Written by: Brian Wilson & Mike Love
Released: 1965
US Charts: #3
UK Charts: #26
Other Charts: (N/A)
The opening piano tune of the classic 60s song “California Girls” from the Beach Boys immediately puts you in a relaxed frame of mind to take you to a far away, tropical and tranquil beach, a paradise of some sorts and the stuff of dreams. Once you’re in such a place, the rest of the song is logical and speaks for itself. It’s a song that truly lives up to the name of the band, with even Brian Wilson referring to the song as the band’s signature song on one occasion. It’s very catchy and very fun to sing along, yet like a lot of other 60s songs it ends a bit too quickly.
The song was written by the band’s lead singer and legendary musician Brian Wilson during his first LSD experience. Sometimes I find it amazing how many great iconic songs have been written under the influence of drugs. While I do not tolerate drugs whatsoever and strongly condemn its use, I wonder if we would have ever been exposed to some of these great songs if it weren’t for drugs. Is it any coincidence that many of the greatest bands and artists used drugs? I personally find that fascinating. In fact, it’ll probably be the subject of my next post so keep an eye out for that.
Back to “California Girls”, the song deals essentially with beach culture, and more specifically Californian beach culture and of course, the girls. The protagonist describes his journey across the United States and other countries and the types of wonderful girls that he has seen in every part. He then wishes that all these great girls could be Californian girls, from where he is from.
“California Girls” was another smash hit in the summer of 1965 for the Beach Boys peaking at number #3 on the US Billboard Charts. It was also the first song to highlight a more experimental sound, which would be very prominent in their future albums such as Pet Sounds and Smile. It’s another classic 60s song that will be forever tied to the beach and to the joys of summer. Enjoy!
Lyrics can be accessed here.
Chords can be accessed here.
Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.
