Great reaction Amy, and great background info Vlad. One of my favorite Oom-pah type songs and one of my favorite takes on the music-hall style. Both Queen and the Beatles have their takes on this style, or Vaudeville as we tend to call it in the US. And your Frank Sinatra style observation applies to some of Frank's more fun, less crooner style songs. As you said, it has so many little moments that make it very special. I also love the humorous, tongue-in-cheek take on this. The only thing it needed to have the full classic WW2 era movie vibe, would be to have had Hoagy Carmichael playing the piano. Also, good timing, since this song still applies directly to me for the next few days, and then I will no longer be 64.
Yeah, direct references to the wartime experience would have been largely avoided and considered inappropriate. It's easy to forget that The Beatles started only 15 years after the the Second World Wars end-a time when many people were still in a mindset of trying to "forget it ever happened." The UK took a significant amount of time to move past the impact of the War. It was a subject that was rarely, if ever, openly discussed. Your grandparents, speaking about this national trauma required gentle encouragement, as the cost of the war had been so immense to everyone.
@@yinoveryang4246 Yeah, my parents were part of the WW2 era, with my dad serving as a guard in a pow camp here in the US, and my grandmother's brother being killed at Normandy. But as traumatic as the war was for the US, including many deaths, it was nothing on the scale of what those in the UK and Europe suffered.
Amy said “the beauty in the ordinary” which is the spiritual aspect of this song. She spoke about all the aspects of this song, the proposal, the humor and romance and it’s simple but very clever turns. When I’m Sixty Four is a sleeper in their catalog, it veils its brilliance in a Vaudeville cloak.
I love how Paul had the audacity to include this jazzy number on a psychedelic- like album. The song also presents to young people that getting "old" could be quite charming.
Your timing is impeccable. I was singing this at breakfast this morning - I'm 65 tomorrow so my last day of being 64. If Paul was 16 when he wrote this, it was the mid 60's, WWII was a distinct memory, at least for the generation older than Paul - times had improved a lot during his lifetime but not to the point of holidaying abroad, at least for regular folk. I have always thought of this song as a mix of respect for older generations as well as hope for a simple, peaceful old age which had eluded many of the immediate past generations due to the wars. It is optimistic. There being grandchildren leaves out the obvious child(ren) that he hopes they will have - Is he also foretelling the increased influence of Americanisms on British English having a grandchild called Chuck - definitely not a name or nickname used in England even today, or perhaps it just fitted the melody.
Again, a thoroughly wonderful review, Amy. Your enjoyment came across as virtually giddy! And you really highlighted the subtle genius of the arrangement. A salute to Sir George Martin; the Beatles had the genius to compose, and this song demonstrates the brilliance of Sir George's ability to fully realize the song through an arrangement that is itself a work of art. The level of collaborative genius between artist and producer has left me astonished for the past six decades. I really, really enjoyed watching this part of your journey.
Love the Spencer Tracy comparison :). I've always thought of this as a 1920's - 1930's jazz type show tune, but never put a face to it, and Spencer Tracy seems to fit perfectly. Like I said, never thought of it that way before, but now that you've said it, makes perfect sense to me! Peace
The funny thing to me is how much this song describes the relationship he was to have with his wife, Linda even though they never really had to scrimp and save.
I very much loved that you had the association to black & white movies, in particular with Spencer Tracy and Kathrin Hepburn 👌😊 Again a surprising and so catching association. It's always a pleasure to hear those inspired ideas 😃👍🏻
I find it interesting that Paul, who clearly had a close relationship with his father ( and whose mother died when he was young) , happily drew on musical forms of previous generations. Whereas John, who was abandoned by his father (and had an unstable and confusing relationship with his mother) was often sarcastically dismissive of this strand of Paul's sensibilities.
Paul’s dad would let him and John play and compose in the goose’s bathroom (better acoustics) while John’s aunt wasn’t too thrilled at how he was “wasting” his talents.
@@gregoryeatroff8608all of them would have heard Disney songs as they were growing up. "All Together Now," which I have always loved but which it appears most people disdain, could, with some judicious editing of the lyrics ( "...can I take my friend to bed?" ) have been a Disney song.
Paul said his relationship with John was like ying and yang. They complemented each other in so many ways. I too, find it very fascinating. Of course had John lived longer his opinion might have matured a little but at any rate, I disagree with John’s criticism on Paul’s so called granny music. They are such beautiful compositions and an important flavor of the Beatles music!
After this one, people (including John) criticized Paul for writing "granny music", but it was a trend at the time and the Kinks, Procol Harum, and others also went this nostalgic route.
@@garycameron8167that’s true, but let’s not forget that Paul already had the basics for the song back when he was just 16; his “granny music” wasn’t just following a trend, but genuinely out his musical background (dad, mom, grannies, aunties…).
The Kinks in particular. And the following year they did their incredible album Village Green which is its own thing but at the same time had some inspiration from Sgt Pepper.
