Why did the 'Add Some Music To Your Day' single fail and what if it had not?

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

One of the strengths of the board (IMO) is when it discusses the merits of the songs, which is why I like the "Rank the Tracks" threads and spent some spare time collating most of 'em (all from Smiley Smile to Holland). The consensus rankings are quite interesting, and actually make sense (most of the time)

Disagree SOOO much. It's an awful thing about the board.

I find it really depressing to see songs I'd previously just accepted as by a band I love picked apart, and given gradings...sure there have always been 'lesser songs', but to see it laid out there, making me think about it...nonsense.

And, given the right number of pints, I'd probably end up in a fist fight with anyone who knocked 'Got to know the woman'. It's FABULOUS.

[Nicko1234]

And, given the right number of pints, I'd probably end up in a fist fight with anyone who knocked 'Got to know the woman'. It's FABULOUS.

Bring it on. 

Got to Know the Woman really shouldn't have been included as they had better songs available. Underproduced and ludicrous lyrically.

[Cabinessenceking]

And, given the right number of pints, I'd probably end up in a fist fight with anyone who knocked 'Got to know the woman'. It's FABULOUS.

Bring it on. 

Got to Know the Woman really shouldn't have been included as they had better songs available. Underproduced and ludicrous lyrically.

Bring on the CHICKUN!

[halblaineisgood]

.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

And, given the right number of pints, I'd probably end up in a fist fight with anyone who knocked 'Got to know the woman'. It's FABULOUS.

Bring it on. 

Got to Know the Woman really shouldn't have been included as they had better songs available. Underproduced and ludicrous lyrically.

It's called 'fun', gramps. Lots of The Beach Boys finest moments are ludicrous. If they took themselves seriously all the time, their music would be much less enjoyable. Mike's bass vocal in this cracks me up every time. Dennis just cutting loose in the studio, having a bit of fun...it's very, very good.

As for the production- nope, it's brilliantly produced. Love the backing vocals...all those 'Hey...Hey...' bits at the end sound like they were recorded in a swimming pool- fantastic use of ambient sounds. Having female backing singers on this track was a master stroke.

As for the song- I could understand people not digging it a lot more if it were JUST a rock and roll parody, but the out and out weirdness of the chorus progression lifts it above that. There's really nothing else like it...the way the 'got to know the woman' keeps changing. It's never obvious where it's going next. A very clever track. Sunflower would be a lesser album without it.

G

[MarcellaHasDirtyFeet]

The thing about Got to Know the Woman that gets me is Dennis' vocal. Very powerful. Very well delivered. It's not just a rollicking blues progression, it has more going on than just that, including a great build up to the fade out. Lyrics may be silly, but I've heard worse from this band.

Just listen to Demny's vocal, man. It makes it all worthwhile.

[Custom Machine]

It's called 'fun', gramps. Lots of The Beach Boys finest moments are ludicrous. If they took themselves seriously all the time, their music would be much less enjoyable. Mike's bass vocal in this cracks me up every time. Dennis just cutting loose in the studio, having a bit of fun...it's very, very good.

As for the production- nope, it's brilliantly produced. Love the backing vocals...all those 'Hey...Hey...' bits at the end sound like they were recorded in a swimming pool- fantastic use of ambient sounds. Having female backing singers on this track was a master stroke.

As for the song- I could understand people not digging it a lot more if it were JUST a rock and roll parody, but the out and out weirdness of the chorus progression lifts it above that. There's really nothing else like it...the way the 'got to know the woman' keeps changing. It's never obvious where it's going next. A very clever track. Sunflower would be a lesser album without it.

G

BWM has done a first rate job of summing up why Got to Know the Woman has always been a favorite of mine.  Listening to Dennis joyously belting out the lyrics, coupled with the great BG vocals, has never failed to put a smile on my face.  For me, that song is just flat out fun to listen to.

[Dave Modny]

It's called 'fun', gramps. Lots of The Beach Boys finest moments are ludicrous. If they took themselves seriously all the time, their music would be much less enjoyable. Mike's bass vocal in this cracks me up every time. Dennis just cutting loose in the studio, having a bit of fun...it's very, very good.

As for the production- nope, it's brilliantly produced. Love the backing vocals...all those 'Hey...Hey...' bits at the end sound like they were recorded in a swimming pool- fantastic use of ambient sounds. Having female backing singers on this track was a master stroke.

