Fun Fun Fun is the greatest song ever written

[drbeachboy]

As far as being in a (however many ways) tie with other classics,
 I'd rate Fun Fun Fun as the best song ever written. It has flawless
Chuck Berry style lyrics, for sure!

It's weird. Years ago, after reading the chorus lyrics,  I never
again enjoyed I Get Around as much I used to. Real cool head?
Real good bread? I much preferred not knowing. My innocence
was lost. I could no longer sing Real coo-heee, I'm makin real-guh brehhh.. 

Well, what exactly do you think those lines mean? Because, it is probably not what you think it means. How is being a top dog making good money making you lose you innocence?

[JanBerryFarm]

I could no longer sing Real coo-heee, I'm makin real-guh brehhh..  

Just as well. Those aren't the correct words anyway. Fact is, they aren't even words at all.

[halblaineisgood]

It's kind of like how Da Doo Ron Ron works.
For me, incorrect nonsense is more appealing.
More appealing than good bread and a cool head.
Obviously, they're a bunch of cool wealthy guys.
I get it.
 

[halblaineisgood]

Fun Fun Fun:

Is that Hal + Dennis double drumming?

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

The single version is a lot better than the album mix for a few reasons:

The fade

Mike's vocal is in one channel, makes the double tracking a lot more awesome

The drums rock harder

[JanBerryFarm]

It's kind of like how Da Doo Ron Ron works.
For me, incorrect nonsense is more appealing.
More appealing than good bread and a cool head.
Obviously, they're a bunch of cool wealthy guys.
I get it.
 

 ---  to me, it always sounded like 'da doo run run'.....

 

[halblaineisgood]

It's kind of like how Da Doo Ron Ron works.
For me, incorrect nonsense is more appealing.
More appealing than good bread and a cool head.
Obviously, they're a bunch of cool wealthy guys.
I get it.
 

 ---  to me, it always sounded like 'da doo run run'.....

 that dude Ron runs. 



 

[Aegir]

Fun Fun Fun is better than God Only Knows.

one of the things I like about Fun Fun Fun is "the guys can't stand her cause she walks looks and drives like an ace now"
and then the backing vocals are
"you walk like an ace", then
"you look like an ace", then
"you drive like an ace".

[Ron]

Fun Fun Fun is the greatest song ever written. The ending is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard. I wish it went on forever.

It's a very good song, I've always marvelled at the name. 

"Bad, Bad, Bad"
"Love, Love, Love"
"Money, Money, Money"
"God, God, God"
"Life, Life, Life"
"Kiss, Kiss, Kiss"
"Live, Live, Live"
"New, New, New"
"Good, Good, Good"

my point is: such a simply genius idea, how come nobody before Brian Wilson came up with it?  The Beatles used to do the same thing, "Yesterday" for instance, nobody else thought of that?  Or "She Loves You" ?  Nobody else thought of that first? lol

The most impressive geniuses are the ones that make it look so easy.  Simple ideas; simple, brilliant concepts. 

It doesn't necessarily prove with that one song that Brian was the greatest, but it shows that he was one of the greatest.  Smokey Robinson wrote "My Girl" and "My Guy".  I guess more than anything it's clever, but Brian seemed to do it over and over again.  Writing "Don't Worry Baby" as a sequel to "Be My Baby"... getting turned down... and slightly changing the lyrics so he can sing the chorus, as a chick, to himself?  Brilliant.

Tupac was heralded as a poetic genius for writing "I Get Around" 30 years after Brian wrote "I Get Around"... "Surfer Girl" is timeless, head to a beach, find a 16 year old girl and play that song, the reaction will be the same as if you played it 50 years ago. 

Sure he did great, really complex things musically, but the brilliance in his music was there from the very beginning. 

[Ron]

Completely disagree. The lyrics to I Get Around scan so perfectly, and there's so much braggadocio there. Those lyrics have GUTS!
Fun, Fun, Fun's lyrics don't have the same wallop to me. They're cheesy. Of course, being a Beach Boys fan, I like cheesy! But, in comparison with I Get Around....

You can uncheeze the lyrics by deleting the word "Now".

"Well, she got her daddy's car, and she drove to the hamburger stand....
Seems she forgot all about the library like she'd told her old man...
and with the radio blastin' goes crusin' just as fast as she can...
And she'll have Fun, Fun, Fun till her daddy takes her T-Bird Away...."