Not to be jerky, but the song is entitled, "Sunny Afternoon." It's the most "music hall" song to come out of any of the 1960s English groups. Mike McCartney congratulated Dave Davies on it and said wistfully, "My brother could have written that song," to which Dave replied, "Well, my brother DID write it!" I've read that The Beatles were rather intimidated by The Kinks, and thought that if they had any serious musical challenges in Britain, they were coming from The Kinks, not from The Rolling Stones.
Hi Amy. "When I'm 64" makes me think of Bertie Wooster and the musical songs of Wodehouse such as "Til the Clouds Roll By" or "In our Little Paradise" and other musical songs of that era such as "Spread a Little Happiness (As you go By)" more than of Tracy and Hepburn - I think it belongs more to the 1920s than the mid-l;ate 1930s. Objectively "When I''m 64" was an amazing inclusion on an album like Pepper. However, the Beatles later work was marked by ever sharper contrasts and variety - probably because by 1967 they had a sense of being a juggernaut that nothing could stop. They felt able to indulge themselves in doing different styles, in a way that few other artists felt secure enough to do and of course having George Martin with his musical and production skills on their team meant they had the means to realise whatever ideas they chose to go with. In doing that, they made it okay for pop artists to put out albums which strayed far from the four-guys-three-guitars-one-drum-kit sound/format, which had largely dominated pop music since the early 1960s. In breaking free from those constraints and remaining at the top of the tree, they modified the bounds and trajectory of mainstream pop music in a way that only a few others have managed, before or since. Although the "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" albums undoubtedly began that process, Pepper was the Beatles moment of major commitment to opening the flood gates of change in pop.
This song is an example of why Paul is my favorite Beatle. He was willing to take some ribbing from his bandmates and go ahead and write songs like this. These kinds of songs were great for family get togethers back in the day, and the parents and grandparents are familiar with this type of a song, and it can be part of a sing-along with other standards, someone playing the piano or organ. It keeps the relatives from spending too much time talking about politics and such. Paul's a peacemaker.
Yay, more Beatles! This album is truly a masterpiece in so many ways, the first vinyl album I bought when I was like 10 years old and I credit so much of my musical curiosity and understanding from this album alone, even if I really didn't really grasp the magnitude of the music theory much less the production techniques and quality; it changed the world of late 20th century music and composition. I love The Beatles!
There are parts of this song, particularly in what the clarinets are doing in the minor key "every summer we can rent a cottage" section, that really remind me of Yiddish music.
I assume George Martin did all the orchestration for the majority of this song. His influence on songs like this should have earned him a writer's credit. He truly was "the fifth Beatle".
Songs like When I'm Sixty-Four, You're Mother Should Know and Honey Pie were referred to by John Lennon as Paul's granny music. Paul also did a couple of similar styles during his solo years.
And yet John nailed a great Django Rhinehart type guitar solo for Honey Pie on the first take. He also supplied the great barrel-house piano intro on Obladi, another song he denounced as 'granny music.'
This was very popular for school music lessons back in the depths of the 1980s when I was in school (UK). Most of the parts are quite easy to learn. Plenty of opportunity for kids playing the clarinet, piano or whatever to play together. Although back then it was a bit unfashionable, it felt like our parents' era, it was "proper" music that most people knew and appreciated.
Back at the start of the 80s I think my class played along to or sang Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag, also very old timey. I also think relatively simple lyrics like these (Yesterday falls into this) have likely been used abroad for English language learners too.
Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles, etc) wrote a wonderful pastiche of this song, "Back in '64." Instead of a young man looking ahead to the golden years, it was about a grandfather reminiscing about being young and wild back in 1964.
I recently turned 65 & started collecting SS & Medicare health insurance. I first listened to the first Beatles album at 4 years old. My mind is pretty blown realizing how much time has passed, in such a "short time." 😫😕 So this reaction & analysis of this song by Amy only reinforces my feelings...but nonetheless, it was wonderful reminiscing about the brilliance of Paul McCartney & The Beatles. 💕😊
As she was playing that descend on the harp it reminded me of Ennio Morricone's score for "Once Upon A Time In The West" which was released one year after Sgt. Pepper.
As great as McCartney was in the Beatles, his solo career was also outstanding. His work with his band Wings in the 1970's is worth a look. In particular, their live album "Wings Over America", is a great listen.
@@wildwillie5408 "Venus and Mars" is a favorite of mine as well. "Love in Song" is a deep cut that I enjoy, along with "Magneto and Titanium Man", "Letting Go", and "Call Me Back Again".
I'm gen x I never struggled to see where this song was coming from, it's just common-sense. we shall scrimp and save is a nod to the rationing done by pauls parents during the war years. first though was this is like coronation street the uk tv programme that only old people watched since it was so boring and grey literally. But at school in the 80's kids were taught beatles songs on friday afternoons as an end of the week last 2 hour singing assembly I loved it. I am in N.Z not the U.K . the Beatles was an institution, but by many it wasn't a chore we enjoyed it.
I seem to recall John being quoted as saying the “we shall scrimp and save” was something he out in, as it’s the sort of thing his Aunt Mimi would say. Similarly, there are refrains in “She’s Leaving Home” John contributed (example “what did we do that was wrong?”) based on his family.
