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It’s been fifty years of “Fun, Fun, Fun”—quite literally—for Mike Love and the Beach Boys.
Love, the lead singer of the Hall of Fame surf band that performs at Centennial Terrace on Saturday, May 24, said in an interview that he came up with the idea for one of the band’s signature hits, “Fun, Fun, Fun,” in the back of a cab early in 1964.
He was riding to the Salt Lake City airport with his cousin, Brian Wilson (who is not touring with the current band), when he got the flash of inspiration.
“I told him we’ve got to do a song about a girl who borrows her dad’s car and instead of going to the library goes cruising and hanging out with her friends,” Love said. “I came up with the concept and all the words and Brian came up with the track—including that great falsetto part at the end that I think is fantastic—and so it’s been fifty years of ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’.”
The long road
Reflecting on the Beach Boys’ long and storied career, Love discussed a few notable songs, the group’s relationship with the Beatles, and some thoughts on longevity in the fickle music business.
One of the Beach Boys’ now-classic hits, “Good Vibrations,” was more sophisticated and psychedelic when it came out in 1966 than the simple pop tunes that had made the band famous.
But Love said he never worried it might be too radical for their fans.
“It was an incredibly brilliant track and so unique. It was very avant garde—and it still is avant garde! When I heard it, I said, ‘Wow, this is so different from “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Surfing USA” and “I get Around” and all the great songs we had up until that time,” he said.
But the Beach Boys wanted to experiment, he said. “We were always up for going out on a limb and sawing it off [laughs]! We didn’t think 100% commercially; we thought artistically in a lot of ways, too.”
And at the heart of the song, Love’s lyrics fit in with the Beach Boys’ standard repertoire.
“What I got lyrically was, ‘I’m picking up good vibrations; she’s giving me the excitations.’ In other words, boy-girl. So even if the track was strange and unique and different, everybody can relate to the attraction between a guy and a girl,” he said.
In India with the Beatles
Love said a song he wrote a dozen years ago that was never released, “Pisces Brothers,” has become a favorite on the current tour. It’s a nostalgic tune, with a video, about the Beach Boys and the Beatles hanging out with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India.
“George Harrison and I both had our birthdays [in India]—he on Feb. 25th and me on March 15th of 1968, and so that was a really special time,” Love said. “The song is sort of an appreciation of George, who was a very special person… It’s kind of a trip down memory lane involving a really unique and special spiritual time.”
He said the Beach Boys and the Beatles were rivals, not enemies.
“They weren’t a threat; they were an inspiration,” Love said. “If you’re an athlete and you are playing with anybody who is really good, it makes you rise to your highest level of achievement.”
Looking ahead, he said he was inspired after seeing Tony Bennett in concert a few months ago in Austin, TX.
“He’s 87 and he sounds great. He sounded phenomenal,” Love said. “Tony Bennett said he feels as though he’s at the top of his game and it just shows that if you love what you do and people like to hear you perform, then you’re really blessed and fortunate to do what you do and have it appreciated so many years later—in our case, after five decades.”
The Beach Boys will be in concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at Centennial Terrace, 5773 Centennial Rd., Sylvania. Tickets are $29.50 and $55 in advance. 419-381-8851. Etix.com
