Fun, Fun, Fun
Encyclopedia
"Fun, Fun, Fun", written by Brian Wilson
and Mike Love
, was a hit single by The Beach Boys
that was released in 1964 on the band's album Shut Down Volume 2
.
(not to be confused with the call letters now assigned to a station in Delta, Utah) where she worked as a teenager. She borrowed her father's Ford Thunderbird
to go study at the library. Instead of driving to the library, she ended up at a hamburger stand. When her father found out, he took the car away. The next day she was at the radio station complaining about it to the staff while The Beach Boys were visiting and they were inspired to write this song.
Murry Wilson
, the father of the Wilson brothers, denounced the whole idea for the song as immoral, and tried to prevent the group from recording it. The song, backed by a single-only mix of a cover version of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall In Love
", became a top-five hit. This eventually led to Murry's removal as manager a few months later when "I Get Around" was about to become the band's first number-one single.
The opening electric guitar
introduction of the original version of the song was based on Chuck Berry
's Johnny B. Goode
, which was released in 1958, which anyone can tell as being the case, simply by listening to both songs.
. The song features Mike Love on lead vocals.
The stereo and mono mixes stem from the same recording but have a significant difference: the fadeout on the stereo mix fades out early into the song's outro, with the instruments fading away before the vocals (and an overdubbed drum part). The mono mix, as heard on the 45 as well as mono copies of Shut Down Volume 2 has an extended outro.
In the United Kingdom, the single was released in March 1964 through Capitol Records
. However, the single failed to chart. In Australia
, the single peaked at the number 6 position, which was the band's highest charting single in Australia at that time. In West Germany
, the single became their first single to chart in the country when it peaked at the number 49 position. According to various national charts published in Billboard through the Sixties, the single peaked at number 4 in The Philippines (February 1965) with thirteen weeks in its top 10, and spent four weeks at number 3 in Hong Kong (December 1965) with ten weeks in its top 10.
In February 1996, the Status Quo version of the song, featuring The Beach Boys, was released under Polygram Records as a single in the United Kingdom. The single, featuring another artist on the B-side, peaked at the number 24 position on the charts.
The song was covered in 1996 by the then-current lineups of The Beach Boys and Status Quo (see Don't Stop
), with a new verse written for the song. The Beach Boys sang mainly backing vocals, with Status Quo's Francis Rossi
performing the lead vocal for the entire song, except the new verse, which was sung by Mike Love. The instrumental track was released on the 2001 album Hawthorne, CA.
The song is also regularly released on many of the band's greatest hits albums, including the 1974 chart topping compilation Endless Summer; the 1986 compilation Made in U.S.A.
; the 1993 box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
; the 1999 compilation The Greatest Hits - Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations
; and the 2003 compilation Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys
.
in 1964 as the opening track. It was later released on their 1973 live album The Beach Boys in Concert
as the album closer. 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 Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980
live album. Footage from the concert was also released on video and DVD format. The band also performed a live version of the song at the NBC Television Studios in Burbank, California
, which was filmed on March 14, 1964. Footage of the concert was later released on the DVD The Lost Concert.
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
, was a hit single by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
that was released in 1964 on the band's album Shut Down Volume 2
Shut Down Volume 2
Shut Down Volume 2 is the fifth studio album by The Beach Boys, and the first of four they would release in 1964. The album's "Volume 2" refers to it being a follow-up to the 1963 hot rod compilation Shut Down, released by the band's label, Capitol Records, which included "409" and "Shut Down" but...
.
Composition
The song was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love about Shirley England, the daughter of the owner of radio station KNAK in Salt Lake City, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
(not to be confused with the call letters now assigned to a station in Delta, Utah) where she worked as a teenager. She borrowed her father's Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
to go study at the library. Instead of driving to the library, she ended up at a hamburger stand. When her father found out, he took the car away. The next day she was at the radio station complaining about it to the staff while The Beach Boys were visiting and they were inspired to write this song.
Murry Wilson
Murry Wilson
Murry Gage Wilson was an American musician and record producer, best remembered as the father of The Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson, uncle of bandmate Mike Love, and the husband of Audree Wilson...
, the father of the Wilson brothers, denounced the whole idea for the song as immoral, and tried to prevent the group from recording it. The song, backed by a single-only mix of a cover version of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is a song that was originally a hit for early New York City-based rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers in 1956. It reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 6 on Billboards Pop Singles chart, and number one on the UK Singles Chart...
