Lennon was 22, McCartney was 21 when the song was released. (Feb. 1963 recorded, Mar. 1963 released on “Please Please Me”) But yeah, still not quite half plus

Lennon was 22, McCartney was 21 when the song was released. (Feb. 1963 recorded, Mar. 1963 released on “Please Please Me”) But yeah, still not quite half plus 7. You could argue they were writing it for teens, though - the audience singing along would skew several years younger than the band. (Poll of the Beatles fan club placed the average fan between 13-17. And they took great pains to create the illusion that fans might just meet the Beatles and be “the one.”) It does sound wrong now, though. The lyrics, anyway. Music still holds up.