I Get Around

Infobox Single
Name = I Get Around


Cover size =
Caption =
Artist = The Beach Boys
Album = All Summer Long
A-side =
B-side = "Don't Worry Baby"
Released = May 11, 1964
Format = Vinyl
Recorded = Western Studios
April 2, 1964
April 10, 1964
Genre = Pop
Length = 2:12
Label = Capitol 5174
Writer = Wilson/Love
Producer = Brian Wilson
Certification =
Last single = "Fun, Fun, Fun"/"Why Do Fools Fall In Love"
(1964)
This single = "I Get Around"/"Don’t Worry Baby"
(1964)
Next single = "When I Grow Up (to be a man)"/"She Knows Me Too Well"
(1964)
Misc =Extra track listing
Album = All Summer Long
Type = studio
Tracks = #"I Get Around"
#"All Summer Long"
#"Hushabye"
#"Little Honda"
#"We'll Run Away"
#"Carl's Big Chance"
#"Wendy"
#"Do You Remember?"
#"Girls on the Beach"
#"Drive-In"
#"Our Favorite Recording Sessions"
#"Don't Back Down"Extra track listing
Album = Beach Boys' Party!
Type = studio
Length = 3:12 (medley)
Tracks = #"Hully Gully"
#"I Should Have Known Better"
#"Tell Me Why"
#"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"
#"Mountain of Love"
#"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
#"Devoted to You"
#"Alley Oop"
#"There's No Other (Like My Baby)"
#"Medley:I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe"
#"The Times They Are a-Changin' "
#"Barbara Ann"

"I Get Around" is a song written by Brian Wilson and his cousin Mike Love. The song features Brian Wilson and Mike Love on lead vocals and is noteworthy for its back to front structure - it starts with a chorus and has two short verses. It was a single which was released by The Beach Boys in 1964 through Capitol Records. The B-side of the single was "Don’t Worry Baby", which itself charted at number twenty-four in the United States. It was The Beach Boys' first number-one hit song in the United States. The single also charted at number seven in the United Kingdom, which was the band's first United Kingdom top ten hit single. The song's first album release was on "All Summer Long" in 1964.

Composition

In November 1969, the Wilson's father Murry Wilson, sold the copyrights to the band's songs to Irving Almo for approximately $700,000. [http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/1969.html Beach Boys Timeline - 1969] ] Many years later in April 1992, just after Brian Wilson had won a lawsuit which recovered many of the copyrights to his songs, Mike Love filed a lawsuit against Brian Wilson claiming that he had not been given credit, and therefore hadn't received royalties, on over thirty of the band's songs, many of them hit singles. [http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/1992.html Beach Boys Timeline - 1992] ] One of these songs was "I Get Around". The original credit only credited Wilson, but Love insisted that he had a hand in writing the lyrics. In an interview with Goldmine, published September 18, 1992, Love insisted that he and not Wilson "came up with 'round round get around'". Mike Love won the lawsuit and the song-writing credit was amended, therefore ensuring future royalties on all of the songs that he had claimed he had a hand in writing.

Recording

As far as researchers can gather the instrumental track was recorded on April 2, 1964. The session, produced by Brian Wilson, was also notable as being the session that most likely saw the sacking of the band's manager and the Wilson's father, Murry Wilson. The bed instrumental track of the song without any instrumental overdubs was released on the 1993 five disc box set "".

The vocals were recorded during a session eight days later on April 10. The lead vocal features Mike Love on the verses and Brian Wilson on the choruses with backing vocals from Brian, Carl & Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Alan Jardine.

Single release

The "I Get Around" single backed with "Don't Worry Baby" was released in the United States on May 11, 1964. The single entered the "Billboard" chart on June 6 at #17.cite book |first=Keith |last=Badman |title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio |year=2004 |pages=59] The song reached the #1 spot on the "Billboard" charts on July 4, replacing "A World Without Love" by Peter and Gordon and thus becoming the band's first #1 hit in the United States. The song remained at #1 for two weeks before being replaced by "Rag Doll" by The Four Seasons. The single also reached #1 on the United States "Variety" charts on July 1.cite book |first=Keith |last=Badman |title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio |year=2004 |pages=59]

Released in June 1964 in the United Kingdom the single peaked at #7 on the "Record Retailer" chart and thus becoming the band's first top ten hit in the United Kingdom. According to some sources, Mick Jagger, when appearing on the U.K. television show Ready Steady Go!, stated that he thought the song was a great record. This most likely played a part in boosting the singles success, while also helping the band become more popular in the United Kingdom.

