"Coming of Age"
Single by Foster the People
from the album Supermodel
ReleasedJanuary 14, 2014
Recorded2013
Genre
Length4:40
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Paul Epworth
  • Mark Foster
Foster the People singles chronology
"Houdini"
(2012)		 "Coming of Age"
(2014)		 "Pseudologia Fantastica"
(2014)

"Coming of Age" is a song by American indie pop band Foster the People from their second studio album, Supermodel. It was written by Mark Foster, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink of the band, along with British music producer Paul Epworth and close collaborators Sean Cimino and Isom Innis. The song was released as the lead single from Supermodel in the United States on January 14, 2014, and in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2014.

Composition

"Coming of Age" was written with Foster the People frontman Mark Foster's social life as a background to the song. Foster stated to XFM London:

"Lyrically it is almost a confession. It is about a moment of clarity, having a moment of clarity and I think for me this year, being home, was that quiet after the storm of touring for two years and my life drastically changing. It was kind of the first breath I had to really look around and see that there were some things that happened during that period with my friends and with my loved ones, with the people that are close to me and with myself as well. It is the first time that I got a clear look on those things and that's kind of what the song is about. It's about growing up."[1]

Recording

The song was the last to be written and recorded during the recording sessions for Supermodel. The song was conceived during the recording of the album, and had not been written beforehand. Mark Foster described it as a song that "came out of nowhere", saying, "It's kind of funny, it's the last song we wrote and recorded and it is the first song everybody is going to hear".[1]

Music video

"Coming of Age" premiered on YouTube on January 13, 2014, with the song being accompanied by time-lapse footage depicting the creation of a mural of the Supermodel cover.[2] Directed by Vern Moen and Zachary Rockwood, the video was filmed in South Los Angeles Street and showcases the LA Freewalls project.[2]

The official music video, directed by BRTHR, followed on February 6, 2014.[3] The video inspired by 1980s teen films, depicts the stories of various struggling Californian children,[4] intercut with footage of the band playing on a stage.[5] Scenes include a dejected high school student wearing a mascot suit and being bullied by jocks, a teenager running away from cops, a young boxer struggling in the ring, and angst-ridden teenagers confronting a group of popular students.[4][5] Describing the video, Foster stated: "The emotional arcs of the characters were pretty empowering."[4] He singled out the boxer subplot as his favorite, as it reminded him of the 1976 film Rocky.[4]

Reception

Garrett Kamps of Spin described it as "a breezy pop song with innocuous lyrics [...] that's not so ostentatious as to call attention to itself, a sweet spot these guys used to find more often".[6]

Track listing

Digital download
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Coming of Age"
  • Epworth
  • Foster
4:40

Personnel

Foster the People
Additional personnel
  • Isom Innis – synthesizer, programming
  • Sean Cimino – rhythm acoustic guitar, additional effects
  • Paul Epworth – programming, modular synth

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Australia[25] January 14, 2014 Digital download Columbia
Canada[26]
France[27]
New Zealand[28]
United States[29]
United States[30] Modern rock radio
Italy[31] January 17, 2014 Contemporary hit radio
United States[32] January 20, 2014 Adult album alternative radio
United Kingdom[33] March 16, 2014 Digital download

References

  1. 1 2 "Foster The People: we're not designed for fame". XFM London. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 Gottlieb, Steven (January 14, 2014). "Foster The People 'Coming Of Age' (Mural Time-Lapse) (Vern Moen & Zachary Rockwood, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ Gottlieb, Steven (February 6, 2014). "Foster The People 'Coming Of Age' (BRTHR, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kaufman, Gil (February 6, 2014). "Foster The People Light Sixteen Candles For '80s-Themed 'Coming Of Age' Video". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Ayers, Mike (February 6, 2014). "Foster the People Work Through Tough Times in 'Coming of Age' Video". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ Kamps, Garrett (March 13, 2014). "Foster the People Settle for Modern-Pop Pastiche on the Bloated 'Supermodel'". Spin. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  9. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201413 into search. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Foster The People: Coming Of Age" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201415 into search. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Schweizer Airplay Charts 12/2014 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart: CLUK Update 5.04.2014 (wk13)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Foster the People Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Adult Alternative Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  24. ↑ "American single certifications – Foster the People – Houdini". Recording Industry Association of America.
  25. ↑ "Coming of Age by Foster The People". Zdigital. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Coming of Age by Foster The People". Canada: 7digital. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Coming of Age par Foster The People" (in French). France: 7digital. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Coming of Age by Foster The People". New Zealand: 7digital. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Coming of Age". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Alternative > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  31. ↑ Corradini, Paola. "Foster The People – Coming Of Age (Columbia)" (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Triple A > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Coming of Age – Single by Foster the People". iTunes Store. United Kingdom: Apple. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
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