In 1967 the Beatles had no need to scrimp, but they'd all been through times when they had to watch every shilling. Paul and Ringo worked factory jobs, George was an electrician's apprentice in a department store, John worked in the cafeteria of the Liverpool airport (the airport is now named after him) making sandwiches. They knew what being working class was like, even if they'd managed to break free of that.
I always felt the music was darker around the “scrimp and save” part, like there is something insidious about the need to scrimp and save when paired with it, but really the darker music may be more about the deeper sentiment of an ever approaching death with the passage of time (working and scrimping and saving takes time). And that darkness adds contrast to the lighter parts, with a perfect contrast right after with the “grandchildren”, i.e. life/death.
Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues is a fantastic rock/classical concept album released later in 1967; the first album side is especially magical, although many people know DoFP for its hit "Nights in White Satin". Another rock/classical gem is the spectacular Music in Colors (Stephen Duffy w/ Nigel Kennedy); Spirit of Eden (Talk Talk) and Ting (The Nits) are brilliant too.
I don't quite buy into the story that Paul only had the melody for this until they were doing Pepper. There's a couple of John interviews where he refers to he and Paul 'finishing' the lyrics to this early Paul song. Paul also used to do it at the piano when the electrics blew out at the Cavern, which they often did. I'm sure it wasn't just an instrumental. There's also the three reels of 'Fortlin Road Tapes' they recorded at Paul's house in 1960. Two are in the public domain (with a sample on Antholgy 1), the third is held by Paul. That's rumoured to include an early version of this song. I think it's likely he had the title and a few lines from early on.
Paul had dabbled in this kind of music hall nostalgia before, but this is the first time he went all in (even pushing a midland/northern accent in places), just like George was finally off the leash when it came to the Indian influences in his songwriting. But McCartney was a singularly important trend-setter when it came to the nostalgic swerve in pop music around 1966 and 1967. Many bands were even dressing up as 20's gangsters right before the psychedelic and flower power look kicked in. It was part of his songwriting repertoire that never left, as seen in some of his solo material post-Beatles. The problem in terms of the Beatles was that John and George outright disliked it, calling it 'granny music'.
One of Paul's three English music hall songs, the other two being "Your Mother Should Know" and "Honey Pie." "Good Day, Sunshine" comes very close to that style, but he couldn't come up with a second part suitable for the first.
AMY!!!! One thing Vlad MUST DO - is himself look up all the songs referenced in the movie "Across the Universe". Then have you hear the songs thoroughly - THEN, and ONLY THEN let you see that WONDERFUL Beatles movie!! You will LOVE IT with the right prep!!!! Vlad - Go For IT!!!
If you really want to challenge your musical pallet you should give NF a try. His subject matter is very moving, relatable, and overall REAL. He uses a lot of orchestral instruments in his music and his music videos are riddled with Easter eggs and symbolism. I learned a lot about myself thru his music and I feel everyone should experience NF. I hope you see this but even if not, hope you’re blessed ❤
George Martin’s masterful fingerprints are all over the arrangement of the clarinet. Paul had the tune, Martin was an alchemist who could facilitate it. As for the style, which is reminding you of Spencer Tracer, 1920s and 1930s music would have been what Paul’s dad played around the house. It has a lot of the English music hall (vaudeville) in it.
I love Amy's ambivalence with clarinets. I know a few professional musicians who have a problem with their sound. Having started out playing the instrument, I find this rather amusing. If you play a clarinet you need to have a sense of humor.
As a classical musician, do yourself a favour and review Jason Becker Perpetual Burn album. Start with Air and then move to the more metal sounding tracks. Interested to get your thoughts.
Before dating apps and the internet you could place a personal ad in the Lonely Hearts section of your local paper or even in a Lonely Hearts magazine. And that's what this is. Rather than Frank Sinatra I am reminded of Al Bowley, Britain in the 1950s and the BBC Light programme. All with traces of The Kinks, Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Don't look too deeply into the lyrics. Just enjoy.
Not sure why everyone insists that listening to the whole album in one go is necessary. Other than a couple songs that run into each other, the album as a whole is pretty unrelated to the Sgt Pepper theme.
The Sgt. Pepper’s theme announces an imaginary band at an imaginary show (as the outro theme bookends said show); the songs that follow are supposed to be the ones played by that band at that show. The song themselves can be as thematically dissimilar as they actually are, but it does makes sense, while not strictly necessary, to listen to the whole album in one go, since it is its proposition.
@@dago87able That's my point. Every song can be listened to individually (except Sgt Pepper 1&2) and not miss a thing. Could have even added or substituted Walrus or Penny Lane and the album would have been the same.
This fits into the lonely hearts side of the album too. This is looked at from various sides on the album, so yes someone is in a relationship but they have doubts about the future.
@@ForbiddTV well, that’s the beauty of it, I think; it was intended to be experienced as one live show, a live concert, meaning sitting through the whole album, while every song also being able to stand by its own separately. Certainly not that each song cannot be listened separately in it’s own right, but it does makes sense to listen to them all in one go, as they were INTENDED to by their creators. It’s not for naught that THIS is the game changing album, giving birth to the notion of concept albums; you’re not listening to a MERE collection of songs, but rather living an experience of several songs carefully chosen to be in a certain specific order. You’re right, it’s not strictly necessary, but the artistic project is kindly asking you to experience it ALL of it on one go. joebloggs adds an interesting perspective too. Notable predecessors being Pet Sounds and Freak Out, of course.
