Recorded April 2 and 10, 1964
Released May 11, 1964
#1 for weeks of July 4 and 11, 1964
The Beach Boys remain one of the most misunderstood and perhaps unfairly judged musical groups in rock history. When you mention the band's name to a casual fan, they instantly will mention how they were the "Fun in the sun, surfing USA guys" or "America's Band". Ask someone who knows quite a bit more about them and they'll say "The Beach Boys, musically, rivaled The Beatles up until about 1967 due to songwriter Brian Wilson's constant determination to evolve musically beyond anyone else". I find myself strongly placed in the latter category.
Contrary to popular belief, The Beach Boys have one of the most stressful, tragic, and fascinating back-stories. From Brian Wilson's gradual descent into isolation and drug abuse due to people rejecting his finest work, to the Wilson brothers' physically abusive father/first manager Murray Wilson who Brian ended up firing during an April 1964 recording session. The song they were working on became their first chart topping hit.
"I Get Around", lyrically is primarily Mike Love's baby. Mr. Love is known both famously and infamously as the more traditionalist Beach Boy. While the Wilson brothers tried to move away from the surf/beach themes they are best known for, Mike has always had nostalgia on his mind. With that being said, his voice is a distinct part of The Beach Boys sound and you really can't picture the band without him. Of course, musically and to some extent lyrically, the song is all Brian Wilson.
By 1964, Brian had just about stopped writing songs about surfing. Even the subject of cars was soon to be gone from his tunes. "I Get Around" can be thus considered the swan song of that particular genre. The album where this song appears, (All Summer Long), was his first attempt to make an album that was all killer no filler. All of the band's previous albums are notorious for having a mix of classic tunes and kitschy throwaways.
Although Brian had not fully tapped into his songwriting genius yet, there is still plenty of magic to be found in "I Get Around". Obviously the main event on all early Beach Boys songs is the vocal arrangement. Brian's falsetto vocals in the chorus vs Mike's trademark nasally lead vocals in the verses are a pleasant contrast. Between these lead vocals, you have the five part harmonies of, (from highest to lowest), Brian and Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, and Mike, creating a sonic masterpiece that is pure euphoria.
Not that this is musically any slouch, Brian was heavily influenced by Phil Spector and this song features The Beach Boys augmented by several of Spector's favorite session musicians to create a full wall of sound. If you were to isolate just the music track alone, it would sound amazing to listen to. Add those trademark harmonies and you have yourselves something very special.
1964 ended up being a very hectic year for the band. They recorded and released 4! albums (one of them live). On top of this, they started work on a fifth album, and toured constantly. It's no surprise then that Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown near the end of the year. He would mostly not tour with the group from this point on and instead remain in the studio. This would lead to some of the most artistically brilliant songs ever made, but that's another story for another day.
Final Verdict - While I feel that the best Beach Boys song of 1964 was "Don't Worry Baby", it was "I Get Around that reached #1 and due to its incredible music and vocal arrangement, I'd say this was a much deserved hit!
Coming Up Next - "Rag Doll" by The Four Seasons.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and it's always summer here.
PS - I've decided to add any known recording and release dates for each of the songs listed. While many of these dates are unknown, I personally feel it would be neat to see just how long it took for the song to take that journey from inception to chart topper.
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