) mourns the loss of Alex Chilton.