The Beach Boys - Songs

ABOUT

The Beach Boys are a highly acclaimed and influential veteran pop/surf rock band that became famous beginning in the early 1960s. Their unique sound, which incorporates elements of 1950s pop vocal music, early rock & roll, and R&B, comes from their soaring harmonic vocals and novel musical arrangements as can be heard on such classics as "Good Vibrations" (1966). The Beach Boys' many other signature songs, most of which capture the carefree spirit of the Southern California surfing scene during the early-mid 1960s, also include "Surfin' U.S.A." (1963), "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), "Barbara Ann" (1966), "Rock And Roll Music" (1976), and "Kokomo" (1988).

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California while most of the members were still in their teens, the original lineup consisted of brothers Brian (b. June 20, 1942), Carl (December 21, 1946 - February 6, 1998), and Dennis Wilson (December 4, 1944 - December 28, 1983), their cousin Mike Love (b. March 15, 1941), and their friend Al Jardine (b. September 3, 1942). All members shared background vocals, with Mike Love (percussion, saxophone, Theremin) serving as lead singer on most of the band's hits. Brian Wilson (bass, keyboards) took the lead with his distinctive falsetto on many of the band's more balladic songs, and Al Jardine (rhythm guitar, bass), Carl Wilson (lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards), and Dennis Wilson (drums, keyboards) also took turns as lead singer. The band first recorded on Candix and in 1962, moved to Capitol and released their debut album, "Surfin' Safari," the first in a long string of gold- and platinum-certified recordings that also includes the critically acclaimed "Pet Sounds" (1966). Brian Wilson served as main songwriter and arranger for most of the band's hits along with Mike Love as chief lyricist.

The Beach Boys debuted on the Pop/Rock charts in early 1962 with "Surfin," a quirky, upbeat novelty tune co-written by Wilson and Love. They had their first Top 20 hit later that year with "Surfin' Safari," and their fame took off the following year with "Surfin' U.S.A." (1963), the first of many Top 5 hits. The Beach Boys topped the charts with "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), "Good Vibrations" (1966), and "Kokomo" (1988), the latter of which is part of the soundtrack to "Cocktail" (1988) starring Tom Cruise. Other top hits include "Fun, Fun, Fun" (1964), "California Girls" (1965), "Sloop John B" (1966), "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (1966), "Rock And Roll Music" (1976), and the band's remake of The Regents' "Barbara Ann" (1966) for which Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean provided lead vocals along with Brian Wilson. "Surfin' U.S.A." later had a resurgence in popularity when it recharted in 1974 and made the Top 40. The Beach Boys very long string of hits continued throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and (on the Adult Contemporary chart) most of the 1990s.

The Beach Boys had a number of personnel changes and additions over the years, and all original members also pursued solo careers. Supporting musicians for both live performances and studio recordings included, at various times, Glen Campbell (guitar), Daryl ("Captain") Dragon and Toni Tennille (keyboards), and Charles Lloyd (saxophone). The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and their numerous honors and accolades also include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2001). With over 100 million records sold worldwide to date, they remain among pop music's all-time most popular acts and have continued to perform and record to the present day.

LINKS

MERCHANDISE

Disclosure: The following links will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings and other merchandise for the performing artist featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.


SONGS

To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.

Brian Wilson

The Beach Boys

Jump to:
Previous Artist | Next Artist