By Danny Smith
It’s easy to find classic rock tunes about parents and parenting. A few that come to mind are:
“Papa was a Rolling Stone” — The Temptations
“Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” — Three Dog Night
“Shop Around” — Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
“Let It Be” — The Beatles
“Memphis” — Chuck Berry
The list goes on and on. When it comes to rock tunes about grandparenting, excluding “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” the list becomes much smaller.
Perhaps the most iconic classic tune on the topic is The Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four.” Penned by Paul McCartney in the band’s early years, it remained unrecorded until it appeared on what is arguably the greatest LP of all time, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The story goes that McCartney added the “Grandchildren on your knee Vera, Chuck, and Dave” lyrics around the time Sgt. Pepper was recorded because his dad recently turned 64.
You may be wondering, “Why did Danny do an article about grandparenting? I thought he was a financial adviser.” The following is a true story taken from my book that answers that question:
A couple who had consulted me came into my office and said, “Danny, we want to take our whole family to Hawaii, but we’re not sure we can afford it.”
I had been telling them for the longest time that they should do something like that. They had the assets, but if they kept putting it off, I was concerned that they might eventually run out of time. So I helped them plan their trip. I even introduced them to a good friend and travel agent who set it all up for them.
Before they left, however, I made them promise me that after arriving in Hawaii, they would spend that first night together as a family.
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