64 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PAUL MCCARTNEY.

Byline: Fred Shuster and Rob Lowman Staff Writers

Sixty-four must have seemed like forever at 16.

That was the age that Paul McCartney says he wrote ``When I'm Sixty-Four,'' the dance-hall ditty that appeared on the 1967 Beatles album ``Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.''

Today, the rock icon does turn 64, and he certainly doesn't have to worry about losing his hair, if someone will feed him, need him or send him a birthday greeting.

But it's been a long and winding road since he was a lad in Liverpool, and we figure there are still a lot people who don't know about his storied career. So here are 64 things you may or may not know about the legend.

And by the way: Happy Birthday, Paul.

1. Before they were famous, the Beatles performed ``When I'm Sixty-Four'' at clubs during crowd fights and power blackouts.

2. In order to satisfy Paul's request to ``sound younger -- and be a teenager again,'' producer George Martin sped up the vocals on ``Sixty-Four'' when it was recorded.

3. Subject of one of rock's most famous myths: that McCartney died in an auto accident in 1966 and was replaced by look-alike Billy Shears.

4. Credited as Paul Ramon, he played drums and sang harmony on the track ``My Dark Hour'' from the Steve Miller Band's ``Brave New World'' album in 1969.

5. Indirectly named the Ramones. Prior to Beatles fame, McCartney used the stage name Paul Ramon -- a rock tidbit that inspired the Ramones to add an ``e'' and drop the fourth chord.

6. More Ramones -- ``Haven't We Met Somewhere Before?'' penned by Paul for the film ``Heaven Can Wait'' but rejected, was used as the opening number of the Ramones' ``Rock 'n' Roll High School'' -- performed by the Ramones.

7. Was involved in the fastest-released single in history when his July 2, 2005, performance of ``Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' with U2 at Live 8 was issued 45 minutes after the performance took place.

8. Clunker ``Ebony and Ivory,'' sung by Paul and Stevie Wonder, was voted 10th-worst song ever by Blender magazine a couple of years ago. Hey, they can't all be ``Eleanor Rigby,'' OK?

9. Even his old shoes are worth a fortune -- a pair of Paul's used slippers (size 10 1/2) recently grossed more than $3,500 at auction.

10. Reads about himself and gets mad. A half-dozen recent messages from Paul on his Web site (paulmccartney.com) rail against tabloid

stories about his breakup with Heather.

11. Hired two guys with nearly sound-alike surnames for various Wings lineups -- guitarists Henry McCullough and (the late) Jimmy McCulloch. Makes roll call a lot easier.

12. Once dug pot so much he spent 10 days behind bars in Japan after he was busted in 1980 with a sleek half-pound for personal use in Tokyo and later deported. Says the song ``Got to Get You Into My Life'' was directly about the stuff.

13. Made a valiant effort to raise normal kids. He and Linda brought up their children -- James, Stella, Mary and Heather (Linda's child from her first marriage) -- in out-of-the way houses in southern England and Scotland.

14. Made the Hofner violin-shaped electric bass guitar a rock 'n' roll icon -- and made it cool to play left-handed. However, he had wanted to play guitar in the Beatles and got to play lead on the George Harrison song ``Taxman.''

15. Tried to get the order of the famous ``Lennon/McCartney'' songwriting credit reversed a few years ago to a huge outcry from Beatles fans.

16. Sang backup on Donovan's ``Mellow Yellow.''

17. Banned by the BBC in '72 for the political single ``Give Ireland Back to the Irish,'' later parodied by National Lampoon.

18. Owns the stand-up bass that once belonged to Elvis Presley's bassist Bill Black.

19. Helped bankroll London's Indica Bookshop/Gallery, where John and Yoko met in 1966.

20. Called his 1965 visit with Elvis Presley, in which he and his mates played Chuck Berry tunes with the King, ``one of the great meetings of my life.''

21. Originally wrote the first two lines of ``I Saw Her Standing There'' as ``She was just 17 / Never been a beauty queen.'' When he sang it for John, they both thought the second line was ``useless.'' Finally, they came up with ``you know what I mean'' -- cheeky with sexual innuendo.

22. When he plays some of his old Beatles hits in America, royalties go to Michael Jackson, who bought the publishing rights for $47.5 million in 1985.

23. Paul's nickname is Macca.

24. One of his worst songs resulted in one of history's worst cover versions -- ``Live and Let Die'' massacred by Guns N' Roses.

25. In the late '60s, Paul, Linda, the kids and their sheepdog, Martha, would take strolls in London's Regents Park without bodyguards.

26. That family pet was the inspiration for ``Martha, My Dear'' on the Beatles' ``White Album.''

27. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful composer in popular music history.

