The when I get older losing my hair phase has arrived. Now I'm sixty four.
Thanks Paul? I don't know. It was such a distant concept on an album of distant concepts for a nine year old. I played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band front to back over and over. I sang every word every time.
They were right there printed on the back cover. You didn't even have to guess.
When I'm 64 was no standout, stuck on side two between Harrison's super weird (remember I was 9) Within You Without You and McCartney's bouncy Lovely Rita. It was all filler leading up to Good Morning with the freak out guitar lead. That and the Sgt. Pepper reprise were where the action was with A Day in the Life putting a perfect mind blowing bow on the whole thing.
Exactly how do you fill the Albert Hall with holes? Don't worry, John knows and how many it takes. I wonder if he ever told anybody?
While John was reading the news Paul was thinking about getting old. I bet in 1967 64 seemed older than the 80 he is now. He may be handy mending a fuse today but even this 9 year old knew Mac wasn't going to have to scrimp and save for anything ever. I'm pretty sure he bought the Isle of Wight.
As for me, I don't remember ever thinking about being 64 singing along all those years ago. Don't remember wondering where I'd be or what the world would be like. I just figured everything was going to be alright and I wanted to be there.
Like all the Beatle listening kids I knew.
Then it all changed. Nothing lasts forever, not even the Beatles. We went from records to 8 tracks to cassettes to CDs over the coming decades until we were able to carry an entire music library in our pocket digitally on our phone.
Then when we got tired of all those songs in our pocket, we realized records were better in the first place. It's time to fix that record player.
Everything has changed. Some things have come full circle. Some things are so much better, but some things we all thought were eternal are barely hanging by a thread. Nothing is real and even less is permanent today.
And here I am. I seem to be more or less alright and I'm definitely where I want to be. I just wonder if Paul is as surprised as I am that 55 years can pass so quickly. I guess that's one of the things you've learned at 64.
You've also learned not everything is going to be alright. I was losing my hair in my thirties. That's not alright. I lost a family and a career in my thirties, too. That was worse than not alright. When you're 64 you've learned bad things happen.
No one is immune. Poor Paul had lost the love of his life to cancer and was about to divorce his ill-conceived rebound spouse when he turned 64. Thank the Lord I'm not him!
Said no one ever.