You're Sixteen

"You're Sixteen" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers (Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman). 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.^[2] The song was covered by Ringo Starr in 1973 and this version reached number one in the US.

"You're Sixteen"
Single by Johnny Burnette
from the album Johnny Burnette
B-side	"I Beg Your Pardon"
Released	October 1960
Recorded	September 1960, United Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre	Pop[1]
Length	1:56
Label	Liberty (U.S.) London (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman
Producer(s)	Snuff Garrett
Johnny Burnette singles chronology
"Dreamin'" (1960) "You're Sixteen" (1960) "Little Boy Sad" (1961)

In popular culture

The version by Burnette was included on the soundtrack to the 1973 film American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas.^[3]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1960–1961) Peak position UK Record Retailer Chart 3 US Billboard Hot 100[4] 8 US Cash Box Top 100[5] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1961) Rank UK Record Retailer[6] 48 US Cash Box[7] 45

Personnel

The personnel on the Johnny Burnette version included:

Johnny Burnette – vocal Bobby Gibbons – guitar Vincent Terri – guitar Red Callender – bass Ernie Freeman – piano Jerry Allison – drums Alvin Dinkin – viola Stanley Harris – viola Dave Berman – violin

Herman Clebanoff – violin Harold Dicterow – violin Ben "Benny" Gill – violin Irma Neumann – violin Joe Stepansky – violin Darrel Terwilliger – violin Gerald Vinci – violin Bill Tobin – backing vocals

Ringo Starr version

"You're Sixteen"
UK picture sleeve
Single by Ringo Starr
from the album Ringo
B-side	"Devil Woman"
Released	December 3, 1973 (US) February 8, 1974 (UK)
Recorded	September 1973
Genre	Rock and roll country
Length	2:46
Label	Apple
Songwriter(s)	Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman
Producer(s)	Richard Perry
Ringo Starr singles chronology
"Photograph" (1973) "You're Sixteen" (1973) "Oh My My" (1974)

Ringo Starr's version was released as a single in the United States^{[nb 1]} on December 3, 1973, and in the UK^{[nb 2]} on February 8, 1974.^[10]

In January 1974, the song, taken from the album Ringo, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The performance reunited Ringo Starr with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney. Although McCartney is credited on the liner notes of the album Ringo as having played the solo on a kazoo, reviewer Michael Verity has quoted the song's producer Richard Perry as revealing that 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."^[11] Starr's version remains one of the few No. 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 "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" before breaking into a chorus of "What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?" at the fade.

Its 1978 music video, an excerpt of Starr's TV movie Ringo, features Carrie Fisher as Starr's love interest.^[12]

Critical reception

Upon release, a reviewer for Cash Box called Ringo's version "fantastic and perfect for the '70's," going on to say that "not only is the vocal perfect, and steady, for this delightful easy going rocker, but the music is the perfect complement."^[13] Record World said that the "background vocals by Nilsson add just the right spice."^[14]

Some retrospective commentary on "You're Sixteen" condemned it for sexualizing a teenager. In 2021, Troy L. Smith of Cleveland.com wrote "In his defense, Ringo Starr did not write 'You're Sixteen.' His hit is a cover of a Johnny Burnette song written by the Sherman Brothers. Of course, that doesn’t excuse Starr’s judgment as a 33-year-old man releasing a song about a love for a 16-year-old girl."^[15] In 2019, Tom Breihan of Stereogum reviewed the song negatively, writing that, as it relates to musicians courting or having sex with teenagers, "Ringo Starr wasn't the worst offender of his era, and there's plenty of plausible deniability built into 'You're Sixteen.' But it's still a gross song. And even if it wasn't gross, it's not like it has any real musical merit. Maybe people thought this shit was cute then, but it's not cute now, and I won't be sad if I never hear 'You're Sixteen' again."^[3]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1973–1974) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 6 Belgium 10 Canada RPM Top Singles[17] 2 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[17] 13 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 2 Germany 19 Japan (Oricon) 74 Netherlands 6 New Zealand (Listener)[19] 1 Norway 6 South Africa (Springbok)[20] 3 Switzerland 6 UK Singles Chart 4 US Billboard Hot 100[4] 1 US Billboard Easy Listening 2 US Cash Box Top 100[21] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] 62 Canada[23] 32 UK[24] 28 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 31 US Cash Box[26] 18

References

Footnotes

1. US Apple 1870^[8]
2. UK Apple R 5995^[9]

Citations

1. Breihan, Tom (May 6, 2019). "The Number Ones: Ringo Starr's "You're Sixteen"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 19, 2023. "You're Sixteen," his biggest hit...[is] a bubbly, string-sweetened piece of rockabilly silliness...
2. You're Sixteen Chart Positions Retrieved June 16, 2012.
3. Breihan, Tom (May 6, 2019). "The Number Ones: Ringo Starr's "You're Sixteen"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
5. "Cash Box Top 100 1/07/61". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
6. "Sixties City – Pop Music Charts – Every Week Of The Sixties". www.sixtiescity.net.
7. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1961". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
8. Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 183. ISBN 9780753508435.
9. Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 182. ISBN 9780753508435.
10. Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. pp. 182, 183. ISBN 9780753508435.
11. Michael Verity, "Number 1 With A Bullet: Ringo Starr's 'You're Sixteen'" Retrieved May 24, 2013.
12. Unterberger, Andrew (December 27, 2016). "Carrie Fisher's Musical Connections, From Mother Debbie Reynolds to Ex Paul Simon". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
13. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 8, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
14. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 15, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
15. Smith, Troy L. (December 14, 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
17. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada", Collectionscanada.gc.ca {{citation}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You're Sixteen". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
19. Flavour of New Zealand, 9 Mar 1974
20. "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
21. "Cash Box Top 100 2/02/74". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
22. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. December 30, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
23. Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image: RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
24. "Top Discs of '74 (BRMB)". Record Mirror. January 11, 1975. p. 6.
25. "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". www.musicoutfitters.com.
26. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1974". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2017.