"You're Sixteen" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers. It was first performed by American rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette, whose version peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1960 and number 3 in the UK in 1961. The original 1960 version of "You're Sixteen" by Johnny Burnette is featured prominently on the 1973 motion picture soundtrack of the film American Graffiti.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Personnel
The personnel on the Johnny Burnette version included:
's version was released as a single in the United States on 3 December 1973, and in the UK on 8 February 1974. In January 1974, the song, taken from the albumRingo, hit number one. The latter performance reunited Ringo Starr with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney. McCartney is credited on the liner notes of the album Ringo as having played the solo on a kazoo. But reviewer Michael Verity has quoted the song's producer Richard Perry as revealing it wasn't actually a kazoo. “In fact, the solo on ‘You’re Sixteen,’ which sounds like a kazoo or something, was Paul singing very spontaneously as we played that track back, so he’s singing the solo on that.” Starr's version remains one of the few #1 singles to feature a 'kazoo-sound' solo. Harry Nilsson sang backing vocals on Starr's version; Nicky Hopkins is heard playing the piano, including going up and down the scale in the instrumental fade of the song. In Ringo's version, the melody and the chords were different in the Bridge Section, which led to a minor key, while the original version used only major keys. The ending featured Starr singing the chorus from Clarence "Frogman" Henry's hit song " But I Do" before breaking into a chorus of "What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?" at the fade. The 1978 video of Starr's version features Carrie Fisher as Starr's love interest.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other covers
The song title has been the subject of musical parody by various performers, from Australianpunk rock band Frenzal Rhomb's "She's Sixty, She's Beautiful and She's Mine" to Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly's "You're 39, You're Beautiful and You're Mine". A reference to "You're Sixteen" is made in the title of Cold Chisel's EP You're Thirteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine. An instrumental version of the song is used in the 1987 filmSome Kind of Wonderful, where the older generation dances to the tune until a group of motorcyclists arrive, interrupting the reception with their own younger generation tune.
