Will you still need me? Paul McCartney at 64
James Paul McCartney, having survived many rumours of his death, turns 64 on Sunday. He was born June 18, 1942, in Liverpool’s Walton Hospital where his mother, Mary was the former head nurse in the maternity ward.
Fifteen years later, while skiffling in a group called the Quarrymen, Paul plinked out a melody on the family piano that would become one of the Beatles’ most hummable tunes.
The lyrics came later, written in tribute to his father Jim McCartney, a cotton salesman and part-time musician, who played in a jazz band.
The tune became a staple in the Beatles’ repertoire during the Cavern and Hamburg days when after a long set, they would gather ’round the piano and sing while their amplifiers cooled down.
When I’m 64 found its way onto vinyl in 1966 (the year Jim McCartney turned 64) while the Beatles were recording their iconic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Their producer, George Martin described When I’m 64 as “a kind of pastiche. It was a send up of the old stuff. The words are slightly mocking. It was also something of his father’s music coming out because his father had been a musician in the Twenties, Paul always had that sneaking respect for the old rooty-tooty music.”
The recording of When I’m 64 began on December 6, 1966, in Studio 2 of the EMI Studios on Abbey Road. During a break from taping Strawberry Fields Forever, Paul laid down two piano tracks and the bass line.
A week later, he overdubbed his vocals, with George Harrison and John Lennon adding backing vocals and Ringo chiming in with bells. The finishing touch was the addition of two clarinets and a bass clarinet.
On Friday, December 30th, Paul decided to scrap the earlier mixes and speed up the new mix by as much as a semitone, the result being a brighter, bouncier sound with a more youthful vocal pitch.
The lyrics tell a tale of a suitor preparing to propose marriage but wanting assurance that this would be a lifelong commitment:
When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.
If I’d been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.
You’ll be older too,
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.
I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride,
Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.
Every summer we can rent a cottage,
In the Isle of Wight, if it’s not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck & Dave
Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.
* Copyright Apple Music Ltd.
Paul’s marriage to Linda Eastman lasted 29 years until her death in 1998. He later married animal rights activist Heather Mills in 2002 but they announced their separation on May 17th, 2006 one month before Paul’s 64th birthday.
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 18th, 2006 at 4:04 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
