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"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)"
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album The Beach Boys Today!
B-side	"She Knows Me Too Well"
Released	August 24, 1964
Recorded	August 5–10, 1964
Studio	Western, Hollywood
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:01
Label	Capitol
Composer(s)	Brian Wilson
Lyricist(s)	Brian Wilson Mike Love
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"I Get Around" (1964) "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" (1964) "Dance, Dance, Dance" (1964)
Music video
"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" on YouTube
Audio sample
File:When I Grow Up (To Be a Man).ogg file help

"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" (titled simply "When I Grow Up" on The Beach Boys Today! album cover) is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, The song was first issued as the follow-up single to the Beach Boys' first number-one single "I Get Around" on August 24, 1964, paired with the B-side "She Knows Me Too Well". The following year, it was issued as a track on the band's 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!.

"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" marked a significant departure from previous Beach Boys hits, as it's lyrics describe a boy who is anxious of when he stops being a teenager, pondering such questions as "Will I love my wife for the rest of my life?" It is one of the first rock songs that discussed impending adulthood and is possibly the earliest US top 40 song to contain the expression "turn on" (from the lyric "Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid?").

Upon it's release as a single, "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" peaked at number 9 in the US, number 27 in the UK, number 39 in Australia, and number 1 in Canada. Retrospectively, the song has been acclaimed for it's musical sophistication, jazz influence, and unique arrangement and musical structure. Additionally, it has been characterized as a transitionary song for the group.

Background

The Beach Boys' previous single "I Get Around" became the first number-one single by the group in the United States. Additionally, it was America's first number-one hit by a homeland group since November 1963, following the chart dominance of British acts such as the Beatles.

According to author James Perone, "I Get Around" represented both a successful response by Wilson to the British Invasion, and the beginning of an unofficial rivalry between him and the Beatles, principally Paul McCartney. Lambert concurred, "As 'I Get Around' rose to the top of the charts ... the Beatles surely recognized that they had a formidable rival." In the UK, the single was released in June 1964 and became the band's first UK hit to breach the top ten, reaching number 7 on the Record Retailer chart

From June to August, the group toured in support of their newest LP, All Summer Long, which had marked the most complex arrangements on a Beach Boys record to date, as well as being the first that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing. They also readied a Christmas album for release in November.

"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by both him and his cousin and frequent writing partner Mike Love. Around this time in the band's history, both Wilson and Love, the co-writers of "When I Grow Up" expressed dissatisfaction with the band's direction, and reliance on themes of surfing. In an interview with Melody Maker, Mike Love said that he and the band wished to move on from surf music and avoid resting on the band's laurels. Similarly, Wilson replied angrily when asked how he felt about originating the surfing sound: "We don't play surfing music. We're tired of being labelled as the originators of the surfing sound. We just produce a sound that teens dig, and that can be applied to any theme. The surfing theme has run its course. Cars are finished now, too. And even Hondas are over. We're just gonna stay on the life of a social teenager."

Lyrics

There appear to be several sources of inspiration for the lyrics of "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)". At the time, Brian told the Birmingham Post, "When I was younger, I used to worry about turning into an old square over the years. I don't think I will now, and that is what inspired 'When I Grow Up'." In a 2011 interview, he commented that when he wrote the song, he had a dismal view of his future. In his 2016 memoir, Love wrote that the song was "probably influenced" by Murry Wilson, who constantly challenged Brian's manhood. Wilson later revisited the topic of manhood in 1966, for the Smile song "Child Is Father of the Man".

It is one of the first rock songs to discuss impending adulthood The lyrics of "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" describe a boy who is anxious of when he stops being a teenager. To this effect, the narrator poses such question as "Will I love my wife for the rest of my life?" That line in particular marked the first instance of a Beach Boys song discussing falling out of love with someone, as opposed to just being in or out of a relationship. Academic Jody O'Regan interpreted the line as Wilson admitting that he had doubts about his marriage. Critic Richard Meltzer later cited "When I Grow Up" as the moment when the Beach Boys "abruptly ceased to be boys". In the book Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop, Bob Stanley remarked of the lyrics that Brian wrote for the Today! album, "Brian was aiming for Johnny Mercer but coming up proto-indie." In an article for PopMatters, Journalist Alice Bolin commented on the song's unique lyrical approach, saying “When I Grow Up to Be a Man” is about envisioning the past. It was written by a 23-year-old who imagined a 13-year-old imagining what it was like to be 23."

"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) is possibly the earliest US top 40 song to contain the expression "turn on" (from the lyric "will I still like the things that turned me on as a kid?"). This expression would later become emblematic of the late 1960s counterculture movement, particularly as part of the phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out", popularized by Timothy Leary.

Composition

"When I Grow Up" features multiple key changes, a hook based on a dissonant, functionally ambiguous chord, tempo stretches, and a long pause as a climax. Music historian Charles Granata wrote that the song "best exemplifies the musical growth" through its "effective combination of odd sounds" and its "full and round" vocal harmonies.