The Beatles did want to make a real concept album but had an obligation to deliver a minimum amount of material to their record label, and simply didn’t have time to flesh out John’s ambitious concept. So instead they tacked on a faux-concept (Pepper) that could give any group of songs the illusion of cohesion. This is why they collectively disliked the album, it was a disappointment compared to what they originally set out to create.
Given the amount of attention you paid to how the "we shall scrimp and save" line was handled, and the fact that you're always so perceptive in your interpretation of these songs, I was hoping you might recognise how the way that this line is melismatically drawn out echoes the couple making their meagre funds go further. At least, that's how I've always seen it.
That clarinet is not out of tune Amy, it’s just a slide from one note to another, similar to what the clarinet in the famous Rhapsody in Blue theme does.
Yeah, Paul was the cute Beatle in more ways than one. Some of his songs were cute too - sometimes far too cute. This one, however, hits the spot. Not too cute, but cute enough.
I think at this point of the Beatles exploration it would be better to focus more on the technical side rather than the writing - they're not Bob Dylan, and their interview (especially Paul's today) rarely speak the truth. For instance, for this song, there's the whole Varispeed process involved to make Paul's voice to sound younger. Those things are now more important than lyric's inspiration. They made the song be THE song
When a classical musician analysis anything from pop music, it is always: It is simple. Sometimes it feels like reason for giving this simple answer is that they dont really undestand music.simple.
Sincere sentiments, but expressed in the form of a parody of the very modest lower-middle class dreams Paul was raised with and by this point had left far behind.
The "sarcastic" tone of the background vocals, are, in my opinion, simply John Lennon who didn't like singing this part. He didn't like "Paul's granny music". I hear the same thing in She's Leaving Home.
John made a fantastic job in the backing vocals of She's leaving home. It is as if we could feel the parents' pain. It is simply perfect and could not have be done another way.
@@AdDewaard-hu3xk I know very well that it's a reaction piece, but it would do the piece a favour to concntrate the reactions to fewer interruptions as too many takes the focus away from the music and orchestration. Now the focus lands on the commentator. And to make a reaction on a 2:51 long piece of music go for 45 minutes is really excess!
Great reaction Amy, and great background info Vlad. One of my favorite Oom-pah type songs and one of my favorite takes on the music-hall style. Both Queen and the Beatles have their takes on this style, or Vaudeville as we tend to call it in the US. And your Frank Sinatra style observation applies to some of Frank's more fun, less crooner style songs. As you said, it has so many little moments that make it very special. I also love the humorous, tongue-in-cheek take on this. The only thing it needed to have the full classic WW2 era movie vibe, would be to have had Hoagy Carmichael playing the piano. Also, good timing, since this song still applies directly to me for the next few days, and then I will no longer be 64.
Yeah, direct references to the wartime experience would have been largely avoided and considered inappropriate. It's easy to forget that The Beatles started only 15 years after the the Second World Wars end-a time when many people were still in a mindset of trying to "forget it ever happened." The UK took a significant amount of time to move past the impact of the War. It was a subject that was rarely, if ever, openly discussed. Your grandparents, speaking about this national trauma required gentle encouragement, as the cost of the war had been so immense to everyone.
@@yinoveryang4246 Yeah, my parents were part of the WW2 era, with my dad serving as a guard in a pow camp here in the US, and my grandmother's brother being killed at Normandy. But as traumatic as the war was for the US, including many deaths, it was nothing on the scale of what those in the UK and Europe suffered.
Oom-pah, huh? Another favorite of mine is Mrs. Vanderbilt. McCartney again!
This isn’t evokes tap dancing for some reason.
Amy said “the beauty in the ordinary” which is the spiritual aspect of this song. She spoke about all the aspects of this song, the proposal, the humor and romance and it’s simple but very clever turns. When I’m Sixty Four is a sleeper in their catalog, it veils its brilliance in a Vaudeville cloak.
Been thinking about this song lately, as tomorrow is my 64th birthday
Turned 64 last week 😊
Happy birthday to you both! 🎈
Congrats to both! I played it for my dad when he turned 64; must have happened thousands (millions…?) of times.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to both of you!
I love how Paul had the audacity to include this jazzy number on a psychedelic- like album. The song also presents to young people that getting "old" could be quite charming.
What an absolutely adorable reaction to this tune which I have always admired but neglected to fully appreciate. Bravo!
Your timing is impeccable. I was singing this at breakfast this morning - I'm 65 tomorrow so my last day of being 64.
If Paul was 16 when he wrote this, it was the mid 60's, WWII was a distinct memory, at least for the generation older than Paul - times had improved a lot during his lifetime but not to the point of holidaying abroad, at least for regular folk. I have always thought of this song as a mix of respect for older generations as well as hope for a simple, peaceful old age which had eluded many of the immediate past generations due to the wars. It is optimistic.
