My ears perk up every time 'I Don't Want to Grow Up' starts playing — it's one of those songs that shows up in a bunch of places if you know where to look. On streaming services you'll often find it on artist-centric playlists like 'This Is Tom Waits' or other Tom Waits collections that pull from the 'Bone Machine' era where the track originally lives. Beyond those, mood-driven playlists that celebrate nostalgia, youthful rebellion, or melancholy singer-songwriter vibes are great places to scan: think titles along the lines of 'Songs About Growing Up', 'Melancholic Classics', or 'Stay Young Forever'—curators love to toss this into those mixes.
If you like covers, the Ramones' take (from '¡Adios Amigos!') turns the song into a punk-leaning staple and surfaces on punk-centric compilations and playlists like 'Ramones Essentials', '90s Punk Revival', or 'Punk Covers'. I’ve bumped into it in eclectic bar playlists and late-night indie radio mixes too. Pro tip: on Spotify you can use the 'Appears on' tab for the song to see concrete playlist placements, and on YouTube Music and Apple Music similar editorial collections pop it up under 'essentials' or 'influences'. I ended up rediscovering the track on a rainy evening playlist and it felt like the perfect companion — bitter, a little defiant, and oddly comforting.