On This Day in 1964: The Beach Boys Begin Recording a Song That Would Become One of Their Most Memorable Hits
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Recording Kick‑Off at United Western Studios
On August 5, 1964, the Beach Boys entered Western Studio in Hollywood to begin recording “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man).” They cut the instrumental track, working through 37 takes as they refined the rhythm and feel. Brian Wilson played piano, Carl Wilson handled guitar, Al Jardine was on electric bass, and Dennis Wilson was on drums. Carroll Lewis joined as the session musician on double‑reed harmonica.
During these sessions, Brian added electric harpsichord overdubs, and Carl recorded a guitar solo. The team returned to the studio on August 10 to add vocal overdubs. Brian later wrote that the studio “building was going up overnight,” noting how quickly the song evolved from recording to release.
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Personnel Details and Overdubs
The six members listed on the record included Al Jardine on bass guitar and vocals, Mike Love handling lead and backing vocals, Brian on piano, electric harpsichord and vocals, Carl on lead and rhythm guitars and background vocals, Dennis on drums and background vocals, and session musician Carrol Lewis on double‑reed harmonica. All vocals were overdubbed later in multiple takes on August 10.
Brian later shared his dissatisfaction with his own vocal performance, saying the group had tried to sound like the Four Freshmen, but his voice came out too “whiney” in the final mix.
Chart Performance and Impact
Released on August 24, 1964, with “She Knows Me Too Well” on the B‑side, the song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 7 on the Cash Box Top 100. In Canada, it rose to #1 on the RPM chart.
Writer Alice Bolin noted that the song was written by a 23‑year‑old imagining what a 13‑year‑old would think about being that age, calling it about “envisioning the past.” Jody O’Regan described it as one of the earliest rock songs to treat impending adulthood as its main theme, and possibly the first to use the phrase “turn on” in the context of a teenage boy wondering, “Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid?”
Technical Notes and Recording Challenges
Session archivist Craig Slowinski recorded details showing the band struggled through many takes, especially Dennis, who sometimes caused a take to end early due to timing mistakes. Carl remarked about how hard Brian “rides Dennis” in the studio during that session.
The instrumental backing track was laid down on August 5. Overdubs—such as harpsichord by Brian, a guitar solo by Carl, and harmonica by Carroll Lewis—were then added. Vocal overdubs took place on August 10, requiring fourteen takes to get the right blend with Mike Love joining for lead vocals that day.
This marked the first time the band used a harpsichord as a lead keyboard instrument, a feature that added a new character to their sound and highlighted Brian Wilson’s growing creativity.