28. Has a record 29 U.S. No. 1 singles, 20 with the Beatles, the rest with Wings and as a solo artist.

29. Has written or has co-writing credit on more than 50 Top 10 hits.

30. His middle name is actually Paul. He was born James Paul McCartney.

31. His first instrument was trumpet, but he gave it up when he realized he couldn't sing and play at the same time.

32. Met John Lennon at a church picnic on July 6, 1957.

33. Working title of one of his own personal fave songs, ``Yesterday,'' was ``Scrambled Eggs.'' (He had written just a melody, which he said came to him in a dream.)

34. ``Yesterday'' is one of the most-covered songs of all time, with more than 3,000 refried versions.

35. The first Beatle to record an outside project, composing (with George Martin) a score for the 1966 feature film ``The Family Way,'' starring Hayley Mills.

36. In the late 1980s, wrote songs with Elvis Costello; the best-known is ``Veronica.''

37. Became a vegetarian and animal-rights activist along with late wife Linda after watching lambs frolicking in a field as they ate a meal of lamb.

38. He's a painter, exhibiting his work for the first time in Germany in 1997.

39. Made his first attempt at classical music in 1991, collaborating with Carl Davis to compose the quasi-autobiographical ``Liverpool Oratorio.''

40. Knighted in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II.

41. Released a children's book in October 2005, titled ``High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail.''

42. In 1967, produced the song ``I'm the Urban Spaceman'' by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, credited as ``Apollo C. Vermouth.''

43. Performed before the largest stadium audience in history when 184,000 paid to see him in Rio de Janeiro in April 1990.

44. As of 2005-06, considered the richest rock star in the world, with an estimated personal fortune of more than $1 billion.

45. Has been nominated for Academy Awards for the title songs to the films ``Vanilla Sky'' and ``Live and Let Die.''

46. Say he's never read musical notation; writes and plays by ear.

47. A star is born when, upon Paul's recommendation, Jimi Hendrix was brought to California for a show-stealing turn at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, rendering Hendrix an immediate sensation. Jimi returned the favor by covering ``Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, Hendrix's second-to-last gig.

48. Penned ``Hey Jude,'' with Lennon's son, Julian, in mind. The original phrase was ``Hey Jules.''

49. Was the world's first recipient of the 1992 Swedish Polar Music Award, a Nobel Prize for music.

50. Owns one of the world's most valuable records, the first pressing of Buddy Holly's ``That'll Be the Day,'' recorded in 1958 by the Quarry Men, made up of McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, Colin Hanton and John Duff Lowe. It's said to be worth more than $180,000.

51. Strummed guitar to accompany a poetry reading by old pal Allen Ginsberg at the Royal Albert Hall.

52. Broadcast the first concert into space when the International Space Station crew, 220 miles above Earth, heard a live musical wake-up call from Paul last Nov. 12.

53. Posed nude, but semi-obscured, in the bathroom of his house for a picture on the poster accompanying ``The White Album.''

54. Most evocative post-Beatles commentary: the cover shot on Paul's 1970 solo debut, ``McCartney,'' showing an empty bowl surrounded by cherries.

55. Hired New Orleans r&b piano legend Professor Longhair to play a party on the Queen Mary in 1975, resulting in one of Fess' finest live recordings.

56. In 1995, Paul and Linda taped an episode of ``The Simpsons,'' playing themselves as they help Lisa Simpson's conversion to vegetarianism.

57. Publishing rights to most of Holly's songs are owned by McCartney.

58. His music publishing company MPL Communications also holds the copyrights of other major composers, including Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Meredith Willson and Harold Arlen.

59. Sometimes dines at the Good Earth in Studio City, owns a mansion in Pasadena and recorded his latest album, ``Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,'' on Sunset Boulevard.

60. Daughter Stella's fashion collection premiere took place in London in 1995 with a new Paul song, ``Stella May,'' as part of the runway music.

61. Fleetwood Mac's song ``Silver Heels'' has a line about wanting to ``sing like Paul McCartney.''

62. ``Helter Skelter,'' from the ``White Album,'' was Paul's attempt to outrock Pete Townshend of the Who. The song was actually about a fairground ride in the U.K., a fact that went over the head of Charles Manson.

63. Inspired by glasnost in 1988, he recorded an album of rock oldies for a Soviet label under a title roughly translated as ``Back in the USSR.''

64. He was the Walrus, according to Lennon in ``Glass Onion,'' and though some may think he's, pardon the pun, a bit long in the tooth, Paul's still out there making music. So his life isn't just about yesterday.

Fred Shuster, [phone]

[e-mail]

Rob Lowman, [phone]

[e-mail]

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