My Epiphany: The Second Single Should Be.....

[Ron]

Guys, I hate to do it.  I'm going to have to do a 180 on you.  Sorry about the fresh topic too, but I think this is worth discussion on it's own outside of the standard threads...

The second single from the album should be "Spring Vacation". 


Shock.  Horror.  How deaf is he? 

I had an epiphany while driving home tonight....   When I first heard the album, I thought "Damn, those lyrics are as bad as I thought" on Spring Vacation.  The "Spring Vacation/Good Vibrations" thing was just so godawful bad that I couldn't stand it.  That Mike would once again do something that cheezy just irritated me to no end.  Early today, I opined about how the beach Boys should have caleld it "Summer Vacation".... because a Spring Vacation is typically something that high schoolers take away from school, and go to the beach.  That Mike Love would sing about something like that was just so stupid, because hell he's a senior citizen!  He gets a social security check, who is he trying to fool?  He hasn't been on Spring Break since he was 16!

So in another thread, everybody was talking about Kokomo, and the inevitable argument surfaced about artistic merit, versus general crowd satisfaction.  A DJ mentioned how the only Beach Boys song he gets asked for is Kokomo.  We all talked about how the song's not that bad, and how I remember seeing it on Full House as a kid.  How Mike's stank is all over the song, so people don't like it because of it's fake carribean vibe.  If the song is so bad, though.... why did it sell so well?  What's the deal?

So tonight, driving home, I decided to listen to Spring Vacation again.  I really like the song's composition, I think it's really clever and has a nice progression, the vocals are done really well, I just couldn't get past those lyrics in the chorus. 

What is a single for?  It's to sell as many possible copies of the single, and the album that the single's contained on.  It's not to inspire us.  It's not to impress us; most singles are bought by teenagers.  So I listened to the song, thinking back to when I was 16 or 17, headed the Beach to hang out with my friends, driving around with whatever little girl I was trying to get close to... worrying about gas money, and if her parents were going to get mad if we got home late, etc.

All this with the song playing in the background... and it hit me.  Mike's not singing a song about himself.  He's singing a song for the kids.  He's not going on vacation.  We are.  With that simple realization... the song now sounds great!  LOL!  I cannot believe this. 

ITS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE ON THE ALBUM!

To kids who still are at the age to actually GO on Spring Vacation, Im' sure 70 year old Mike Love isn't too cool to them.  Everything he's singing about is, though.  The structure of the song was signed off on by Mr. Brian Wilson, by all accounts one of the greatest producers that ever lived.  That Mike wrote some stupid, simple, catchy, "spring vacation" lyrics in 5 minutes is a testament to how great of a pop songwriter he is.  Earlier I was talking about how I'd change the lyrics in the chorus, I even provided an example... all to get rid of the "Good Vibrations" line.  That's probably the best part on a cheesy song like this!  Kids don't know a damn thing about the Beach Boys except they sang Good Vibrations, half of them have probably never even heard the song.  They've never heard Mike do something like that before, they'd probably think it clever as hell that he mentioned one of his other songs in it.  Mike's been waiting 20 years for Brian to ask him to write a song in 5 minutes.   

Have you heard the stuff on the radio right now?  IT WOULD FIT RIGHT IN!  I can't believe I was stupid enough to think I could write better than Mike Love.  If you want a well written, artistically viable song, go hire Van Dyke Parks.  If you want something that has even the slightest chance of getting played on the radio today... hire somebody who's not afraid to be cheesy like Mike Love. 



Now I know not everybody is going to agree with this, hell I didn't until a few minutes ago.  The Beach Boys should release as their next single "Spring Vacation" and they ought to do it quick.  If you listen to the song with young ears, and not our old, jaded, heard-it-all-before ears... it's pretty damn good. 

[Eireannach]

I agree that it could be a great second single, but I kind of saw the whole chorus as a metaphor the the reunification of the band, the tour starting this spring, the fact that they are probably making bank for the album/tour, ain't life funny?

[Ron]

Possible Double Entendre there, yes. 

[Eireannach]

I also think the song is catchy as hell and could totally imagine it being on the radio right now.

[Ron]

I feel kind of foolish for not catching that to the average "I thought these guys were dead" listener, it's probably lyrically fine.  Mike sounds in really good form on it, too. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

Again, I agree with you, Ron, about "Spring vacation". I love the song.

It is so cool hearing a 2012 Mike Love lead vocal on a Beach Boys' song, and I think the general listening public would agree. Music fans will always welcome The Beach Boys back. Bruce and especially Brian are also outstanding. I know it's cliche, but the song does have that positivity, and that hook, wow.

