Still Cruisin' (song)

Last updated
"Still Cruisin'"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album Still Cruisin'
B-side "Kokomo"
ReleasedJuly 7, 1989
Recorded1988
Genre Pop rock
Length3:35
Label Capitol Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Terry Melcher
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Kokomo"
(1988)
"Still Cruisin'"
(1989)
"Somewhere Near Japan"
(1990)

"Still Cruisin'" is a song written by Mike Love and Terry Melcher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1989 album Still Cruisin' and reached number 11 in Austria, number 28 in Australia and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Contents

Recording

The song includes the vocals of Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston. The only then-active Beach Boys member not included in the recording was Brian Wilson. The main recording was done at Al Jardine's Red Barn Studios in Big Sur, Calif. The guitars, bass & solo were played by Los Angeles studio musician, Craig Trippan Fall. The programming, including drums/keyboards were done by Keith Wechsler, who also was the engineer on the Still Cruisin' album, and the Summer in Paradise album.

Promotional video

VH-1 participated in the development of the promotional video for "Still Cruisin'" to help promote a Chevrolet Corvette giveaway for their then-young cable channel. The video included four members of the Beach Boys singing the song at a concert with cutaways to several versions of the Corvette. Although Brian Wilson did not participate in the recording of "Still Crusin'", he did make a brief cameo appearance in the video: driving in his Corvette in silhouette during part of the intro, and during the lyrics "...paradise by the sea...", Brian is sitting on the oceanside and turns to the camera. These shots, alongside additional shots of Brian in his house playing the keyboard, were also intended to be part of a music video for "In My Car", also from the same album and also intended for Chevrolet promotion,[ citation needed ] which was ultimately scrapped for "Still Cruisin'".

Personnel

The Beach Boys
Additional musicians

Live versions

During the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour Al Jardine took over on Carl Wilson's original "When We Go Cruisin'.." line.

Chart positions

ChartPeak
position
Australian Singles Chart [1] 28
Austrian Singles Chart [2] 11
Canada Top Singles55
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary7
German Singles Chart51
UK Singles78
US Billboard Hot 10093
US Billboard Adult Contemporary9
US Gavin Report Adult Contemporary4
US Radio & Records Adult Contemporary5

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Wilson</span> American musician (1946–1998)

Carl Dean Wilson was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's de facto leader in the early to mid-1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Jardine</span> American musician (born 1942)

Alan Charles Jardine is an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist, background vocalist, and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), "Then I Kissed Her" (1965), "Cottonfields" (1970), and a cover of the Del-Vikings’ "Come Go with Me" (1981). His song "Lady Lynda" was also a UK top 10 hit for the group in 1978. Other Beach Boys songs that feature Jardine on lead include "I Know There's an Answer" (1966), “Vegetables" (1967), a cover of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” (1978), and "From There to Back Again" (2012).

<i>Keepin the Summer Alive</i> 1980 studio album by The Beach Boys

Keepin' the Summer Alive is the 24th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 24, 1980, on Brother, Caribou and CBS Records. Produced by Bruce Johnston, the album peaked at number 75 in the US, during a chart stay of 6 weeks, and number 54 in the UK. It is the group's last album recorded with Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983, although he only appears on one song.

<i>Summer in Paradise</i> 1992 studio album by the Beach Boys

Summer in Paradise is the twenty-seventh studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on August 3, 1992, by Brother Records. Produced by Terry Melcher, it is the only album not to feature any new contributions from Brian Wilson, and has been regarded as the band's critical and commercial low point, failing to chart in either the US or UK and receiving almost unanimously negative reviews. In North America, it was the group's first album to be released only on CD and cassette, with a rare vinyl pressing released only in South Korea. The Beach Boys did not record another album of predominately original material until That's Why God Made the Radio in 2012. Summer in Paradise was left out of Capitol's Beach Boys CD reissue campaign of 2000 to 2001, as well as all other reissues for most of the group's discography. Both it and its predecessor, Still Cruisin', are currently out of print. Summer in Paradise, along with Still Cruisin, were pulled from later re-releases due to poor public reception.

<i>Stars and Stripes Vol. 1</i> 1996 studio album by The Beach Boys and various artists

Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is the 28th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on August 19, 1996, by River North Records. Produced by Joe Thomas and Brian Wilson, Stars and Stripes is a collaborative album between the Beach Boys and various country acts.