"Well, the girls can't stand her 'cuz she walks... looks... drives like an Ace....
(You walk like an ace yeah, you walk like an ace)
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman Chariot Race....
(You look like an ace yeah, you look like an ace)
All the guys try to catch her but she leads 'em on a wild Goose Chase....
(You drive like an ace yeah, you drive like an ace)
And she'll have Fun, Fun, Fun till her daddy takes the T-Bird Away"

"Well, you knew all along that your dad was gettin' wise to you...
(You shouldn't of lied, yeah, you shouldn't of lied)
And since he took your set of keys, you've been thinkin' that your fun was all through....
(You shouldn't of lied, yeah, you shouldn't of lied)
But you can come along with me 'cuz we got a lot of things to do....
(You shouldn't of lied, yeah, you shouldn't of lied)
and we'll have Fun, Fun, Fun, now that daddy took your t-bird away."

We talked about it before on here years ago, I think he or Mike added "NOw" at the end of everything to make it more conversational.  Of course it makes the lyrics fit the melody a little better, but that's easily fixed.

[Ron]

I admit that I like I Get Arounds lyrics more. For such a goofy dude, Mike sounds awesome-"My buddies and me are getting real well known, the bad guys know us and they leave us alone".

Yeah, the bragadoccio is on another level.  Another bad-ass Mike Love swag lyric is "Well... I saved my pennies, and I saved my dimes.........."

Legendary

[Ron]

Just relistened to BBs Concert and I do think that the live v-n of Fun Fun Fun's cooler than the studio track. Not mentioning that it's faster and more entertaining imo.

Saying that, I nominate I Get Around for "The greatest early 60s song written by any artist". I emphasize the word "early" because it would be too much to call it "THE greatest 60s song" (as to call "The greatest song ever written") coz there would be released much better songs after 1964 and further, including the ones by The BBs themselves. So, anyway, I select IGA: at least it sounds more original than Fun, Fun, Fun - Chuck-influenced song with added Boys' harmonies IMO.

The way I qualify "best ever" is I just think whether or not a song's a 10.  If it is, it's in about a 200 way tie for best song ever written.  And don't pull any 11 sh*t on me, you know what I mean.

"I Get Around" is a ten, "Wouldn't it be Nice" is a ten, "God Only Knows" is a ten,.... similarly, "In My Life" is a ten, etc.

O.K. maybe we're in a 4 way tie

[Ron]

That's great, why so hostile? 

[JanBerryFarm]

That's great, why so hostile? 

No, I wasn't hostile, I've just made my statement. You know, I'm not native English speaker so IDK, maybe I used some phrase incorrectly? 

Well, I, for one, think you express yourself very well. I enjoy reading what you post, because it's worded intelligently and contains something of substance.

[GoogaMooga]

This thread is the biggest surprise for me yet. Fun Fun Fun the greatest song? Perhaps my problem with the song is that I have seen Brian live 24 times and The Beach Boys live six times, and they always end with Fun, Fun, Fun. I agree that the lyrics are brilliant, the guitar work exciting, but don't they have other songs to end with? I agree it has a permanent place in the set list, but I am just a little too familiar with it live by now, ie no more dancing to it or jumping up and down with excitement.

In short, the greatest song ever written: "Stardust" - Hoagy Carmichael
the greatest single ever produced: "Be My Baby" - Ronettes
the greatest Beach Boys song ever written - "Don't Worry Baby"

[Jon Stebbins]

Fun Fun Fun:

Is that Hal + Dennis double drumming?

Yes. Musicians credits on the track are Carl - guitars, Brian - keyboards, Dennis and Hal Blaine - drums, Al Jardine and Ray Pohlman - basses. The tambourine is probably Ron Swallow. It's been written elsewhere that Glen Campbell is on this track but according to c-man he is definitely not.

[Aegir]

what does Dennis do on drums vs. Hal?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

what does Dennis do on drums vs. Hal?

They pretty much play the exact same thing, a la Hal and Earl Palmer on Jan Berry's records.

[Rocker]

Just relistened to BBs Concert and I do think that the live v-n of Fun Fun Fun's cooler than the studio track. Not mentioning that it's faster and more entertaining imo.

.

Do you mean "In concert" ? "Beach Boys concert" uses the studio track on this (and on I Get Around) iirc