The legacy of "Be True to Your School"

[Jim V.]

So I was thinkin' about how much I've never been able to dig "Be True to Your School" and why it bothers me so much and then it got me to thinkin' about whether perhaps this song alone has been to blame for some people seeing the guys as unhip and/or "square" over the years. It also surprises me sometimes that "Barbara Ann" is singled out as the song that could perhaps be left off a Mike, Brian or Al setlist while this song escapes notice. Now I know we all have very different tastes and what I like, might not be liked by the next guy.

Now is the part where I imagine if I posted this on the other board, it would get an immediate response from filledaplage saying how "times were different" in '63 and stuff about JFK and Vietnam and a bunch of stuff that would only tangentially be connected to the topic at hand which reminds me why I've enjoyed this board so much more over the years, haha.

But truly back on subject, that brings to mind an interview with Frank Zappa that was included in Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! in which Zappa say, "...because they've been fed all this garbage for so long. The Beach Boys, "Be True to Your School," and all that. They don't' wanna be true to their school, they want the truth!"

Now maybe he was just going after "Be True to Your School" but regardless I feel like he basically singles out that "Be True to Your School" is a representation of the whole Beach Boys scene, and it ringing false, perhaps.

But even regardless of Zappa, do any of you guys and gals think that this song plays and outsize role in the whole "dorky Beach Boys" perception? Am I overrating the importance of this one or am i overdoing it? And even by saying this, I still think most real music fans love the group and would stand up them.

Anyways, I will say that I've really been able to enjoy the song. I can get myself in the mood to listen to and really enjoy something really kinda corny like "Make It Big" or "Problem Child." Same goes for some of those very naive '50s songs or even some of earlier Four Seasons stuff. But for some reason  "Be True to Your School" is just a bridge too far for me. Maybe someday I'll be able to appreciate even just one of the versions of the song.

[37!ws]

By that logic, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would have had the same effect on The Beatles, who, as The Beach Boys did with "Be True to Your School" after about a year, completely abandoned it concertwise. (And yeah, they brought it back, but only after they became a mostly-oldies act.)

[JakeH]

So I was thinkin' about how much I've never been able to dig "Be True to Your School" and why it bothers me so much and then it got me to thinkin' about whether perhaps this song alone has been to blame for some people seeing the guys as unhip and/or "square" over the years. It also surprises me sometimes that "Barbara Ann" is singled out as the song that could perhaps be left off a Mike, Brian or Al setlist while this song escapes notice. Now I know we all have very different tastes and what I like, might not be liked by the next guy.

It should bother you as it's a very bad song; for me, it's far and away the worst Beach Boys song from their classic era.  This is an early example of the Beach Boys doing something that, at a specific moment in time, according to very short-term thinking, could be justified as a good decision.  They were a "teen" group who sang fad songs and songs conceived and crafted to be for, and about "teenagers" and "teenage life." According to that business model, writing about school spirit in this particular way would seem reasonable.  Reasonable from the perspective of the record-making business.

There is (was) an audio interview with Brian Wilson floating around on the internet; it's from 1974 or so (the era of the Endless Summer revival) and the interviewer asks Brian about "Be True To Your School" and Brian says that "The Beach Boys blew their career" with that song.  Brian probably means "blew their career" in the artistic, or creative sense; that it later became difficult for the group to be taken seriously as musicians or as a legitimate creative entity.   Literally, that's not true - it's not just one song that could have effectuated that outcome, but it's a correct statement in that the song represents so many things about the Beach Boys that ultimately interfered with the creation of good music: Insincerity, pandering to the audience, childishness, and in the case of this particular song, a strain of Murryesque authoritarianism - the singer lecturing the listener about being loyal. 