There being grandchildren leaves out the obvious child(ren) that he hopes they will have - Is he also foretelling the increased influence of Americanisms on British English having a grandchild called Chuck - definitely not a name or nickname used in England even today, or perhaps it just fitted the melody.
I'll be 64 in the not-to-distant future, and this song will definitely be on my birthday playlist! ❤😂
I knew a clarinet player who could play rock and roll “guitar solos” on that thing like crazy. I’m enjoying this video very much thanks Virgin Rock
Again, a thoroughly wonderful review, Amy. Your enjoyment came across as virtually giddy! And you really highlighted the subtle genius of the arrangement. A salute to Sir George Martin; the Beatles had the genius to compose, and this song demonstrates the brilliance of Sir George's ability to fully realize the song through an arrangement that is itself a work of art. The level of collaborative genius between artist and producer has left me astonished for the past six decades. I really, really enjoyed watching this part of your journey.
Love the Spencer Tracy comparison :). I've always thought of this as a 1920's - 1930's jazz type show tune, but never put a face to it, and Spencer Tracy seems to fit perfectly. Like I said, never thought of it that way before, but now that you've said it, makes perfect sense to me!
Peace
The funny thing to me is how much this song describes the relationship he was to have with his wife, Linda even though they never really had to scrimp and save.
I very much loved that you had the association to black & white movies, in particular with Spencer Tracy and Kathrin Hepburn 👌😊 Again a surprising and so catching association. It's always a pleasure to hear those inspired ideas 😃👍🏻
I find it interesting that Paul, who clearly had a close relationship with his father ( and whose mother died when he was young) , happily drew on musical forms of previous generations. Whereas John, who was abandoned by his father (and had an unstable and confusing relationship with his mother) was often sarcastically dismissive of this strand of Paul's sensibilities.
Paul’s dad would let him and John play and compose in the goose’s bathroom (better acoustics) while John’s aunt wasn’t too thrilled at how he was “wasting” his talents.
And yet John was also quite open about drawing influences from old Bing Crosby songs and Disney musicals.
@@gregoryeatroff8608all of them would have heard Disney songs as they were growing up. "All Together Now," which I have always loved but which it appears most people disdain, could, with some judicious editing of the lyrics ( "...can I take my friend to bed?" ) have been a Disney song.
Paul said his relationship with John was like ying and yang. They complemented each other in so many ways. I too, find it very fascinating. Of course had John lived longer his opinion might have matured a little but at any rate, I disagree with John’s criticism on Paul’s so called granny music. They are such beautiful compositions and an important flavor of the Beatles music!
@yutopia7, indeed, they are! ( And as if Lennon didn't have his share of dogs, such as "Everybody's Got Something to Hide 'Cept Me and My Monkey." )
and they sped up the voice to make appear an even higher voice than usual. This is one of my favourite beatles songs, so paul so right. so funny. 🎻
This has the same vibes as ‘Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon’.
Such a classic number by Sir Paul.
After this one, people (including John) criticized Paul for writing "granny music", but it was a trend at the time and the Kinks, Procol Harum, and others also went this nostalgic route.
@@garycameron8167that’s true, but let’s not forget that Paul already had the basics for the song back when he was just 16; his “granny music” wasn’t just following a trend, but genuinely out his musical background (dad, mom, grannies, aunties…).
The Kinks in particular. And the following year they did their incredible album Village Green which is its own thing but at the same time had some inspiration from Sgt Pepper.
Not to be jerky, but the song is entitled, "Sunny Afternoon." It's the most "music hall" song to come out of any of the 1960s English groups. Mike McCartney congratulated Dave Davies on it and said wistfully, "My brother could have written that song," to which Dave replied, "Well, my brother DID write it!"
I've read that The Beatles were rather intimidated by The Kinks, and thought that if they had any serious musical challenges in Britain, they were coming from The Kinks, not from The Rolling Stones.
Thank you Amy, for sharing your reactions. I really enjoy them. Thums up!
@rascatripp. - "Thumbs"
Hi Amy. "When I'm 64" makes me think of Bertie Wooster and the musical songs of Wodehouse such as "Til the Clouds Roll By" or "In our Little Paradise" and other musical songs of that era such as "Spread a Little Happiness (As you go By)" more than of Tracy and Hepburn - I think it belongs more to the 1920s than the mid-l;ate 1930s.
Objectively "When I''m 64" was an amazing inclusion on an album like Pepper. However, the Beatles later work was marked by ever sharper contrasts and variety - probably because by 1967 they had a sense of being a juggernaut that nothing could stop. They felt able to indulge themselves in doing different styles, in a way that few other artists felt secure enough to do and of course having George Martin with his musical and production skills on their team meant they had the means to realise whatever ideas they chose to go with.
In doing that, they made it okay for pop artists to put out albums which strayed far from the four-guys-three-guitars-one-drum-kit sound/format, which had largely dominated pop music since the early 1960s. In breaking free from those constraints and remaining at the top of the tree, they modified the bounds and trajectory of mainstream pop music in a way that only a few others have managed, before or since. Although the "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" albums undoubtedly began that process, Pepper was the Beatles moment of major commitment to opening the flood gates of change in pop.
