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"I'm Just a Kid"
Single by Simple Plan
from the album No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls
Released	February 4, 2002 (2002-02-04)
Genre	Pop punk emo
Length	3:18
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Pierre Bouvier Chuck Comeau Arnold Lanni Sébastien Lefebvre Jeff Stinco
Simple Plan singles chronology
"I'm Just a Kid" (2002) "I'd Do Anything" (2002)
Music video
"I'm Just a Kid" on YouTube
Music video
"I'm Just a Kid (Amazon Original feat. LØLØ)" on YouTube
Music video
"I'm An Adult parody by CHILIØ" on YouTube

"I'm Just a Kid" is the debut single by Canadian pop punk band Simple Plan, written by Pierre Bouvier. It appeared on their debut album No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls. It was featured in the films Grind, The New Guy, and Cheaper by the Dozen.

The song saw a resurgence in popularity in April 2020 on the social media platform TikTok, where the song was used in a challenge that involves family members re-creating childhood photos. A version of this song featuring LØLØ premiered in November 2022 as an Amazon Original song. A parody version entitled "I'm An Adult" was made in 2024 by Calgary-based band CHILIØ, which rewrites the song from a grown-up perspective. Pierre Bouvier was part of the marketing for this version, and the parody gained popularity on TikTok.

Track listing

1. "I'm Just a Kid (Single Version)"
2. "One By One"
3. "Grow Up"

Music video

The music video is about how an awkward, average guy (DJ Qualls) attempts to impress a popular girl (Eliza Dushku) by attempting to perform dangerous stunts, but other, more popular boys interrupt to take his place. They fail to succeed and are injured, and the main characters look on with pained expressions of pity and a certain amount of schadenfreude. Ending with the average guy simply speaking to the girl and her walking off with him while the heavily injured popular boys watch in disbelief. There is also a surreal sequence, in which the archetypal popular boy, played by rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Sébastien Lefebvre, is hit by a school bus. The video was made with actors from the movie The New Guy, such as Qualls and Tony Hawk. As such, it was released as an extra on the DVD and VHS of The New Guy. As well, in the video, there is a clip of Hawk taken from the final football game in the movie. Most of the scenes in the video were filmed at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.

Jesse Heiman appears as a nerd.

Certifications

References

1. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1438. February 1, 2002. p. 32.
2. Teo, Mark (June 26, 2013). "22 classic cottage pop-punk songs". Aux. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016.
3. "How well do you remember "I'm Just A Kid" by Simple Plan?". Alternative Press. March 19, 2020.
4. Locker, Melissa (April 15, 2020). "Families Travel Back in Time With Childhood Photos for the 'I'm Just a Kid' Challenge". Time. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
5. "Simple Plan release new version of 'I'm Just A Kid' feat. LØLØ". EN: SimplePlan.cz. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
6. "CHILIØ Instagram - When @pierrebouvier calls, you pickup". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
7. "British single certifications – Simple Plan – I'm Just a Kid". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
8. "American single certifications – Simple Plan – I'm Just a Kid". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 30, 2020.

• 2001 songs
• 2002 debut singles
• Simple Plan songs
• Atlantic Records singles
• Songs written by Pierre Bouvier
• Songs written by Chuck Comeau
• Songs written by Arnold Lanni
• Songs written by Sébastien Lefebvre
• Songs written by Jeff Stinco
• Songs about children
• Songs about loneliness