Sorry everyone... I could go on. When I first heard the tune on Endless Summer, it stuck out like a sore thumb on that otherwise great compilation album.  Note that Zappa reserves his bile for "Be True to Your School" and not the surf or car stuff (is it true that Zappa's "Status Back Baby" from Absolutely Free is a parody of this kind of high-school culture, if not the Beach Boys themselves? Sounds like it)

(And just because it's possible to agree with Zappa on this particular point doesn't mean that his brand of contrarianism, vulgarity, and frequent, purposeful effort to offend the listener is any better)

In these early days, in '62-'63,  it was possible for Brian and Mike to work together, to contribute elements to teenage pop records and make them work, but on this one they really messed up. It's said that Brian came up with the idea for the song, and it's a bad idea. Mike's lyrics are, to me, terrible, and his vocal is obnoxious and unlistenable.  I say these things because I am a fan of good Beach Boys music.

[HeyJude]

One of the things with “Be True To Your School” is that one didn’t/doesn’t have to be even the most cynical, misanthropic, contrarian person to not have had such strong feelings about their high school. Plenty of people don’t identify with the glorification of high school jocks and cheerleaders. I wasn’t like some goth person in high school or anything (I was *listening* to the Beach Boys among other bands at the time!), but yeah, I certainly was not friends with any jocks or cheerleaders.

Maybe I always viewed “Be True to Your School” not with any particular animosity or cynicism, but just so out of the realm of *my* experiences (both in terms of the topical nature of it and the era), that it might as well be “Blade Runner” or “Lord of the Rings”, it’s like fantasy/fiction.

So yeah, it’s definitely one of the band’s most popular dork songs. It didn’t help that the studio recordings, especially the “hit single” version, is even more of a “novelty” record with the cheerleaders added, etc.

The song musically is fine enough. I always felt the song played better on something like the 1980 concerts where it was just streamlined into a regular rock/pop song with regular drums and bass, and electric guitars. Yes, lyrically it still had whatever issues it had. But musically it sounded punchy and fine enough. Eventually, live versions got bloated and embarrassing as well, with a slowed-down tempo, Mike’s dumb “wheeeeeeeeen” bit, Mike’s equally dumb “elderly guy who needs help up” bit, and often with the added dumb John Stamos drum intro bit. I would have been fine with the song being dropped in the 80s.

It's part of the history, and I don’t hate it. But yeah, it’s a level of novelty and dork and corniness that some of their contemporaries never needed to do.

[37!ws]

It should bother you as it's a very bad song; for me, it's far and away the worst Beach Boys song from their classic era.

Well...it's no "The Shift" or "Cuckoo Clock," but wow! Never heard it put so harshly before! Chacun a son goût, I s'pose.

But I gotta admit...my favorite time stretch of The Beach Boys' music is from 1965 to 1973 (peaking at Sunflower), but...at the 50th anniversary reunion show, "Be True to Your School" was probably my favorite part of the concert! It totally caught me by surprise -- not the song itself, but that I LOVED IT SO MUCH, because it's not one I listen to very much! Just the way it was presented that day. Never mind that none of the schools projected onto my screens were where I went (had to travel out of state to see the show), but man, it just really unexpectedly knocked me on my ass!

[Rocky Raccoon]

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen—

did Mike start doing that thing and… why?

[SMiLE Brian]

Brian reckoning with endless summer in 1974 had to have been quite intense….

[JakeH]

There is (was) an audio interview with Brian Wilson floating around on the internet; it's from 1974 or so (the era of the Endless Summer revival) and the interviewer asks Brian about "Be True To Your School" and Brian says that "The Beach Boys blew their career" with that song. 

The interview is on YT, relevant commentary starts at around 12:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEeqwNl17YM

[Jim V.]

By that logic, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would have had the same effect on The Beatles, who, as The Beach Boys did with "Be True to Your School" after about a year, completely abandoned it concertwise. (And yeah, they brought it back, but only after they became a mostly-oldies act.)

Eh, I don't think "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is anywhere near "Be True to Your School" in the dorkiness sweepstakes. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is sweet and charming and innocent. Not embarrassing at all in my opinion. On the other hand,  "Be True to Your School" just speaks for itself.

Something I do find interesting is that however Brian felt about it later on (and lets note, he has never included in his solo act as far as I can tell) he felt strongly enough in '63 to record not just one, but two versions. So this wasn't just some toss-off tune.

