Throwing back to the week of January 26, 1974, we find Ringo Starr on the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘You’re Sixteen’, a cover of a 1960 hit by Johnny Burnette.
You can file this track under “songs you couldn’t get away with today,” and indeed Starr has said in concert that he doesn’t sing this one anymore. But in early 1974, nobody was creeped out by a 33-year-old man singing about his romance with an underage girl.
Fellow Beatle Paul McCartney joined Ringo on this track, providing a vocal solo that sounds like a kazoo. Harry Nilsson provides more traditional backing vocals.
‘You’re Sixteen’ was the second straight #1 hit for Starr from his 1974 album Ringo. The first was ‘Photograph,’ co-written with George Harrison.
Look closely at the rather fuzzy music video for today’s SOTD and you might recognize Carrie Fisher as the love interest. This clip was filmed several years after the song topped the charts, when Fisher was the ripe old age of 21.
Whew!
You come on like a dream, peaches and cream
Lips like strawberry wine
You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful
And you’re mine. (mine, all mine)
You’re all ribbons and curls
Ooh, what a girl
Eyes that sparkle and shine
You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful and you’re mine
(mine, all mine, mine, mine)
[Chorus]
You’re my baby, you’re my pet
We fell in love on the night we met
You touched my hand, my heart went pop
Ooh, when we kissed, i could not stop
[Bridge]
You walked out of my dreams, into my arms
Now you’re my angel divine
You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine
[Chorus]
You’re my baby, you’re my pet
We fell in love on the night we met
You touched my hand, my heart went pop
Ooh, when we kissed, i could not stop
[Bridge]
You walked out of my dreams and into my car
Now you’re my angel divine
You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine
[Outro]
You’re sixteen, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine
You’re sixteen, so beautiful, and you’re mine
All mine, all mine, all mine
All mine, all mine, all mine
All mine, all mine, all mine
All mine
All mine
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
Meet Me In Montauk 
I have always found Ringo’s songs, even with the Beatles, to be schmaltzy. This cover is both that and inappropriate. Neat seeing Carrie Fisher in the video though.