Hey, summer doesn't officially begin until June 20, so what the heck!

[oldsurferdude]

Guys, I hate to do it.  I'm going to have to do a 180 on you.  Sorry about the fresh topic too, but I think this is worth discussion on it's own outside of the standard threads...

The second single from the album should be "Spring Vacation". 


Shock.  Horror.  How deaf is he? 

I had an epiphany while driving home tonight....   When I first heard the album, I thought "Damn, those lyrics are as bad as I thought" on Spring Vacation.  The "Spring Vacation/Good Vibrations" thing was just so godawful bad that I couldn't stand it.  That Mike would once again do something that cheezy just irritated me to no end.  Early today, I opined about how the beach Boys should have caleld it "Summer Vacation".... because a Spring Vacation is typically something that high schoolers take away from school, and go to the beach.  That Mike Love would sing about something like that was just so stupid, because hell he's a senior citizen!  He gets a social security check, who is he trying to fool?  He hasn't been on Spring Break since he was 16!

So in another thread, everybody was talking about Kokomo, and the inevitable argument surfaced about artistic merit, versus general crowd satisfaction.  A DJ mentioned how the only Beach Boys song he gets asked for is Kokomo.  We all talked about how the song's not that bad, and how I remember seeing it on Full House as a kid.  How Mike's stank is all over the song, so people don't like it because of it's fake carribean vibe.  If the song is so bad, though.... why did it sell so well?  What's the deal?

So tonight, driving home, I decided to listen to Spring Vacation again.  I really like the song's composition, I think it's really clever and has a nice progression, the vocals are done really well, I just couldn't get past those lyrics in the chorus. 

What is a single for?  It's to sell as many possible copies of the single, and the album that the single's contained on.  It's not to inspire us.  It's not to impress us; most singles are bought by teenagers.  So I listened to the song, thinking back to when I was 16 or 17, headed the Beach to hang out with my friends, driving around with whatever little girl I was trying to get close to... worrying about gas money, and if her parents were going to get mad if we got home late, etc.

All this with the song playing in the background... and it hit me.  Mike's not singing a song about himself.  He's singing a song for the kids.  He's not going on vacation.  We are.  With that simple realization... the song now sounds great!  LOL!  I cannot believe this. 

ITS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE ON THE ALBUM!

To kids who still are at the age to actually GO on Spring Vacation, Im' sure 70 year old Mike Love isn't too cool to them.  Everything he's singing about is, though.  The structure of the song was signed off on by Mr. Brian Wilson, by all accounts one of the greatest producers that ever lived.  That Mike wrote some stupid, simple, catchy, "spring vacation" lyrics in 5 minutes is a testament to how great of a pop songwriter he is.  Earlier I was talking about how I'd change the lyrics in the chorus, I even provided an example... all to get rid of the "Good Vibrations" line.  That's probably the best part on a cheesy song like this!  Kids don't know a damn thing about the Beach Boys except they sang Good Vibrations, half of them have probably never even heard the song.  They've never heard Mike do something like that before, they'd probably think it clever as hell that he mentioned one of his other songs in it.  Mike's been waiting 20 years for Brian to ask him to write a song in 5 minutes.   

Have you heard the stuff on the radio right now?  IT WOULD FIT RIGHT IN!  I can't believe I was stupid enough to think I could write better than Mike Love.  If you want a well written, artistically viable song, go hire Van Dyke Parks.  If you want something that has even the slightest chance of getting played on the radio today... hire somebody who's not afraid to be cheesy like Mike Love. 



Now I know not everybody is going to agree with this, hell I didn't until a few minutes ago.  The Beach Boys should release as their next single "Spring Vacation" and they ought to do it quick.  If you listen to the song with young ears, and not our old, jaded, heard-it-all-before ears... it's pretty damn good. 

Oh my, drinkin' again.

[Runaways]

i'm glad they put "FTTBA" out on the internet through rolling stone.  that actually got people talking.  They're not gonna have a Kokomo again, not with this radio, so there's no point trying to duplicate the moment.  but it's an interesting idea, i wouldn't be surprised if they release it at some point this summer

[Eric Aniversario]

I started a thread on this last week, suggesting the same thing, and it was pretty much universally slammed by everybody.  I think people are starting to hear what we are hearing.  It definitely has potential, particularly on AC radio.  It's not my favorite on the album, but it probably is second to "From There To Back Again".

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13090.0.html