[Wirestone]

I’ve always disliked the car songs more — 409 sounds downright unmusical to me — but BTTYS strikes an interesting chord. It’s almost like a Jan and Dean track, but without the knowing humor that Jan Berry sprinkled into his mature work. Something about it always thrilled me, though (the single version, to be clear). The song is a real sketch of a time and place.

That being said, I think the sincerity is what grates. Other teen songs from the group (Pom Pom Playgirl, Drive In) sound more like loving satires. Perhaps Brian took a lesson from Jan. Here, Mike wants you to know how deeply he cares about it. And while the cheerleaders are a little silly, BW builds a pretty sprawling track to undergird it all.

Definitely an experiment with a sound and angle that didn’t quite pan out.

[juggler]

I'm surprised at some of the hate directed at "Be True to Your School."  I get it that the rah-rah-rah mentality isn't everyone's cup of tea, but sonically it's a catchy ditty... and it was undoubtedly a sincere expression of the attitude of the Brian and Mike at the time.  Let's consider context.   Mike, Brian and Al were all high school jocks of the 1950s, the Eisenhower era.  Al has often said that Hawthorne High during his and Brian's time there was right out of the movie, "American Graffiti."

There's a transcript online of an interview of Mike and Bruce from 1969 in which the interviewer asks if BTTYS is a "put on."

MQ: Do you think any of your songs are put-ons? "Be True To Your School", for example?

ML: Yeah, well maybe it would be a put-on if we did it now.

MQ: But back then it was real?

ML: It was ... it was reminiscingly real.

https://www.mjq.net/interviews/ubyssey.htm

Yes, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War etc. gave way to a cynicism and general disdain for institutions and authority that caused "Be True to Your School" to become anachronistic just few years after its creation, but so what?  Musically, the song works.  And, though dated and perhaps corny, it was an honest, sincere song at the time of its creation.  I can appreciate it for what it is.

[rab2591]

I used to never like BTTYS, and especially in high school 20 years ago when I'd pop my Beach Boys Greatest Hits CD into my discman on the way to school, I would skip this song every time.

As I get older and I see society/schools becoming more fractured and less spirited, I do look at this song with a sort of pleasant nostalgia for a different time. Of course the early 60s weren't at all a perfect model of the ideal social order...However, the idea of a wholesomeness, that American Graffiti night-on-the-town, the era of school spirit - there is something about it that seems so innocent and inviting. I can't help but like this song for the painting it creates of an imperfect but simpler time (the pre-internet era) where school pride wasn't uncool.

[HeyJude]

By that logic, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would have had the same effect on The Beatles, who, as The Beach Boys did with "Be True to Your School" after about a year, completely abandoned it concertwise. (And yeah, they brought it back, but only after they became a mostly-oldies act.)

Eh, I don't think "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is anywhere near "Be True to Your School" in the dorkiness sweepstakes. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is sweet and charming and innocent. Not embarrassing at all in my opinion. On the other hand,  "Be True to Your School" just speaks for itself.

Something I do find interesting is that however Brian felt about it later on (and lets note, he has never included in his solo act as far as I can tell) he felt strongly enough in '63 to record not just one, but two versions. So this wasn't just some toss-off tune.

Yeah, I don't think "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is in any substantive way comparable to BTTYS. I mean, if we're trying to paint a theoretical picture of an "oldie" holding back an artist trying to progress, then we can use dozens of examples from either band.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was a #1 single, and immediately became ingrained as the *first* hit the Beatles had in their biggest market, the US.

While I'm sure you can find some cynic that will s**t on anything, I don't think many folks, certainly not Beatles fans, ever thought "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was dorky. Obviously, things progressed and there was not always a moment in like 1968 to play "I Want to Hold Your Hand" alongside a more contemporary, topical track.

But far more hardcore BB fans find a sliver of their stuff dorky than Beatles fans.

