"Drive-In" | |
---|---|
Song by the Beach Boys | |
from the album All Summer Long | |
Released | July 13, 1964 |
Recorded | October 1963 |
Genre | Rock and roll [1] |
Length | 1:49 |
Label | Capitol |
Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson, Mike Love |
Producer(s) | Brian Wilson |
Licensed audio | |
"Drive-In" on YouTube |
"Drive-In" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album All Summer Long . It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, although Love was not originally credited until after a 1990s songwriting lawsuit. [2]
"Drive-In" was inspired by the group's outings at the Studio Drive-In in Culver City, California. [3] The song gives the listener advice on how to enter a drive-in theater without paying for admission, among other things, and climaxes with a line alluding to contraception ("If you say you watched the movie, you're a couple of liars / And remember, only you can prevent forest fires"). [4]
Musician Andy Paley commented of the song,
A typical rock ‘n’ roll progression for this song would have been going from F to D minor. Brian goes from a D7 instead which is really unusual and inventive. It kind of throws you for a loop. I can’t think of any song, particularly in that time period, that does that. It was such a weird change that I remember at the time wondering if that change was a mistake or if it was done on purpose, because it almost sounds as if somebody on the record doesn’t quite know. Everybody I knew at the time was kind of scratching their head and saying ‘what is that?’ [1]
"Drive-In" was recorded shortly after the release of Little Deuce Coupe in October 1963. [5] Paley shared an anecdote related to the song that occurred during the filming of the 1995 documentary Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times .
Don Was said, "Brian, I have recorded all these people talking about how important your work is to them, what is the heaviest work you've ever done?" Up until that point, Brian hadn't been giving them much ... I think they were hoping to get more of him interview-wise. Brian got really excited by this question and said, "Okay, I'm gonna give you an honest answer to the best thing I ever did ... I'm gonna talk about 'Drive-In'." Brian started talking about "Drive-In" and vividly remembered cutting the track, being stoked about it, getting the guys around the microphone and getting the perfect blend. He said that was the best thing he had ever done. [6]
Biographer David Leaf called "Drive-In" "a great example of Brian’s sense of humor working perfectly within a rock 'n' roll song." [1]
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. Dennis was the only true surfer in the Beach Boys, and his personal life exemplified the "California Myth" that the band's early songs often celebrated. He was also known for his association with the Manson Family and for co-starring in the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.
Little Deuce Coupe is the fourth album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released October 7, 1963 on Capitol Records. It reached number 4 in the US during a chart stay of 46 weeks, and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. It is considered to be one of the earliest examples of a rock concept album.
Surfer Girl is the third album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released September 16, 1963 on Capitol Records. The album reached number 7 in the US during a chart stay of 56 weeks. This was the first album by the group for which Brian Wilson was given sole production credit. In the UK, it was released in early 1967 and reached number 13.
20/20 is the 15th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released February 10, 1969 on Capitol Records. The LP was named for being their 20th overall release when factoring in live albums and compilations. Much of 20/20 consists of outtakes from earlier albums. It reached number 3 on UK record charts and number 68 in the U.S. Brian Wilson was absent during most of the album's recording after admitting himself into a psychiatric hospital, requiring brothers Carl and Dennis to retrieve several outtakes he had recorded years earlier. While Brian does not appear on the front cover, the inner gatefold of the original vinyl release features him alone, behind an eye examination chart.
The Beach Boys Love You is the 21st studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released April 11, 1977 on Brother/Reprise. Often called the band's "punk" album, Love You is distinguished for its pioneering use of synthesizers and its juxtaposition of adolescent-oriented lyrics with the adult band members' rough vocals.
All Summer Long is the sixth album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 13, 1964 on Capitol Records. Regarded as their first artistically unified collection of songs, as well as one of the first true concept albums, it marked the Beach Boys' first LP that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing. Instead, the songs are semi-autobiographical and relate to the experiences of a typical Southern Californian teenager, a theme encapsulated by the title track, "All Summer Long", and the often-imitated front cover, a modernist style photo collage depicting the band members fraternizing with young women on a beach.
Brian Wilson is the first solo album by American musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, released July 12, 1988 by Sire and Reprise Records. Promoted as a spiritual successor to his band's 1966 release Pet Sounds, the album is characterized for its rich, synthesizer-heavy orchestrations. It cost over $1 million to record and was the first produced by Wilson since The Beach Boys Love You (1977). His psychologist, Eugene Landy, was credited as "executive producer".
"Never Learn Not to Love" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was issued as the B-side to their "Bluebirds over the Mountain" single on December 2, 1968. Credited to Dennis Wilson, the song was an altered version of "Cease to Exist", written by the cult leader Charles Manson. Manson wrote his version of the song specifically for the Beach Boys to record, and his lyrics were meant to address personal tensions he had witnessed between Dennis and his brothers Brian and Carl.
"This Whole World" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. Written by Brian Wilson, the song features his brother Carl on lead vocals and is credited as a Beach Boys production. Earlier in the year, it had been included on the Warner Brothers promotional sampler album The Big Ball, and as a single, fronted with "Slip On Through", but did not make the U.S. or UK pop charts.
"Time to Get Alone" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1969 album 20/20. Written by Brian Wilson and produced by Carl Wilson, it is a baroque pop waltz. Brian originally intended the song for Redwood, the band that evolved into Three Dog Night.
"All I Wanna Do" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the recording's use of layering, reverb and delay effects led it to be retrospectively cited as the earliest example of dream pop and chillwave, as well as a precursor to shoegaze. It was also influential for many lo-fi acts.
"Marcella" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1972 album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough". Written by Brian Wilson, Jack Rieley, and Tandyn Almer, the lyrics were inspired by Wilson's fixation with a local massage therapist. It is the last song to feature Bruce Johnston during his original tenure in the band.
"Take a Load Off Your Feet" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album Surf's Up. It was written by Al Jardine, Brian Wilson and Gary Winfrey.
"Do You Remember?" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on their 1964 album All Summer Long. The song is a minor rewrite of "The Big Beat", an earlier composition Wilson had written for Bob & Sheri in 1963. Both songs are tributes to 1950s rock and roll, referencing performers such as Buddy Holly and Hank Ballard.
"You're Welcome" is a song written by Brian Wilson for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on July 24, 1967 as the B-side of the "Heroes and Villains" single. It later appeared as a bonus track on the compilations Smiley Smile/Wild Honey (1990) and The Smile Sessions (2011).
"Do You Like Worms?" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their never-finished album Smile. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, the song is about the recolonization of the American continent and contains lyrical references to the Sandwich Islands and "Bicycle Rider Back" playing cards. None of the lyrics appear to mention worms; asked about the title, Parks said he could not remember where it came from.
"My Solution" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded during the early sessions for their 1971 album Surf's Up. It is a novelty Halloween song that features Brian Wilson doing an impression of Vincent Price over a descending chord progression and test-tube sound effects. The recording was officially released on the 2021 compilation Feel Flows.
The "Andy Paley sessions" is the unofficial name given to an unfinished recording project by American musicians Brian Wilson and Andy Paley. During the 1990s, the duo planned to record an album that would have comprised original material written and produced by themselves with participation from other members of the Beach Boys. It was the last time Brian worked with his bandmates before Carl Wilson's death in 1998.
"Soul Searchin'" is a song written by American musicians Brian Wilson and Andy Paley for an aborted Beach Boys reunion album in the 1990s. It was later recorded by Solomon Burke and Wilson himself. The Beach Boys' recording was the last to feature lead vocals from Carl Wilson, who died in 1998.