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| == Live versions == | == Live versions == | ||
| During the band's first British tour in 1964, they performed this song as well as "I Get Around" on their first television appearance in Britain on Ready Steady Go.<ref name="ReadySteadyGoperformance"></ref> However, the song was scarcely performed live by the band. | During the band's first British tour in 1964, they performed this song as well as "I Get Around" on their first television appearance in Britain on Ready Steady Go.<ref name="ReadySteadyGoperformance"></ref> However, the song was scarcely performed live by the band. | ||
| == Pop Culture References == | |||
| *The song is used during the opening credits of American comedy-drama ] | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 23:22, 30 December 2009
| "When I Grow Up" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American pop band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1965 album The Beach Boys Today! and as a single the previous year hit number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number seven in Cash Box. It spent two weeks at number one in Canada's national RPM chart. The B-side of the single was "She Knows Me Too Well" and stopped one place under the Hot 100.
The lead vocal is shared by Brian Wilson and Mike Love.
Composition
In November 1969, the Wilson's father Murry Wilson, sold the copyrights to the band's songs to Irving Almo for approximately $700,000. Many years later in April 1992, just after Brian Wilson had won a lawsuit which recovered many of the copyrights to his songs, Mike Love filed a lawsuit against Brian Wilson claiming that he had not been given credit, and therefore hadn't received royalties, on over thirty of the band's songs, many of them hit singles. One of these songs was "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)". The song was originally credited solely to Brian Wilson but Mike Love claimed that he had a hand in writing the lyrics. Mike Love won the lawsuit and the song-writing credit was amended, therefore ensuring future royalties on all of the songs that he had claimed he had a hand in writing.
Recording
The song was recorded over two sessions in 1964 at Western Recorders. The instrumental track was most likely recorded on August 5 with the vocals being overdubbed five days later on August 10. The instrumental track, arranged by Brian Wilson, features Carl Wilson on lead and rhythm guitars; Al Jardine on electric bass guitars; Brian Wilson on acoustic piano & harpsichord; Carrol Lewis on harmonica and Dennis Wilson on drums. The song features both Mike Love and Brian Wilson on the lead vocals with backing vocals by Brian, Carl & Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine.
Album and alternate releases
The song was first released on an album in 1965 on the band's The Beach Boys Today! album. A binaural mix of the song was released on the 1993 box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys. This mix featured the instrumental recording on one channel and the vocal recording on the other channel allowing the listener to hear the complexity of both the instrumental and vocal track.
Live versions
During the band's first British tour in 1964, they performed this song as well as "I Get Around" on their first television appearance in Britain on Ready Steady Go. However, the song was scarcely performed live by the band.
Pop Culture References
- The song is used during the opening credits of American comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age
References
See also
External links
- "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" review at Allmusic