In Germany the single peaked at #38 on the "Hit Bilanz" chartcite book |first=Keith |last=Badman |title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio |year=2004 |pages=62] , which was only the band's second single to chart in Germany. [http://www.mountvernonandfairway.de/charts9.htm German Singles Charts] ] The single was the band's first charting single in the Netherlands, charting at #38 on the Netherlands singles charts. [http://www.mountvernonandfairway.de/charts6.htm Dutch Singles Charts] ] The single also reached the top 10 in both the Canadian and Swedish singles charts, peaking at #10 in both countries. [http://www.mountvernonandfairway.de/charts8.htm Canadian Singles Charts] ] [http://www.mountvernonandfairway.de/charts1.htm Swedish Singles Charts] ]

Album and alternate releases

The song was first released on an album in 1964 on the band's "All Summer Long" album. In the following year, the band re-recorded the song as a medley along with "Little Deuce Coupe" for their 1965 "Beach Boys' Party!" album. The medley was a send-up of the original recording. The mock recording replaces lyrics such as "we always take my car cause it's never been beat" with "we always take my car although it's a heap". The original recording of the song was later re-released on the band's 1989 studio album "Still Cruisin'". On the 1996 country styled studio release "Stars and Stripes Vol. 1" the band re-recorded the song for the album which featured country band Sawyer Brown as guests on the track who played several of the instruments on the recording as well as featuring a lead vocal by band member Mark Miller. The harmonies on the re-recorded track were provided by Brian & Carl Wilson, Alan & Matt Jardine, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston.

The song frequently appears on many of the groups Greatest Hits compilations including the 1974 #1 hit compilation album "Endless Summer"; the 1999 compilation '; the 2002 compilation "Classics Selected by Brian Wilson", which was hand-picked by Brian Wilson himself; the 2003 compilation ' as well as the 1993 box set "".

Live versions

After the song became the band's first United States number one hit song, it immediately became a regular in The Beach Boys live set. During the band's first British tour in 1964, they performed this song as well as "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" on their first television appearance in Britain on Ready Steady Go! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCYouoLKxjo The Beach Boys Live on Ready Steady Go! in 1964] ] Several live renditions of the song have been officially released on various Beach Boys releases. It was first released on their first live album "Beach Boys Concert" in 1964. A concert from Anaheim Stadium on July 3, 1976 which featured the song was filmed and produced by Lorne Michaels for a Beach Boys television special which first aired in the United States in August, 1976. The TV special was later released on video and DVD as "Good Vibrations Tour". In 1980, a live rendition was recorded, though not released until 2002 on the "" live album. Footage from the concert was also released on video and DVD format. Another live recording of the song from a concert in 1989 was released on the 2006 album Songs from Here & Back.

Cover versions

* Knights in 1964
* The Catalinas in 1964
* The Surfriders in 1967
* Langley Schools Music Project in 1977
* Bakersfield Boogie Boys in 1980
* Papa Doo Run Run on their 1985 album "California Project"
* Papa-O in 1994
* Trygve Thue in 1994
* Brian Wilson on his 2001 live album "Live at the Roxy Theatre".
* John B. & The Surfin´ Safaris in 2002
* Pennywise
* Red Hot Chili Peppers, performed in concert in 2004
* Evan and Jaron also sang a cover version at "An All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson" in 2001, which was later released on DVD.
* The UK oompah band Oompah Brass [http://www.oompahbrass.com] recorded an oompah version of "I Get Around" on their album Oompocalypse Now (2008) [http://www.oompahbrass.com/Oompah_Brass/CD.html] .

Cultural references

The first film in which the song appeared was the 1984 film Surf II. The song was later featured in two films in 1987, both Good Morning, Vietnam and The Big Bang. Two years later the song was used in the 1989 film Look Who's Talking. The 1990 film Downtown also used the song during the movie. It was also featured in the 1997 film Bean. It was again used in the 1999 film Three Kings. More recently the song was used in the 2000 film Last Resort. [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1809161623 The Beach Boys Filmography] ] The song also featured on the Disney Sci-Fi film Flight of the Navigator

A version of the song was featured on various Hoveround advertisements, advertising electronically powered wheelchairs. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC8x4UdSi50 Hoveround Commercial] ]

In one episode of The Muppet Show, Ms. Piggy along with other pig members of the cast, sing this song while riding Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Charts

References

See also

*List of songs by The Beach Boys