September Gurls

Basically, this song is about a boy that is deeply in love with a girl who apparently lost interest in him after they made love. I don't know why it's September gurl and December boy but I'm guessing that it refers to their personality. September is the month where school starts again and people start to work harder. So the September gurl is always busy and impersonal. December is the last month of the year and a vacation month, when we just sit down and start to think back "what the hell have I've been doing". It's a month full of deep thought. So the December boy is a time waister who is very personal.

Hey, new to the site. Alex Chilton's birthday is December 28, hence "December boy" -- though I agree with some of the other interpretations of the lyric too (cold, end of the year, etc). I think "Gurl" is a way of emphasizing the special feeling of hooking up with an amazing girl at the start of the school year -- and how it may not last too long (even to December).

Everybody understands that Chilton was @20-21yrs. old when he wrote this song, correct???...hell, he was 15-16 when "The Letter" was a hit. He was a great talent, however he could be extremely vauge, left to his own device....just enjoy the tun...and yeah if some indie rocker could gome up with this tune today...he would have to get help to count his money......my fav is still "In The Streets"....even like Cheap Tricks version.....

I also see it as being the length of the relationship, as in it started in September. She was the September Gurl which maybe was a pet name. Then by December they had broken up. He had to stay away. No gurl. Just December boy being alone, cold dark winter, yada yada. Also it could be "December Boy's got it bad" so it's more singular.

gorgeous song from the point of view of an adolescent outsider aching for the coolest of the popular "gurls." "I was your butch" reminds me of the character from the our gang films described as "always present, but rarely the main character." she was his world, but on her way to "do so much" he was just part of the passing scenery.

December boy's got it bad!

The key to the meaning of the song is the interpretation of the line "December boy's got it bad". I believe that the word needs to be "boy's", meaning a contraction of the words "boy has", and not the plural "boys."

Grammatically this makes sense. If he was referring to December Boys in plural, the line would be either "December boys have got it bad", or "December Boys have it bad". It is clear to me that he's singing about a specific December boy who's got it bad, namely the late great Alex Chilton, born December 28th 1950.

Once that's understood, we can get to the subtext of the song. The World is divided up into different types of people based on their gender and birthmonth. Each subtype has its own characteristics, and September gurls are unbelievably, heartbreakingly awesome. They do so much, yet they have the capacity to be deeply touched when they have a December boy for a butch, at least some of the time. Aptitude, Lucky Star, and Mindchild have also picked up on this, pointing out that September gurls are outgoing, full of activity, sunshine, new beginnings, etc. I would also add that December is the darkest month of the year, so that says something about December boys.

Moving from the subtext to the text, I'm not exactly what "being your butch" means. I agree with Mindchild that it most likely means they hooked up once. But what exactly it means isn't so important in and of itself. What's much more important - and this is more than anything else in the whole wide world right now - is that a September gurl once felt something for him, she doesn't feel it anymore, and this December boy's got it bad.

He loved her, but at this point there's nothing he can do, so nevermind, he will keep away. But he can't deny what's inside, and he will continue to cry all the time and console himself with late night fantasies of lovemaking with this super awesome September gurl, because when it comes to September gurls, "they we'll love all our days".

All of this deep heartache is so beautifully expressed in two short verses and a bridge - 2:49 minutes of pop perfection.

My counsel to young Alex is that it's necessary to feel these things for a while. In time you will discover that September is a long month, and quite a few more September gurls are out there. And just wait until you discover that July gurls truly and deeply appreciate their butches for the long haul. But he won't be able to absorb that, because December boy's got it bad!

There is an excellent biography of Alex Chilton that answers some of the questions. It is called "A Man Called Destruction." I highly recommend it.

Also there is an on-line interview with one of his band members, Jody Stephens, at the website for Ardent (the recording studio for all of Big Star's work regarding part of the lyrics. Jody is the last surviving member of Big Star.

Based on that info I offer the following:

1. Alex was very heavily into astrology when he was young. All three of the women who were his early love interests were born in the month of September and shared an astrological sign. They are collectively and individually the "September Gurls". Alex was born in December and is the "December boy's (possessive not plural). He was deeply in love with each of the girls. Each was a muse of sorts during those years.

2. According to Jody, one of the September gurls, Lesa Aldridge, is the "you" in the line "I was your Butch, you were so touched." The line refers to how Alex followed Lesa around like a puppy called Butch, named for the cartoon character of the same name.. She adored his almost child-like devotion to her in those years. This read makes the line very tender and sweet. They had a combustible relationship as time went on and eventually departed.

This is the quintessential power-pop classic. Everything's just right about this song, the intro, melody, text.. it's kinda unbelievable no-one commented on this one yet. Magical.

Absolutely amazing. This has got to be in my top 10 favorite songs of all time. The vocals, the melodies... perfect. That's what this song is. Perfect.

Astonishing song, that incessant down strum on the guitar should make it a dirge, but the drums/bass push it along so well.... and so melodic aswell. Only thing... Whassitmean? & Why GUrls?