This song is an example of why Paul is my favorite Beatle. He was willing to take some ribbing from his bandmates and go ahead and write songs like this. These kinds of songs were great for family get togethers back in the day, and the parents and grandparents are familiar with this type of a song, and it can be part of a sing-along with other standards, someone playing the piano or organ. It keeps the relatives from spending too much time talking about politics and such. Paul's a peacemaker.
Well done Amy one of your best.
Yay, more Beatles! This album is truly a masterpiece in so many ways, the first vinyl album I bought when I was like 10 years old and I credit so much of my musical curiosity and understanding from this album alone, even if I really didn't really grasp the magnitude of the music theory much less the production techniques and quality; it changed the world of late 20th century music and composition. I love The Beatles!
Bottle of wine... Digging the weeds... Drop me a line... Sounds like a progression...
𝙐𝙋𝙒𝘼𝙍𝘿 𝙇𝙀𝙏'𝙏 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙐𝙎𝙎 𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙑𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙇𝙔
My Favorite Group and my Favorite Channel! Peace
This song always reminds me of my dad. He played clarinet in a band most of his life. He loved Jazz
❤ Awe ... I love When I'm 64 👌😀
I love when they hit the bells in this one.
There are parts of this song, particularly in what the clarinets are doing in the minor key "every summer we can rent a cottage" section, that really remind me of Yiddish music.
I assume George Martin did all the orchestration for the majority of this song. His influence on songs like this should have earned him a writer's credit. He truly was "the fifth Beatle".
Songs like When I'm Sixty-Four, You're Mother Should Know and Honey Pie were referred to by John Lennon as Paul's granny music. Paul also did a couple of similar styles during his solo years.
You Gave Me The Answer
And yet John nailed a great Django Rhinehart type guitar solo for Honey Pie on the first take. He also supplied the great barrel-house piano intro on Obladi, another song he denounced as 'granny music.'
This was very popular for school music lessons back in the depths of the 1980s when I was in school (UK). Most of the parts are quite easy to learn. Plenty of opportunity for kids playing the clarinet, piano or whatever to play together. Although back then it was a bit unfashionable, it felt like our parents' era, it was "proper" music that most people knew and appreciated.
Back at the start of the 80s I think my class played along to or sang Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag, also very old timey.
I also think relatively simple lyrics like these (Yesterday falls into this) have likely been used abroad for English language learners too.
Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles, etc) wrote a wonderful pastiche of this song, "Back in '64." Instead of a young man looking ahead to the golden years, it was about a grandfather reminiscing about being young and wild back in 1964.
GREAT video!
I recently turned 65 & started collecting SS & Medicare health insurance.
I first listened to the first Beatles album at 4 years old. My mind is pretty blown realizing how much time has passed, in such a "short time." 😫😕 So this reaction & analysis of this song by Amy only reinforces my feelings...but nonetheless, it was wonderful reminiscing about the brilliance of Paul McCartney & The Beatles. 💕😊
The bells are just such a perfect choice!!
As she was playing that descend on the harp it reminded me of Ennio Morricone's score for "Once Upon A Time In The West" which was released one year after Sgt. Pepper.
As great as McCartney was in the Beatles, his solo career was also outstanding. His work with his band Wings in the 1970's is worth a look. In particular, their live album "Wings Over America", is a great listen.
"Venus and Mars" studio album from the same time period is a great listen too, my fav wings studio album
@@wildwillie5408 "Venus and Mars" is a favorite of mine as well. "Love in Song" is a deep cut that I enjoy, along with "Magneto and Titanium Man", "Letting Go", and "Call Me Back Again".
The pause before the voice comes in gives the music hall artist time to do his last hat tip and a little skip 😊
I'm gen x I never struggled to see where this song was coming from, it's just common-sense. we shall scrimp and save is a nod to the rationing done by pauls parents during the war years. first though was this is like coronation street the uk tv programme that only old people watched since it was so boring and grey literally. But at school in the 80's kids were taught beatles songs on friday afternoons as an end of the week last 2 hour singing assembly I loved it. I am in N.Z not the U.K . the Beatles was an institution, but by many it wasn't a chore we enjoyed it.
I seem to recall John being quoted as saying the “we shall scrimp and save” was something he out in, as it’s the sort of thing his Aunt Mimi would say. Similarly, there are refrains in “She’s Leaving Home” John contributed (example “what did we do that was wrong?”) based on his family.
See my comment above. John suggested he contributed to the lyrics.
In 1967 the Beatles had no need to scrimp, but they'd all been through times when they had to watch every shilling. Paul and Ringo worked factory jobs, George was an electrician's apprentice in a department store, John worked in the cafeteria of the Liverpool airport (the airport is now named after him) making sandwiches. They knew what being working class was like, even if they'd managed to break free of that.
Who’d have thought: this was the song that holds the secret to life
This year, I'm 64. For many years, I thought about this age in terms of that Sgt. Pepper tune, and here I am...
I always felt the music was darker around the “scrimp and save” part, like there is something insidious about the need to scrimp and save when paired with it, but really the darker music may be more about the deeper sentiment of an ever approaching death with the passage of time (working and scrimping and saving takes time). And that darkness adds contrast to the lighter parts, with a perfect contrast right after with the “grandchildren”, i.e. life/death.
