defend the indefensible: "kokomo" by the beach boys

really? who are these people?

Paul McCartney?

life isn't so boring as to have that be fascinating imo

(fwiw God Only Knows is not my favorite altho it is the best thing on Pet Sounds and it does have a special resonance. the post-Pet Sounds BB material is actually my favorite period)

^^what omar said^^

shakey mo what part of "visceral reaction" don't you understand? it has nothing to do with "contrarianism." It has to do with how this crap has sounded to me since I was eight.

"If you don't love this music, you're a contrarian!" go vote Republican with those kinds of values why don'tcha

Let's just go ahead and lay it out:

Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
Bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go
Jamaica

Off the florida keys
Theres a place called kokomo
Thats where you wanna go to get away from it all

Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
Well be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in kokomo

Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo

To martinique, that monserrat mystique

Well put out to sea
And well perfect our chemistry
By and by well defy a little bit of gravity

Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high
Way down in kokomo

Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo

Port au prince I wanna catch a glimpse

Everybody knows
A little place like kokomo
Now if you wanna go
And get away from it all
Go down to kokomo

Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to kokomo

Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to kokomo

hey J0hn I understand its no big deal - I don't think you're being deliberately contrarian cuz you have some secret aesthetic agenda a la geir or whatever. If you'll read the post I was actually responding to I was arguing that liking Kokomo is actually NOT that contrarian, because it is the BIGGEST SELLING BEACH BOYS SONG OF ALL TIME. Its only considered "contrarian" to like it in music nerd circles - like this one.

x-post

Port, au prince, I wanna catch a glimpse

cue the sax!
http://lindaryanfineart.com/art/image_105.gif

lol at Geir's "secret" aesthetic agenda

(iow Kevin John Bozelka seems to live in some universe where God Only Knows, and not Kokomo, is THE BIGGEST SELLING BEACH BOYS SONG EVER and I am curious as to what the bars are like there and who drinks in them)

x-post

yeah OK I get you, sorry to snap at you

(btw J0hn, which song of yours should I jokingly refer to as a pastiche of "Sloop John B" in order to generate maximum ire?)

Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
this is def. the best part

really? who are these people?

Well, yes, Sir McCartney and I did discuss this a few weeks ago...

I think you're under the impression that I think "God Only Knows" is more popular than "Kokomo." I never said that. But I've NEVER heard any get all moony about "Kokomo" even if they prefer it to "God Only Knows" (cue J0hn's god-like piece on Warwick). In fact, if pressed, I'd wager that THAt is one of the reasons why J0hn loves it so. And thus, the fascination factor enters.

And come on, dude. It's not like we're talking about Capt. Beefheart and Stereolab here. It's the freakin Beach Boys. You honestly think one needs to be an indie snob to adore "God Only Knows?"

Off the florida keys
Theres a place called kokomo

I'd actually feel stupid about this if it didn't say volumes about pop music (and this song in particular).

Sandals Cay (formerly called Kokomo Island) is part of the privately owned Sandals Royal Caribbean all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It became famous as the inspiration for the song "Kokomo," written by John Phillips, Mike Love, Terry Melcher, and Scott McKenzie, and performed by The Beach Boys.
It is a very small island (about an acre), and according to the Sandals Royal Caribbean website, the only amenities on the island are a Thai restaurant, a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a bar, and a secluded beach. The island caters to couples on tropical getaways.

i think i like "Still Cruisin'" better ... but "Kokomo" is pretty tight. I've never seen "Cocktail". Is "Kokomo" a credits-rolling song or is it used for a montage. Seems like a sweet montage. I can imagine it now. Anyway, "Kokomo." I'm listening to Charlie Parker right now, but in my brain, it's pure "Kokomo." The song has POWERS.

Also, Aretha's "First Snow in Kokomo."

So there you go, Kokomo is an island smaller than my parents front yard in a Sandals resort

xp to self

sloop john d.

I had always thought this was just about the worst song ever (and I am a huge Beach Boys fan) until I had the occasion to re-evaluate it when heard the Adam Green/Ben Kweller version and realized that there is actually a heartfelt song in there. (I do recommend that version).

The chorus is unforgivable but the melody is pure "Big Sur" Mike Love bliss. Some of the verses even scan OK.

Also, I hadn't realized that there was some actual private (?) island called Kokomo that might really be sublime enough to warrant a similar tribute (i.e. to that of "Big Sur"). Taken in that spirit, I can swallow it a whole lot easier.

I had previoulsy thought "Kokomo" was about the god-awful town in Indiana and therefore never understood the song any better than I could understand why Kokomo Arnold was first on about the place, other than it was his "sweet home". (First occurrence of reppin your endz?!)

