"When I Grow Up" is a 1998 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock band Garbage. The song was released as the fourth international single to be taken from the band's multi-platinum second album Version 2.0 over the course of the following year.

"When I Grow Up" served as a simultaneous single release with album cut "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" which was released in its place in a few European territories such as Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and Greece. "When I Grow Up" proved to be a Top Ten hit for the band in both United Kingdom and Spain where the single charted very strongly. In North America, after initially impacting the band's core alternative fanbase, "When I Grow Up" served as one of two songs released from the soundtrack to the comedy film Big Daddy (the other being Sheryl Crow's cover version of "Sweet Child O' Mine"). The song performed moderately well on the alternative and dance charts.

"When I Grow Up" was remastered in 2007 for Garbage's greatest hits album Absolute Garbage.

"When I Grow Up" was written and recorded at Smart Studios during the 1997 sessions for Version 2.0. Bass on "When I Grow Up" was performed by Daniel Shulman.

Lyrically, Manson described "When I Grow Up" as being about "that delirious state of wishing and hoping and dreaming for things, not giving up. There's a great quote by Flaubert where he says, 'Sometimes the forces of the world hold us back for a while, but not for ever' ... ". Manson stated that despite the song dealing with growing up, it actually questions whether adulthood brings maturity − "Even though you’re sussed and you’re smart and you’ve worked it all out, you haven’t even got the remotest inkling of what it’s all about. And you can never hope to" − and mocks those who feel that way; "I'm constantly patronised by people who think they're really mature and have their life in order and are really together. That's so small minded."

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