Background
When I'm Sixty-Four is a song by The Beatles, written by McCartney and led on vocal by Paul McCartney. Music-hall pastiche written when Paul was 14; clarinet trio. Within the catalogue, its music-hall thread connects it to Your Mother Should Know.
What's distinctive
One of 65 songs led primarily by Paul. Recorded approximately 1 of 13 into the Sgt. Pepper's (1967) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'clarinets' — no other song shares it. Take count: 26 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)).Opening line — "When I get older losing my hair…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Recording
The session work falls within the band's Sgt. Pepper's (1967) period, recorded 6 Dec 1966 at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. George Martin produced; Geoff Emerick engineered. The track was committed to Two synced Studer J37 four-tracks (ad-hoc 8-track) via the REDD.51 / REDD.37; tape-bouncing extensively, with the era's standard signal chain — EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, Fairchild 660, ADT, varispeed pitch-shifting, tape phasing. Likely instrumental setup followed the era's working kit: Epiphone Casino, Gibson SG, Fender Esquire (Harrison — 'Drive My Car' onward), Hammond organ, Mellotron Mark II (Lennon), amplified through Vox AC100, Vox UL730, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman, Selmer Goliath. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.89 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below).
| Studio | EMI Studios, Abbey Road — Studio Two & Three; orchestral session at Studio One |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Two synced Studer J37 four-tracks (ad-hoc 8-track) |
| Console | REDD.51 / REDD.37; tape-bouncing extensively |
| Microphones | Neumann U47/U48, AKG C12, STC 4038 (drums), close-mic technique throughout |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140 plate, Fairchild 660, ADT, varispeed pitch-shifting, tape phasing |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Gibson SG, Fender Esquire (Harrison — 'Drive My Car' onward), Hammond organ, Mellotron Mark II (Lennon) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC100, Vox UL730, Fender Showman, Fender Bassman, Selmer Goliath |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer / 2nd | Geoff Emerick • Richard Lush, Ken Townsend (2nd) |
| Estimated takes | 26 (highest take number documented in Lewisohn (1988)) |
Pattern analysis
Legacy & release history
In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Documented alternate versions include 2009 Stereo Remasters, Sgt Pepper 50th Anniversary (2017). Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below.
Mono & stereo
- Mixed primarily in MONO at Abbey Road; the Beatles attended only the mono mixes through Sgt Pepper.
- Stereo mixes from this period were prepared (often without the band present) and are now considered secondary by purists.
Documented alternate versions
- 2009 Stereo Remasters — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster
- Sgt Pepper 50th Anniversary (2017) — Giles Martin stereo remix
Released on
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — LP, 1 June 1967
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (music-hall, clarinets, grandparents)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
music-hallclarinetsgrandparents