When I'm Sixty-Four

When I'm Sixty-Four is a love song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (but credited Lennon/McCartney) and released in 1967 on their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It is sung by a young man to his lover, and is about his plans of growing old together with her. Although the theme is about aging, it was one of the first songs McCartney wrote, when he was sixteen. The Beatles used it in the early days as a song they could play when the amplifiers broke down or the electricity went off. Both George Martin and Mark Lewisohn speculated that McCartney may have thought of the song when recording began for Sgt. Pepper in December 1966 because his father turned 64 earlier that year.

Lennon said of the song, "Paul wrote it in the Cavern days. We just stuck a few more words on it like 'grandchildren on your knee' and 'Vera, Chuck and Dave' ... this was just one that was quite a hit with us." In his 1980 interview for Playboy he said, "I would never even dream of writing a song like that."

The song was nearly released on a single as the B-side with either "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "Penny Lane" as the A-side. Instead, Martin decided on a double-A-sided-disc. The single did not make #1 in the UK, breaking a string of #1 singles going back to 1963. If "When I'm Sixty-Four" had been issued as a B-side, it would not have appeared on Sgt. Pepper.

According to Ian MacDonald, the song was "aimed chiefly at parents, and as a result got a cool reception from the [Beatles'] own generation."

Credits

 * Paul McCartney - Lead and Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar (Rickenbacker 4001S), Piano
 * John Lennon - Lead Guitar (Epiphone 230TD Casino), Backing Vocals
 * George Harrison - Backing Vocals, Detuned Guitar (Epiphone 230TD Casino)
 * Ringo Starr - Drums, Orchestral Bells
 * Robert Burns, Henry MacKenzie - Clarinet
 * Frank Reidy - Bass Clarinet