written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love

produced by Brian Wilson

​

I made this one on June 20th, 2021, the 79th birthday of

Brian Douglas Wilson. Happy Birthday, BW!!

​

Who would’ve thought a poppy rock group with not only such a

gimmicky name but also a series of albums matching that gimmick would leave—and still have—a legacy just shy of six decades long? Well, apparently, fortunately for them—and us—Capitol Records would. Even though not everyone can relate to the feeling of spending a day on America’s Pacific shore, we’re hardly the only country with some lovely beaches to be enjoyed, and if you’re going to have a gimmick, there are definitely lots of less rewarding ones. Though hard to foresee at the time, there’s a reason that today everyone knows and remembers The Beach Boys, and hardly anyone knows or remembers... say, The Edsels. The world’s vast majority loves the beach, swimming, surfing, etc. That bomb of an automobile... not so much.

​

Brian and the Boys were originally turned down by Dot and Liberty Records, who several years later were probably kicking themselves for it. Rather than thinking of them as competition for one another, I think two bands like The Beach Boys, and, oh, say, I dunno... The Beatles... while having signed and begun professionally recording/releasing circa 1962, are disparate enough to delightfully complement each other, rather than duplicate, interfere or obstruct. Anyone can be an enormous and carefree fan of both The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Due to the existence of passionate rival camps and those who inhabit them, not everyone can as adamantly love both The Beatles and The Stones, or both The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean... you get the idea. Many can, but not everyone. Extreme fanbase members get hardcore. (Not unlike how if you’re a video game fan, you can love both Mario and Sonic, but you will

run into fanatics of both who will try to corner you into choosing a side and not looking back.)

The first three Beach Boys records had Surf right in the title, and each one’s respective opening and title track. I’m sure many in those early days saw them as niche—I can only speculate; I wasn’t there—but they certainly proved themselves nothing to sneeze at in the following years (unless perhaps you’re allergic to sand), opening most subsequent ’60s albums each year with another giant hit. Case in point: the song covered on this page, kicking off album six, All Summer Long. “I Get Around” was released, appropriately enough, in July 1964. Its b-side was “Don’t Worry Baby,” from the fifth record, Shut Down Volume 2 (also 1964)—which didn’t perform as well as its predecessor or follower, but did also regale us with “Fun, Fun, Fun,” and the Boys’ version of “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” Brian wrote “I Get Around” with co-Beach Boy and cousin Mike Love, though we as the public wouldn’t have known it for 30 years, until Mike brought a 1994 lawsuit against Brian to make him share writing credit. It startles me it would take 30 years for such an action in regards to one song... though I suppose suing one another during their peak years would’ve put a damper on current success.

​

All Summer Long also features “Little Honda,” not to be confused with “Little Deuce Couple,” an earlier charting single, but both as possible indicators of how one might in fact “Get Around.” “IGA” popped out as All Summer Long’s opening single, pre-dating the album, and peaking at #1 on the US Billboard and Canadian charts. It held that position two weeks, before The Four Seasons’ “Rag Doll” dethroned it. It was recorded in mono from the beginning, until All Summer Long was re-released in 2012—to help commemorate the band’s 50th anniversary—when the song finally got a cleaner- and more polished-sounding stereo mix.

​

Have notes to add? Let me know!

​

YT:

full version (mono)

full version (stereo)

​

The Boys’ official website