When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)

"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[1]
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)

"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was first issued as a single on August 24, 1964, paired with the B-side "She Knows Me Too Well". It peaked at number 9 in the U.S., number 27 in the UK, and number 1 in Canada.

The lyrics describe a boy who is feeling anxious about his own future when he will no longer be a teenager, pondering such questions as "Will I love my wife for the rest of my life?" It is possibly the earliest U.S. top 40 song to contain the expression "turn on", and is one of the earliest rock songs to cover the topic of impending adulthood. Musically, the song has been highlighted for its jazz influence and unique arrangement and harmonic structure.