<i>Still Cruisin</i> 1989 studio album by The Beach Boys

Still Cruisin' is the twenty-sixth studio album by the Beach Boys, their thirty-fifth official album, and their last release of the 1980s. It is also the last album of new material released during a brief return to Capitol Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kokomo (song)</span> 1988 single by the Beach Boys

"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'. Written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love, and Terry Melcher, the song was released as a single on July 18, 1988 by Elektra Records and became a number one hit in the US and Australia. It was the band's first original top-20 single in 20 years and their first number-one hit in 22 years as well as their final top 40 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do It Again (The Beach Boys song)</span> 1968 single by Beach Boys

"Do It Again" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was released as a standalone single on July 8, 1968. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love as a self-conscious callback to the group's earlier surf image, which they had not embraced since 1964. Love and Wilson also share the lead vocal on the song.

"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert that was first recorded by the Regents as "Barbara-Ann". Their version was released in 1961 and reached No.13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A more well-known version of the song was recorded by the Beach Boys for their 1965 in-house live album Beach Boys' Party! In December, "Barbara Ann" was issued as a single with the B-side "Girl Don't Tell Me", peaking at No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 3 in the UK. The Regents' original version was featured in the 1973 film American Graffiti and later included on the soundtrack album.

<i>Songs from Here & Back</i> 2006 live album by The Beach Boys

Songs from Here & Back is a 2006 live album by The Beach Boys released through Hallmark Gold Crown Stores and only available for two months. The album contains nine never-before-released live recordings, as well as three solo studio recordings, one new recording each by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and a previously released Al Jardine song. The live tracks were recorded in 1989 except "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations" which are from 1974.

"Somewhere Near Japan" is a song written for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1989 album Still Cruisin'.

<i>The Smile Sessions</i> 2011 compilation album and box set by the Beach Boys

The Smile Sessions is a compilation album and box set recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 31, 2011, by Capitol Records. The set is the follow-up to The Pet Sounds Sessions (1997), this time focusing on the abandoned recordings from the band's unfinished 1966–1967 album Smile. It features comprehensive session highlights and outtakes, with the first 19 tracks comprising a hypothetical version of the completed Smile album.

<i>Made in U.S.A.</i> (The Beach Boys album) 1986 greatest hits album by The Beach Boys

Made in U.S.A. is a 1986 double vinyl album compilation of some of The Beach Boys' biggest successes. Released by their original record label, Capitol Records, it marked a brief return to the label, with whom The Beach Boys released one further album, 1989's Still Cruisin'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 50th Reunion Tour</span> 2012 concert tour by the Beach Boys

The 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour was a 2012 world concert tour by the American rock band the Beach Boys. The tour marked the first time since 1982 that founding member Brian Wilson had consistently performed on a full tour with the band. The tour also marked the first time that the Beach Boys had played at the Hollywood Bowl since 1967, having sold it out both times.

<i>Thats Why God Made the Radio</i> 2012 studio album by the Beach Boys

That's Why God Made the Radio is the twenty-ninth and most recent studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 5, 2012, on Capitol Records. Produced by Brian Wilson, the album was recorded to coincide with the band's 50th anniversary. It is their first studio album since 1996's Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, the first album to feature original material since Summer in Paradise in 1992, their first album to feature guitarist and backing vocalist David Marks since Little Deuce Coupe in 1963, and their first album since the 1998 death of co-founder Carl Wilson.

<i>Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour</i> 2013 live album by The Beach Boys

Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour is a live album by the Beach Boys released on May 21, 2013. The album was recorded during the band's 50th anniversary reunion tour.

<i>A Postcard from California</i> 2010 studio album by Al Jardine

A Postcard from California is the debut solo studio album by American musician and co-founder of the Beach Boys, Al Jardine. For the album, Jardine recruited several music icons including several former Beach Boys bandmates, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, David Marks, Bruce Johnston, and Carl Wilson, as well as Glen Campbell, America, Steve Miller, Flea, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. The album also contains several unreleased Beach Boys songs, including "Don't Fight the Sea", "Lookin' Down the Coast", "California Feelin'", and "And I Always Will." "Don't Fight the Sea" includes parts of a Beach Boys' recording, while "Lookin' Down the Coast", "California Feelin'", and "And I Always Will" are re-recordings. "Tidepool Interlude" features a spoken word piece written by former Beach Boys collaborator Stephen Kalinich and performed by actor Alec Baldwin.

"Don't Fight the Sea" is a song written by Terry Jacks and released as a single in 1976, reaching #31 on the Canadian Charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Jardine</span> American musician (born 1966)

Matthew Alan Jardine is an American musician, best known for his work as a vocalist and percussionist for the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. He is the son of original Beach Boy Al Jardine.

<i>The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra</i> 2018 remix album by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a 2018 album of remixed Beach Boys recordings with new orchestral arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, who conducted similar projects for Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley.

References

  1. "australian-charts.com The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  2. "austriancharts.at The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved April 14, 2013.