Spencer Tracy was unreal in Captains Courageous, among many other great performances.
Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues is a fantastic rock/classical concept album released later in 1967; the first album side is especially magical, although many people know DoFP for its hit "Nights in White Satin". Another rock/classical gem is the spectacular Music in Colors (Stephen Duffy w/ Nigel Kennedy); Spirit of Eden (Talk Talk) and Ting (The Nits) are brilliant too.
I don't quite buy into the story that Paul only had the melody for this until they were doing Pepper. There's a couple of John interviews where he refers to he and Paul 'finishing' the lyrics to this early Paul song. Paul also used to do it at the piano when the electrics blew out at the Cavern, which they often did. I'm sure it wasn't just an instrumental. There's also the three reels of 'Fortlin Road Tapes' they recorded at Paul's house in 1960. Two are in the public domain (with a sample on Antholgy 1), the third is held by Paul. That's rumoured to include an early version of this song. I think it's likely he had the title and a few lines from early on.
This song is a nod to novelty songs as performed in English music halls. Paul did this fairly regularly... Lovely Rita, Rocky Racoon... etc...
Paul had dabbled in this kind of music hall nostalgia before, but this is the first time he went all in (even pushing a midland/northern accent in places), just like George was finally off the leash when it came to the Indian influences in his songwriting. But McCartney was a singularly important trend-setter when it came to the nostalgic swerve in pop music around 1966 and 1967. Many bands were even dressing up as 20's gangsters right before the psychedelic and flower power look kicked in. It was part of his songwriting repertoire that never left, as seen in some of his solo material post-Beatles. The problem in terms of the Beatles was that John and George outright disliked it, calling it 'granny music'.
The Beatlemania phase was also nostalgic, a throwback to 50s American rock n roll
Geroge Martin arranged the instruments, yet he was a trained oboe player. The bass clarinet sound adds to the humor of the song.
One of Paul's three English music hall songs, the other two being "Your Mother Should Know" and "Honey Pie." "Good Day, Sunshine" comes very close to that style, but he couldn't come up with a second part suitable for the first.
A brilliant homage to domestic bliss! A fun song, and a very nice analysis.
AMY!!!! One thing Vlad MUST DO - is himself look up all the songs referenced in the movie "Across the Universe". Then have you hear the songs thoroughly - THEN, and ONLY THEN let you see that WONDERFUL Beatles movie!! You will LOVE IT with the right prep!!!! Vlad - Go For IT!!!
If you really want to challenge your musical pallet you should give NF a try. His subject matter is very moving, relatable, and overall REAL. He uses a lot of orchestral instruments in his music and his music videos are riddled with Easter eggs and symbolism. I learned a lot about myself thru his music and I feel everyone should experience NF. I hope you see this but even if not, hope you’re blessed ❤
My favourite Spencer Tracy film is Inherit the wind 🙂
Inherit?
George Martin’s masterful fingerprints are all over the arrangement of the clarinet. Paul had the tune, Martin was an alchemist who could facilitate it. As for the style, which is reminding you of Spencer Tracer, 1920s and 1930s music would have been what Paul’s dad played around the house. It has a lot of the English music hall (vaudeville) in it.
I love Amy's ambivalence with clarinets. I know a few professional musicians who have a problem with their sound. Having started out playing the instrument, I find this rather amusing. If you play a clarinet you need to have a sense of humor.
I am 64. How did that happen.
One day at a time!😅 After a while it adds up!
at least 64 in 2025 is nothing like 64 was when the song came out :)
22:38 Vlad, I've noticed in the last few videos that harp sounds distorted.
it’s not just the harp, it’s the mic, sometimes the voice also gets distorted; it’s been happening since they moved to their new studio
@@dago87able Yes.
George Martin scored the clarinets for this piece.
i wish she would react to Easy Stars All Stars' version of this album
The "we shall scrimp and save, ahhhh....." part always makes me think of an eastern market place, snake charmer and all. Don't know why.
Well, when you play it on the harp, you can clearly hear Hey Jude. Interesting.
As a classical musician, do yourself a favour and review Jason Becker Perpetual Burn album. Start with Air and then move to the more metal sounding tracks. Interested to get your thoughts.
Before dating apps and the internet you could place a personal ad in the Lonely Hearts section of your local paper or even in a Lonely Hearts magazine. And that's what this is.
Rather than Frank Sinatra I am reminded of Al Bowley, Britain in the 1950s and the BBC Light programme. All with traces of The Kinks, Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Don't look too deeply into the lyrics. Just enjoy.
It definitely fits into the lonely hearts theme. Also it's the last of a string of 3 songs that are set stylistically in the past.
Not sure why everyone insists that listening to the whole album in one go is necessary. Other than a couple songs that run into each other, the album as a whole is pretty unrelated to the Sgt Pepper theme.
The Sgt. Pepper’s theme announces an imaginary band at an imaginary show (as the outro theme bookends said show); the songs that follow are supposed to be the ones played by that band at that show. The song themselves can be as thematically dissimilar as they actually are, but it does makes sense, while not strictly necessary, to listen to the whole album in one go, since it is its proposition.
