Little Bird (The Beach Boys song)

Last updated
"Little Bird"
Little Bird Beach Boys.jpeg
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album Friends
A-side "Friends"
ReleasedApril 8, 1968
RecordedFebruary 29, 1968
Studio Beach Boys Studio, Los Angeles
Length1:57
Label Capitol
Songwriters
Producer The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Darlin'"
(1967)		"Little Bird"
(1968)		"Do It Again"
(1968)

"Little Bird" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1968 album Friends . It was credited to Dennis Wilson and Stephen Kalinich, however, it was written primarily by Brian Wilson, who declined a songwriting credit. The track was placed as the B-side of the album's "Friends" single, which peaked at number 47 in the US and number 25 in the UK.[ not verified in body ]

Contents

Background

Brian recalled; "Dennis gave us 'Little Bird' which blew my mind because it was so full of spiritualness. He was a late bloomer as a music maker. He lived hard and rough but his music was as sensitive as anyone's." [1] The outro of "Little Bird" features music reworked from Brian's unfinished 1966 composition "Child Is Father of the Man", originally intended for the Smile album. [2] Brian's contribution remains uncredited. [3]

According to Kalinich, Brian rewrote virtually all of the composition. "I always claimed Brian wrote the bridge and changed my words around, but he also changed the whole melody. I talked to Brian recently and he said, 'Well, I touched it up, arranged it and produced it.' So he calls that an arrangement, but it's really a rewrite. Brian didn't take credit. He was trying to help his little brother." [4] Kalinich recalls first hearing the recorded song "on an LA side walk through a payphone" outside his apartment, as he had given the Beach Boys that number, and Al Jardine called to play a preview. [5]

Reception

Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic called the song a "wonderful surprise" from Dennis: "[his] earthy ability to capture his love of the power of nature is the basis for this minor masterpiece, and along with talented collaborator Steve Kalinich, he was able to nail his emotions." [6]

Personnel

Per Craig Slowinski. [7] [ full citation needed ]

The Beach Boys

Session musicians

Cover versions

References

  1. ↑ Leaf, David (1990). Friends / 20/20 (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
  2. ↑ Chidester, Brian (March 7, 2014). "Busy Doin' Somethin': Uncovering Brian Wilson's Lost Bedroom Tapes". Paste . Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  3. ↑ Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. ISBN   978-1-59486-320-2.
  4. ↑ Dillon 2012, p. 161.
  5. ↑ Tuschinski, Alexander (13 September 2020). "Poetry, The Beach Boys and the Arts – An Interview with Stephen Kalinich". postmondaen.net. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Greenwalk, Matthew. "Little Bird review". AllMusic .
  7. ↑ Endless Summer Quarterly, Spring 2018 Edition
  8. ↑ "Watch/Listen: Of Montreal – "Little Bird" (Beach Boys Cover) | Beats per Minute". 19 November 2012.

Bibliography

Further reading

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