", became a top-five hit. This eventually led to Murry's removal as manager a few months later when "I Get Around" was about to become the band's first number-one single.
The opening electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
introduction of the original version of the song was based on Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's Johnny B. Goode
Johnny B. Goode
"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
, which was released in 1958, which anyone can tell as being the case, simply by listening to both songs.
Recording
The song was recorded on January 1, 1964, at Western Recorders. The instrumental track was released on the 2001 archival release Hawthorne, CAHawthorne, CA (album)
Hawthorne, CA, subtitled Birthplace of a Musical Legacy, is the second anthology collection by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records...
. The song features Mike Love on lead vocals.
The stereo and mono mixes stem from the same recording but have a significant difference: the fadeout on the stereo mix fades out early into the song's outro, with the instruments fading away before the vocals (and an overdubbed drum part). The mono mix, as heard on the 45 as well as mono copies of Shut Down Volume 2 has an extended outro.
Single release
The "Fun, Fun, Fun" single backed with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" was released in the United States in February 1964. The single peaked at the number 5 spot on the Billboard chart.In the United Kingdom, the single was released in March 1964 through Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. However, the single failed to chart. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the single peaked at the number 6 position, which was the band's highest charting single in Australia at that time. In West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, the single became their first single to chart in the country when it peaked at the number 49 position. According to various national charts published in Billboard through the Sixties, the single peaked at number 4 in The Philippines (February 1965) with thirteen weeks in its top 10, and spent four weeks at number 3 in Hong Kong (December 1965) with ten weeks in its top 10.
In February 1996, the Status Quo version of the song, featuring The Beach Boys, was released under Polygram Records as a single in the United Kingdom. The single, featuring another artist on the B-side, peaked at the number 24 position on the charts.
Album and alternate releases
The song was first released on an album in the United States in March 1964 on the band's Shut Down Volume 2 album. In the United Kingdom the album was released in July 1964, and it was only the band's second album to be issued in the UK (as opposed to the fifth album in the U.S.) The song was also released in Britain on the Fun, Fun, Fun EP which included both "Fun, Fun, Fun" & "In My Room" on the A-side and "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" on the B-side. The EP charted at the number 19 position.The song was covered in 1996 by the then-current lineups of The Beach Boys and Status Quo (see Don't Stop
Don't Stop (Status Quo album)
Don't Stop is the twenty-second studio album by English rock band Status Quo. The album of cover versions includes guest appearances from Tessa Niles on tracks 6 and 14, The Beach Boys on track 1, Brian May of Queen fame on track 7 and Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span fame on track 15.Fun, Fun, Fun,...
), with a new verse written for the song. The Beach Boys sang mainly backing vocals, with Status Quo's Francis Rossi
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
performing the lead vocal for the entire song, except the new verse, which was sung by Mike Love. The instrumental track was released on the 2001 album Hawthorne, CA.
The song is also regularly released on many of the band's greatest hits albums, including the 1974 chart topping compilation Endless Summer; the 1986 compilation Made in U.S.A.
Made in U.S.A. (album)
Made in U.S.A. is a 1986 double vinyl album compilation of some of The Beach Boys' biggest successes. Released by their original label, Capitol Records, it marked a brief return to the label, with whom The Beach Boys released one further album, 1989's Still Cruisin.Featuring a number of their...
; the 1993 box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys is a 1993 boxed set released by Capitol Records which collects tracks spanning The Beach Boys' entire career to that point on four CDs. A fifth disc contains mostly studio session tracks, complete vocal and instrumental tracks, and rare live...
; the 1999 compilation The Greatest Hits - Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations
The Greatest Hits - Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations
The Greatest Hits – Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations is a 1999 single disc compilation by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records. Initially, the collection was released in 1995 without its volume number and with a slight difference in sequencing...
; and the 2003 compilation Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys
Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys
Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys is a 2003 compilation of music by The Beach Boys released through Capitol Records. This collection is the most expansive compilation ever issued of their music, with 30 tracks clocking in at over 76 minutes and grabbing nearly every US Top 40 hit of...
.