@@dago87able That's my point. Every song can be listened to individually (except Sgt Pepper 1&2) and not miss a thing. Could have even added or substituted Walrus or Penny Lane and the album would have been the same.
This fits into the lonely hearts side of the album too. This is looked at from various sides on the album, so yes someone is in a relationship but they have doubts about the future.
@@ForbiddTV well, that’s the beauty of it, I think; it was intended to be experienced as one live show, a live concert, meaning sitting through the whole album, while every song also being able to stand by its own separately. Certainly not that each song cannot be listened separately in it’s own right, but it does makes sense to listen to them all in one go, as they were INTENDED to by their creators. It’s not for naught that THIS is the game changing album, giving birth to the notion of concept albums; you’re not listening to a MERE collection of songs, but rather living an experience of several songs carefully chosen to be in a certain specific order. You’re right, it’s not strictly necessary, but the artistic project is kindly asking you to experience it ALL of it on one go. joebloggs adds an interesting perspective too. Notable predecessors being Pet Sounds and Freak Out, of course.
The Beatles did want to make a real concept album but had an obligation to deliver a minimum amount of material to their record label, and simply didn’t have time to flesh out John’s ambitious concept. So instead they tacked on a faux-concept (Pepper) that could give any group of songs the illusion of cohesion. This is why they collectively disliked the album, it was a disappointment compared to what they originally set out to create.
Clarinets are never a bad choice.
Any young man who asks the questions posed in this song of his girl of fancy...........will live his life alone.
And we're back to The Beatles, I adore them but it's more fun when you do other artists
Given the amount of attention you paid to how the "we shall scrimp and save" line was handled, and the fact that you're always so perceptive in your interpretation of these songs, I was hoping you might recognise how the way that this line is melismatically drawn out echoes the couple making their meagre funds go further. At least, that's how I've always seen it.
I agree, it's not sarcastic there.
That clarinet is not out of tune Amy, it’s just a slide from one note to another, similar to what the clarinet in the famous Rhapsody in Blue theme does.
In another life, I would have loved doing laundry and taxes with you 😭🎼🎶🎶🎶🥰
Yeah, Paul was the cute Beatle in more ways than one. Some of his songs were cute too - sometimes far too cute. This one, however, hits the spot. Not too cute, but cute enough.
Style-wise I tend to think of someone like Al Jolson.
John Lennon called this song “grandma music” .He wasn’t much of a fan of SGT.Pepper overall.But Pepper was essentially a McCartney/George Martin idea.
Sorry to say this song now applies to me.
The song harkens to old Brit vaudeville and pub songs.
I think at this point of the Beatles exploration it would be better to focus more on the technical side rather than the writing - they're not Bob Dylan, and their interview (especially Paul's today) rarely speak the truth. For instance, for this song, there's the whole Varispeed process involved to make Paul's voice to sound younger. Those things are now more important than lyric's inspiration. They made the song be THE song
When a classical musician analysis anything from pop music, it is always: It is simple. Sometimes it feels like reason for giving this simple answer is that they dont really undestand music.simple.
I would imagine four is easier to find stronger rhymes for in addition to being easier to sing than five.
Work this.
mccartney is 82 now - i hope sum1 is stil feeding him
@@stephencolbertcheese7354 Thanks for that, saved me having to do the math.
Rather, he's feeding a lot of folks, I'm sure
He only just finished a world tour. I'm sure they had food :D
Tea Dance music from before the war
The song absolutely demands a bit of soft shoe
Sincere sentiments, but expressed in the form of a parody of the very modest lower-middle class dreams Paul was raised with and by this point had left far behind.
The "sarcastic" tone of the background vocals, are, in my opinion, simply John Lennon who didn't like singing this part. He didn't like "Paul's granny music". I hear the same thing in She's Leaving Home.
John made a fantastic job in the backing vocals of She's leaving home. It is as if we could feel the parents' pain. It is simply perfect and could not have be done another way.
I want to start a Heavy Metal Beatles tribute band called Venom 64... Didn't he (Paul) go through a highly publicized divorce when he was 64?
Can you opine about this: th-cam.com/video/qJmRxk9wp74/w-d-xo.html
In 45 minutes you can learn and record a cover of a 2 minutes and a half ditty...
QUEEN: MARCH OF THE BLACK QUEEN
Unfortunately too many interruptions 7:48 minutes in and they haven't even begun to sing......
It's a reaction piece. If you want to listen to the song, go elsewhere.
@@AdDewaard-hu3xk I know very well that it's a reaction piece, but it would do the piece a favour to concntrate the reactions to fewer interruptions as too many takes the focus away from the music and orchestration. Now the focus lands on the commentator. And to make a reaction on a 2:51 long piece of music go for 45 minutes is really excess!
I don't mind - She's viewing it through a classical lens.
‘We shall scrimp and save’ is sung like someone in Church.
Telephone call = All I’ve Gotta Do and not Anytime At All.
Paul McCartney is now in his 80's..... with a full head of hair.