Benny Mardones explained the song and evidently the 16-year-old referred to in the song was based on a platonic relationship with a 16-year-old neighbor of his that he paid $50 a week to walk his dog. One night she showed up dressed to the nines and as he stared at her walking out the door, a friend he was with told him "She's just 16 years old, leave her alone."
Lyrics followed.