Paul McCartney, 82, is a colossal figure in the annals of popular music. With the Beatles - and especially John Lennon - he was part of one of the greatest songwriting duos in music history. I like to think of them as the George and Ira Gershwin of rock and roll. His contribution to contemporary culture is so impactful that it can hardly be quantified. But even a genius like McCartney can make a mistake. This "oops" seems minor, yet it clearly resonated with him.
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The Song 'When I'm Sixty-Four' Has What Paul McCartney Considered A Goof
The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is arguably among their most legendary creative achievements. Released in 1967 at the height of what was a psychedelic era of change and turmoil, the album has a song titled "When I'm Sixty-Four." Per Showbiz Cheat Sheet, "McCartney wrote the song 'When I'm Sixty-Four' before The Beatles formed. When looking back at the lyrics, he thinks a marginally older age would have been a better fit."
In 2006, the former Beatle said, according to Showbiz Cheat Sheet via the Los Angeles Times, "It was really an arbitrary number when I wrote the song. I probably should have called it 'When I'm 65,' which is the retirement age in England. And the rhyme would have been easy, 'something, something alive when I'm 65.'"
Alas, the road not taken, Paul! It's still a marvelous song just the same.
He Found That It Wasn't Easy To Settle On An Age In The Song That Would Satisfy Everyone
McCartney said that he was talking to someone who had his own ideas about what age should be highlighted in the song. "I met someone who plays piano in an old persons' home, and he said, 'I hope you don't mind, but I play some of your songs, and the most popular one is 'When I'm Sixty-four,' but I have to change the title to 'When I'm 84' because 64 seems young to those people. They don't get it.'"
McCartney good-naturedly joshed, "If I were to write it now, I'd probably call it 'When I'm 94.'"