O'Regan brought special attention to the drum pattern for avoiding a traditional backbeat rhythm common to rock and roll songs of this era. Instead, it "effectively plays 'around' the vocals with interesting fills adding texture and drama to the passing of time in the lyrics. Each part of the drum kit works independently from each other, horizontally as four separate parts, rather than a whole set working together." A notable element of the song's composition is its use of Jazz harmony. It is one of many songs on The Beach Boys Today! to prominently feature jazz chords, with other examples including "Kiss Me, Baby", and "Please Let Me Wonder".

Recording

The track was recorded over two sessions in 1964 at Western Studio. The instrumental track was most likely recorded on August 5 with the vocals being overdubbed on August 10. With the exception of the harmonica in the verses, all the instruments were played by the group members themselves. It took 37 takes to record. Wilson later expressed disappointment with his vocal, saying that the group were trying to sound like the Four Freshmen, but his voice was too "whiney".

Release

On August 24, 1964, "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" was issued as a single, backed with "She Knows Me Too Well", and peaked at number 9 in the US Upon its release, Cash Box described it as being in "jumpin' rhythmic manner that has made such big teen favorites." It also spent two weeks at number one in Canada's national RPM chart.

In the UK, the single was issued on October 23. During the band's first British tour in November 1964, they performed this song for their first television appearances in Britain, on Discs a Go Go, The Beat Room, Top Gear, and Ready Steady Go!. Ultimately, the single peaked at number 27 in the UK.

Personnel

Surviving sessions audio and AFM musician contracts sheets, documented by Craig Slowinski have enabled this personnel list to be compiled.

The Beach Boys

• Al Jardine – electric bass guitar, harmony and background vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals, harmony and background vocals
• Brian Wilson – acoustic upright piano, Baldwin electric harpsichord, lead vocals, harmony and background vocals
• Carl Wilson – electric lead and rhythm guitars, harmony and background vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, hi-hat, harmony and background vocals

Session musician

• Carrol Lewis – double-reed harmonica

Charts

References

Citations

1. ^ Slowinski, Craig (2007). "The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!" (PDF). Retrieved October 27, 2012.
2. Badman 2004, p. 59.
3. Perone 2015, pp. 42, 47. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPerone2015 (help)
4. Lambert 2007, p. 150. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLambert2007 (help)
5. Badman 2004, pp. 55, 57.
6. Dillon 2012, p. 38. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDillon2012 (help)
7. Badman 2004, pp. 57–59.
8. Badman 2004, pp. 57–59, 72.
9. Welch, C (November 14, 1964). "Beach Boys Brought their own vegetables — so audiences beware!". Melody Maker. p. 10.
10. Badman 2004, p. 71.
11. ^ Badman 2004, p. 63.
12. ^ Interrante, Scott (April 28, 2014). "When I Grow Up: The Beach Boys - "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)"". PopMatters.
13. Prince, Patrick (March 2, 2011). "Brian Wilson gives a brief summary of his hit songs". Goldmine Mag.
14. Love 2016, p. 91.
15. Priore, Domenic (2005). Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece. London: Sanctuary. ISBN 1860746276.
16. O'Regan 2014, pp. 115, 215, 252.
17. ^ O'Regan 2014, p. 252.
18. O'Regan 2014, p. 253.
19. Stanley 2013, pp. 219–220. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStanley2013 (help)
20. Bolin, Alice (July 8, 2012). "The Beach Boys Are Still Looking at an Impossible Future". PopMatters.
21. Lambert 2016, p. 128.
22. "Transcript". American Experience documentary on the Summer of Love. PBS and WGBH. 2007-03-14.
23. Granata 2003, pp. 63–64.
24. O'Regan 2014, p. 131.
25. Lambert 2016, p. 68.
26. Benci, Jacopo (January 1995). "Brian Wilson interview". Record Collector (185). UK.
27. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
28. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
29. ^ Badman 2004, p. 67.
30. Badman 2004, pp. 71–72.
31. Badman 2004, pp. 63, 66.
32. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 17, 1964

Bibliography

• Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6.
• Granata, Charles L. (2003). Wouldn't it Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-507-0.
• Lambert, Phillip, ed. (2016). Good Vibrations: Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in Critical Perspective. University of Michigan Press. doi:10.3998/mpub.9275965. ISBN 978-0-472-11995-0.
• Love, Mike (2016). Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-698-40886-9.
• O'Regan, Jody (2014). When I Grow Up: The Development of the Beach Boys' Sound (1962-1966) (PDF) (Thesis). Queensland Conservatorium. doi:10.25904/1912/2556.

External links

• When I Grow Up at AllMusic
• When I Grow Up (A Cappella) on YouTube

• Songs about teenagers
• 1964 singles
• The Beach Boys songs
• Songs written by Brian Wilson
• Songs written by Mike Love
• RPM Top Singles number-one singles
• Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson
• Capitol Records singles
• 1964 songs