Good, not great, song. Crappiest production ever, completely rubbish record. I would modestly endeavor to defend the song, as I think I have done, but not the "hit".

I quite prefer it to "Cheeseburger In Paradise" (unless you can track down the Xiu Xiu cover).

(btw J0hn, which song of yours should I jokingly refer to as a pastiche of "Sloop John B" in order to generate maximum ire?)

"Woke Up (and k)New (How Bad the Beach Boys Sucked)"

hahaha

chall-ops are responsible for this. watch out for the yellow helicopters.

"officer smith here. we need to get CSI out here. we've got several bodies in the sand. make it quick. they've got tropical drinks melting in their hands. yep. way down in kokomo. ok. over."

No one ever asked Beach Boys fan Nancy Reagan if she prefers "Kokomo" to "God Only Knows."

chall-ops/EMDs '08

Aww, thanks for the praise, Kevin JB! Just babblin' along here...

2. Did the song appear on a non-greatest hits BB album at the time? If so, which?

The album is called Still Cruisin' and it's extremely obscure (everyone just bought the soundtrack, I guess). Several tracks are re-recorded hits and IIRC there's a version of Wipe Out "featuring the Fat Boys." There's also a decent Al Jardine song called "Island Girl" (nothing to do with the Elton John song), a really good song called "In My Car" (not to be confused with the solo Brian Wilson song of the same title), and a couple other songs namechecked by me upthread.

I'd be hard-pressed to say it's a good, recommendable record, but I have nothing but fond associations with it due to childhood exposure, etc...

Does anyone know where I can get that lei'd in hawaii bootleg? I cant find it on soulseek or a torrent...

HELP

"Woke Up (and k)New (How Bad the Beach Boys Sucked)"

International Beach Boys Contrarian Blues

We'll put out to sea
And we'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity

You can't write worse lyrics than that.

Does anyone know where I can get that lei'd in hawaii bootleg?

http://warnakeysbeachboysblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/hello-all.html

I honestly didn't realize people disliked this song so much. It's fun! Probably like the most fun chorus ever!

2. Did the song appear on a non-greatest hits BB album at the time? If so, which?

The album is called Still Cruisin' and it's extremely obscure

It is pretty much a greatest hits though: two new songs, one Brian offcut credited to Eugene Landy, the Fat Boys song which had been a single, three songs they'd done for recent film soundtracks, one of which had also been a single [ie Kokomo], and three non-re-recorded old hits.

I guess the divide here is whether or not you had to withstand the song nonstop in 1988?

YES ... nonstop, and on "Full House" ... I associate this song with Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" because they were both inescapable and always seemed to be played back-to-back on the radio. The difference is that I can imagine a time in the far-off future when I might want to hear "Bad Medicine" again.

It is pretty much a greatest hits though

Well, okay, but a really weird one that has five recent, emphatically non-hit songs. If Magical Mystery Tour counts as an LP surely this does?

I probably get Kokomo in my head inadvertently more often than anything else by The Beach Boys. I don't really get the deal about them. Good Vibrations is OK but I get the idea that Wilson was just a douchebag, creeping into his girlfriend's sister's room in the middle of the night and fucking her. Dirty man.

You can't write worse lyrics than that.

PAGING PAUL WESTERBERG

Huh!? xpost

fucking weirdo

This song was awesome on an 80 degree day walking through soho with a bunch of vice magazine types with it blasting distorted out of a solar powered radio on a banana seat bike

yah that sounds awesome :/

that sounds horrible! but kind of perfect for the song.

calling a woman you are attracted to "mamma" is just fucking weird.

just because people dress like idiots doesn't mean they're not nice.

calling a woman you are attracted to "mamma" is just fucking weird.

-- Tracer Hand, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 11:57 AM (22 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

That's racist

truth bomb-bitty

http://www.kathygarver.com/mlovet.jpg
"step off, mama"

(Q)- You co-wrote "Kokomo" along with the late "Papa" John Phillips. (In 1988, The Beach Boys had their largest sales hit single, titled "Kokomo." The song, "Kokomo" was a featured in the motion picture "Cocktail" and "Kokomo" really put The Beach Boys back into the international spotlight.
Mike Love- I did indeed. John Phillips came up with the concept for the song in the verse and then I came up with the chorus. (Mike Love begins singing "Kokomo".) That was my contribution. I changed two words in the first verse and I rewrote the second verse in a little less, half a verse. So it was a true collaboration between John Phillips, myself and Terry Melcher, who produced the song. "Kokomo" went to Number One in 1988. Now that song, really, we're talking had a multigenerational appeal. It really helped to rejuvenate The Beach Boys career.