Live versions
After the song was released it immediately became a regular in The Beach Boys live set. In the early years when it was released it was sometimes used as the band's concert opener. However, in the mid-70's it regularly became the band's concert closer. 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 ConcertBeach Boys Concert
Beach Boys Concert is a live album by The Beach Boys, released in 1964. It is their seventh album in all, and their third alone in the same year...
in 1964 as the opening track. It was later released on their 1973 live album The Beach Boys in Concert
The Beach Boys in Concert
The Beach Boys in Concert is the second live album officially released in the U.S. by The Beach Boys, nine years after Beach Boys Concert . Released in late 1973, the set proved to be a healthy seller in the U...
as the album closer. 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 Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980
Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980
Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980 is a CD release of a concert performance by The Beach Boys at the aforementioned venue in June 1980...
live album. Footage from the concert was also released on video and DVD format. The band also performed a live version of the song at the NBC Television Studios in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, which was filmed on March 14, 1964. Footage of the concert was later released on the DVD The Lost Concert.
Cover versions
- Both the Boomerangs and Brendan Bower & His Royal Show Band Waterford covered the song in 1965.
- Two French covers of the song have been released by Les Missiles in 1964 and Les Excentriques in 1965 under the title "Fume, Fume, Fume".
- Dino, Desi, & BillyDino, Desi, & BillyDino, Desi & Billy was a singing group that existed between 1964 and 1969. The group featured Dean "Dino" Martin , Desi Arnaz, Jr. , and their friend Billy Hinsche...
covered the song in 1966. - In 1967 The Surfriders covered the song.
- The CarpentersThe CarpentersCarpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
did a cover of the song for their 1973 album, Now & Then. - In 1976 Adam Surf & The Pebble Beach Band covered the song.
- Papa Doo Run RunPapa Doo Run RunPapa Doo Run Run is a band from Cupertino, California, United States, that specializes in covers of songs from the heyday of surf music in the 1960s.-History:...
covered the song on their 1985 album California Project. - In 1986, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts covered the song.
- In 1987, Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
covered this song for "Tell It to the Judge," an episode of their TV seriesAlvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
. - In 2002, John B. & The Surfin' Safaris covered the song on their 2002 album A Tribute to the Beach Boys.
- In 2003, British boy band BustedBustedBusted were an English pop band consisting of members James Bourne and Matt Willis and previously Charlie Simpson who left the band in 2005. Busted split up in January 2005 after Simpson decided to leave to join his own band Fightstar. During their run, they released two studio albums, a...
covered the song as a B-side for their Number 2 single Year 3000Year 3000"Year 3000" is a pop punk song performed by English boyband Busted, released as the second single from their debut album Busted. The song was co-written by Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from the band McFly, and Busted lead guitarist James Bourne...
. - In 1993, Robin the Frog and the Frog Scouts recorded a cover for the MuppetThe MuppetsThe Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
album Muppet Beach Party. - In 1996 the British rock band Status Quo did a version of "Fun, Fun, Fun" with The Beach Boys.
- This song was performed by Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and the ensemble that performed for An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson in 2001, which was later released on DVD. - Caleigh PetersCaleigh PetersCaleigh Anne Forsyth-Peters is a pop rock musician. Born in Los Angeles, California, she is the daughter of Jon Peters and producer Christine Forsyth-Peters. Caleigh graduated from the Archer School for Girls in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California in June 2007. She is the god-daughter of Barbra...
, a pop rock musician, performed a cover of this song for the soundtrack of Herbie: Fully Loaded, a Walt Disney Pictures movie released in 2005. - In 2000, GrandaddyGrandaddyGrandaddy was an American indie rock band, formed in 1992 in Modesto, California by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch. Guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden later joined the band in 1995...
covered the song on their album The Windfall VarietalThe Windfall VarietalThe Windfall Varietal is a self-released album by American indie rock band Grandaddy, released in 2000. It first became available on their tour with Elliott Smith, beginning in October 2000....
. The track is labeled "Fun x3". - The astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
band Max QMax Q (Astronaut band)Max Q is a Houston-based rock band whose members are all astronauts. It was formed in early 1987 by Robert L. Gibson, George Nelson and Brewster Shaw. Gibson named the band after "max Q," the engineering term for the maximum dynamic pressure from the atmosphere experienced by an ascending...
covered the song for the Wake up call of the STS-134STS-134STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander...
crew. - In 2011 the Israeli satire group LatmaLatmaLatma is an Israeli media criticism website that also produces a weekly satirical news show.The website was created in 2008 by a group of journalists claiming that "the only way to improve the Public discourse is exposing the true face of the news and journalism in whole"...
did a parody version of "Fun, Fun, Fun". The version titled “Guns, guns, guns.”
Charts
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 10 |
| German Singles Chart | 49 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |