Teenage Kicks

Snow Patrol performing a cover of "Teenage Kicks" at BBC Maida Vale Studios as part of their 75th anniversary in 2009. Snow Patrol plays The Orpheum Theatre on April 12.

See my music calendar for upcoming shows in New England 

The song may be most famous for being John Peel's favorite song. A lyric from the song is inscribed on his gravestone: "Teenage dreams, so hard to beat".

The studio may be most famous as the site of the Peel Sessions, which included such bands as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Joy Division, Nirvana and The White Stripes.

The Raconteurs also did a rockin' version of the song in London, as a tribute to Peel, who was one of the earliest and biggest supporters of Jack White's previous band The White Stripes. The song starts at about 4:38 in the video below.

Below is the original by The Undertones

John Peel

 John Peel (30 August, 1939 – 25 October, 2004) was a famous radio DJ and one of the rare non-musicians whose impact in shaping modern music was greater than those of many of the musicians that he championed. October 25 marks the anniversary of his passing approaches, described as "the day the music died" by The London Evening Standard. I came across some great tributes to the man; including John Peel Day events listed at the #KeepingItPeel website and the documentary "John Peel's Record Box", shown below.

The videos below are described by JohnPeel3904 as a documentary that was "first shown on Channel 4 in 2005, looking at the most prized records in John Peel's huge record collection, which he kept stored in a special box. Looks at the music and artists featured in those special records and at the music tastes of John Peel. Also includes interviews with family and friends, including wife Sheila Ravenscroft, son Tom (who was also involved in its production) and brother Alan; DJs Mary Anne Hobbs, Paul Gambaccini and Marc Riley; artists Elton John, Ronnie Wood (Faces), Roger Daltrey (Who), Fergal Sharkey (Undertones), Jack White (White Stripes), Mark E. Smith and Brixa Smith (Fall), Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Billy Bragg, Daman Albarn (Blur) and Pete Wylie (Wah!); plus schoolmate Michael Palin."

"Teenage dreams, so hard to beat" - John Peel's epitaph