When you were sweet 16

An “Irish” song that came from America

When You Were Sweet 16 isn’t actually an Irish song at all although it is now often associated with Irish traditional folk music.

Sweet 16 home page
The Fureys Recording
Recordings by others
Lyrics and Chords Sweet 16
James Thornton 1
James Thornton 2

This is mainly because it was such a success when it was recorded by Dublin band, The Fureys.

Both the words and the music were written by the Irish American songwriter James Thornton in the late 19th century.

The first person to perform it was his wife Bonnie, who was a popular vaudeville singer in the United States.

I love you as I loved you when you were sweet 16

Original Sheet Music

Thornton supposedly got the idea for the song from an off the cuff remark he made to his wife.

One day when she was feeling a little insecure, she asked him if he still loved her. He replied. “I love you as I loved you when you were 16.”

His songwriter’s instinct kicked in immediately and he realised that would not only provide a good line for a song but also an excellent theme on which a complete song could be based.

1901 recording by Harry MacDonough. It reached number 3 in the charts.

Sung with Great Success by Bonnie Thornton

The song was first published in 1898 by M Witmark & Sons of New York and Chicago.

The cover of the sheet music announces that the song had been “sung with great success by Bonnie Thornton”. It was “also sung with success by Raymon Moore,” another popular vaudeville singer of the day.

The sheet music is described as being arranged for a “5 band orchestra banjo mandolin guitar”. This is not far removed from The Fureys version recorded nearly a hundred years later featuring two guitars, a banjo, a violin and an accordion.

Scotty Beckett playing the young Al Jolson singing When You Were weet Sixteen.

I Kissed You as I did on Auld Lang Syne

When You Were Sweet Sixteen is a very simple lyric with only two verses and a chorus.

Its great strength is the way it conjures up a sense of warmth and nostalgia without tipping over too far towards sentimentality.

The third line of the second verse mentions Auld Lang Syne. This is an old Scottish phrase made famous in the song of the same name, which is sung across the world on New Year’s Eve.

It refers to happy times in days gone by; a sentiment is completely in keeping with the theme of looking back to the halcyon days of being sweet sixteen.

Joni James recorded in 1957.

Sweet 16 home page
The Fureys Recording
Recordings by other Singers
Lyrics and Chords Sweet 16
James Thornton 1
James Thornton 2