As for the song- I could understand people not digging it a lot more if it were JUST a rock and roll parody, but the out and out weirdness of the chorus progression lifts it above that. There's really nothing else like it...the way the 'got to know the woman' keeps changing. It's never obvious where it's going next. A very clever track. Sunflower would be a lesser album without it.

G

BWM has done a first rate job of summing up why Got to Know the Woman has always been a favorite of mine.  Listening to Dennis joyously belting out the lyrics, coupled with the great BG vocals, has never failed to put a smile on my face.  For me, that song is just flat out fun to listen to.

That tack piano is pretty darned cool, too. Infectious.

[Don Malcolm]

One of the strengths of the board (IMO) is when it discusses the merits of the songs, which is why I like the "Rank the Tracks" threads and spent some spare time collating most of 'em (all from Smiley Smile to Holland). The consensus rankings are quite interesting, and actually make sense (most of the time)

Disagree SOOO much. It's an awful thing about the board.

I find it really depressing to see songs I'd previously just accepted as by a band I love picked apart, and given gradings...sure there have always been 'lesser songs', but to see it laid out there, making me think about it...nonsense.

And, given the right number of pints, I'd probably end up in a fist fight with anyone who knocked 'Got to know the woman'. It's FABULOUS.

We will, of course, agree to disagree, since I (and many others, I suspect) would enjoy your opinions and your rankings, even if we didn't agree with them. 

But let me say that I completely agree with you about "Got To Know The Woman." I am completely dumbfounded by its ranking and think that the collective has lost its collective mind in this instance. A great, great, joyous, outrageously wonderful track. I don't think I'd end up in a fight about it, but I am amazed at how folks (at least the folks that voted) failed to see how a song like this is such a great way to pull the BB sound into new and different directions. But, then again, they aren't keen on "A Thing or Two" from Wild Honey, either--a track that is arguably "Woman"'s closest relative in the BB canon.

That said, there aren't very many anomalies in the rankings like this one. When they eff it up, however, they REALLY eff it up!

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

We will, of course, agree to disagree, since I (and many others, I suspect) would enjoy your opinions and your rankings, even if we didn't agree with them. 

I'm a black and white kind of guy- my rankings are as follows: 1961-77 10/10 for every single track, MIU has 3 10/10s and the remainder are 0/10 LA is back to all 10/10, everything after that is 0/10.

 

I'm being a little flippant of course...I think the problem for me is when in the back of my mind I agree with 'oh that's such a slight song' etc. For example 'Our Sweet Love'- I'd never EVER questioned it, just accepted it as part of Sunflower, but now when I listen to it I'm thinking 'is this a GOK rewrite? are the lyrics any good?

So for that reason, I'm sticking to my story. 10/10 all the way!

[Mike's Beard]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

[filledeplage]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

FM radio were taking over, and playing the Boys, but I wonder about your point as to whether some "joint agreement among certain radio people" who may have, indirectly "blackballed the music?"

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I remember OSD saying some time ago that while he'd bought Sunflower and loved it, he "didn't exactly bring it to parties" ...... It think that's a very telling statement. For every guy like OSD who still loved the Beach Boys enough to run out and get their new album: while fully realizing how uncool it potentially made him, there were 10 more "fans" who were too scared off by the un-hip factor.

[filledeplage]

I remember OSD saying some time ago that while he'd bought Sunflower and loved it, he "didn't exactly bring it to parties" ...... It think that's a very telling statement. For every guy like OSD who still loved the Beach Boys enough to run out and get their new album: while fully realizing how uncool it potentially made him, there were 10 more "fans" who were too scared off by the un-hip factor.

OSD did exactly what others did. Liked on his own terms, and, mostly, we "marched, resolutely to our own drummers" - unwilling to give up the music, but making it a private and more discreet following.  I/we couldn't change people's minds (if they were such tasteless sheep  )

It was rough.  But, the music was so good, many of us just sucked it up and went our own way.   

[Steve Mayo]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

FM radio were taking over, and playing the Boys, but I wonder about your point as to whether some "joint agreement among certain radio people" who may have, indirectly "blackballed the music?"

al in an 1974 interview talked about am radio vs fm radio. hits vs album cuts. he talked about cool, cool water and going into the studio for 48 hours straight to get the recordings and mixing that was needed. and about it not making it as a single. went on to say "it wasn't am...but was great fm stuff though". they knew. and they were right.

