Hayley Williams has unearthed a true deep cut from her catalog, sharing a super rare performance of “Teenagers” — a song she wrote for the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack — on Instagram.
Williams shared a solo acoustic performance of the tune, sitting on the floor and strumming as she sang, “It’s in the air now/Bitter tears and broken hearts/We’re teenagers/We count the years/We think we’re smart/But we’re not.”
In the caption to the post, Williams recalled writing the song for the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack when she, herself, was still a teenager. On her IG Stories, however, she offered a way more enticing teaser, writing, “Lore behind this one is so ridiculous I can’t tell if tellin’ it would make the song better or worse. Anyway, first self-serenade in years… hope it’s fine by you.”
Not only is the performance of “Teenagers” Williams’ first self-serenade in years (referring to the acoustic videos she was sharing on social media, especially during the pandemic), it may be the first live performance of “Teenagers” ever. Per Setlist.fm, Paramore has never played the song live, and Williams has hardly had a chance to perform it live as a solo artist (though that could change soon).
Williams was one of several late-2000s emo, pop-punk, and indie luminaries to contribute to the Jennifer’s Body soundtrack, along with Panic! At the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Florence and the Machine, Silvers Pickups, Cobra Starship, and Cute Is What We Aim For. The horror comedy was written by Diablo Cody, directed by Karyn Kusama, and starred Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried (who recently teased that a sequel is in the works).
As for Williams, she recently hinted that she might finally hit the road as a solo artist this year. Williams released her first (and so far) only solo album, Petals for Armor, back in May 2020, and had to cancel her tour in support of the LP because of the pandemic. While no shows have been announced yet, Williams did write on Instagram late last year, “I’m going to try and finally play some shows next year that would’ve happened nearly 5 years ago now. That is, if the world doesn’t fucking stop before then. Here’s hoping.”