[filledeplage]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

FM radio were taking over, and playing the Boys, but I wonder about your point as to whether some "joint agreement among certain radio people" who may have, indirectly "blackballed the music?"

al in an 1974 interview talked about am radio vs fm radio. hits vs album cuts. he talked about cool, cool water and going into the studio for 48 hours straight to get the recordings and mixing that was needed. and about it not making it as a single. went on to say "it wasn't am...but was great fm stuff though". they knew. and they were right.

Of course Al knew.   It was great fm stuff.  fm seemed to have a more aware, socially, following, and had the freedom and the airtime to be more discerning about what they played.  It seemed that they were not confined to 3 minute singles, followed by a commercial and constant promotion of some product or another. 

[bgas]

I remember OSD saying some time ago that while he'd bought Sunflower and loved it, he "didn't exactly bring it to parties" ...... It think that's a very telling statement. For every guy like OSD who still loved the Beach Boys enough to run out and get their new album: while fully realizing how uncool it potentially made him, there were 10 more "fans" who were too scared off by the un-hip factor.

Hadn't thought about it, but that's as good a description where I was at; cepting I didn't bring it, cuz most folks I knew weren't into the BBs at all. It was  almost everfyone BUT the BBs for them. I did plenty enough other stuff not to be cool....

[Myk Luhv]

I like The Beach Boys obviously but if anyone actually brought one of their albums to a party I think even I'd figure it a mood-killer. Except if it was Love You!

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

I like The Beach Boys obviously but if anyone actually brought one of their albums to a party I think even I'd figure it a mood-killer. Except if it was Love You!

I was at Uni ( 'college' for you septics ) in 1998-2001 and I managed to get a bunch of hot girls singing 'honkin down the highway', and everyone knew the Landlocked version of 'big sur' better than the album version /college sorry, Uni radio show related.

This is 100% not a sex brag. None of these girls ever touched it, but I totally did manage to get people to enjoy out of the ordinary BB music simply through insisting on listening to good music.

[oldsurferdude]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

Well, not entirely untrue, but in my market, Sunflower got significant airplay. ASM, CCW, IAT, and believe it or don't, TITM! I was pleasantly surprised that it continued until Surf's Up and then they played the daylights outta that, too with FF, LPR, and SDT getting the bulk of attention. In fact, more incredible, they played the entire SU album  just before release at the stroke of midnight. I have that promo copy that they played in my collection. But regardless of all the attention from the station, it was still "not cool" to say you liked the music. A difficult time indeed to satnd up for the band.

[Myk Luhv]

I like The Beach Boys obviously but if anyone actually brought one of their albums to a party I think even I'd figure it a mood-killer. Except if it was Love You!

I managed to get a bunch of hot girls singing 'honkin down the highway'

Take it one little inch at a time now
'Til we're feelin' fine now
I guess I've got a way with girls

[Mikie]

This is 100% not a sex brag. None of these girls ever touched it.

Touched what?

[Mike's Beard]

I don't think it mattered what they would have put out in 1970, the radio stations had decided they were not cool and wouldn't play their new stuff no matter how good it was.

Well, not entirely untrue, but in my market, Sunflower got significant airplay. ASM, CCW, IAT, and believe it or don't, TITM! I was pleasantly surprised that it continued until Surf's Up and then they played the daylights outta that, too with FF, LPR, and SDT getting the bulk of attention. In fact, more incredible, they played the entire SU album  just before release at the stroke of midnight. I have that promo copy that they played in my collection. But regardless of all the attention from the station, it was still "not cool" to say you liked the music. A difficult time indeed to satnd up for the band.

But were these the more underground stations?  I'm a bit out of my depth here being English and not born until the late 70's so I have little concept of the radio market from this era. I was under the impression that the more mainstream radio stations of the day wouldn't include the new Beach Boys singles on their playlists.

The English comparison would be 'John Peel used to play X_________ on his late night show but daytime Radio 1 would not play their latest singles'.

[Cabinessenceking]

Love You is so stimulating that having a girl touch it is all the fulfillment a man needs.

[Amazing Larry]

This is 100% not a sex brag. None of these girls ever touched it.

Touched what?

His copy of Love You.