But BTTYS is more specific than just seeming generally antiquated. There's a bunch of early BB stuff that has a late 50s sensibility, which makes sense. As has been stated many times, Brian was a child of the 50s, and the BBs for a variety of reasons stayed more entrenched in like childish and high school topics when the Beatles, even while still doing "love songs", were more adult in the themes and style of their lyrics. As folks have pointed out, in 1965 the Beatles weren't still writing lyrics like "when you came up to stay with my gran'"

But with BTTYS, there's an extra layer of the sort of cloying thing Mike is doing with the lyrics, as Wirestone mentioned previously. It's sincere, which on one level is admirable. But it also is alienating to some listeners. Maybe "alienating" is too strong a word. Basically, it's going to make some even big fans of the band kind of go "pfffft, I've got something you can be true to...."

[HeyJude]

To the more general issue of when the BBs were writing lyrics that were a "put on", or a satire. I think Wirestone made some great points on this up above.

Now, my gut tells me the things we might try to dismiss as "satire" were probably not written as full-on satire. I've gone on record in the past that just about every time the BBs tried to funny, they kind of weren't so much. (I won't dive into humor vis-a-vis Jan & Dean here much; I've gone on record as finding Jan's stuff, well, not very high brow or substantive; that's another conversation of course).

With the BBs, this element of satire extended to the particularly bizarre and (to me) supremely unfunny "humor" exercises Brian was doing in the Smile-ish era. I find all that stuff *very* interesting as an insight into Brian and his work and frame of mind. But not actually funny. I'm not saying they didn't have senses of humor, and I'm not saying Brian was incapable of being satirical. I think he could be very, very clever and subtle at particular moments. Mike not so much maybe; a guy who in interviews has to announce that he's capable of writing in "iambic heptameter"; I think he had to take on writing lyrics as either very literal, or with very specific, calculated intent. I think Mike could write some clever wordplay clearly. But it didn't quite just pour out of him; it was a skill he honed for awhile (and then kind of let that atrophy).

I'm rambling and digressing, but discussing the topical nature of the band's early lyrics is very interesting. But it has a lot of pitfalls, which at times over the years has drawn in the politics and socioeconomic viewpoints of fans and listeners. The band was often pretty socially/culturally conservative, and thus some of their fans are too.

It's funny, I've had people who know I'm a BB fan make some *very odd* assumptions. Well, maybe not totally unfair assumptions. Some people assume I'm into summer, beaches, cars, surfing, etc. And well, no, I'm not. But I'm also not a stuffy fans who doesn't like anything before 1966 or whatever. I love the early stuff. "Girls on the Beach" could be about a staph infection and I'd still love it. But yes, some of the lyrics, especially but not only pre-1966, are not always topically my jam. I love the BBs summer vibe and music and all of that. But I'm not a big fan of summer. It's f***ing hot outside; I don't like that. I've never been into going to the beach. I couldn't and wouldn't want to surf if my life depended on it. Beaches would have been the last place I would have ever gone to meet girls. I'm in the Bay Area, and every time I went to Santa Cruz, I always went on the rides and stayed away from the gross, hot, sweaty beach. As a kid, I probably related more to "Chug A Lug" than "Surfin' Safari."

The Beatles, as one comparison, rarely got so specific topically and thus their stuff was and is always going to be more universal. Very rarely do I listen to Beatles lyrics and think "man, that's dumb." And in many cases, the times where that happens a bit are on songs they wisely shelved, like "If You've Got Trouble."

[37!ws]

Something I do find interesting is that however Brian felt about it later on (and lets note, he has never included in his solo act as far as I can tell) he felt strongly enough in '63 to record not just one, but two versions. So this wasn't just some toss-off tune.

I'm betting that the single version is what Brian *intended*, but because the LDC album was done in such a rush, he just had the guys whip up a quick version just to get something recorded on the album that fit with the theme of cars ("When I cruise around the other parts of town I've got my decal in back"). And then for the single he did what he *wanted* to do with the song.

[guitarfool2002]

What's fascinating is when we consider Be True To Your School was released as the single, the A-side, with "In My Room" as the B-side. And many DJ's started to flip the record over and play In My Room as the lead song. And the B-side in this case also became a hit, in some regional markets it went top-5. In decades to come, the B-side became one of the most beloved songs of the band's catalog, one of Brian's most praised songs, while the A-side exists as kind of a novelty.

So there was the contradictory nature of the band's music on full display as this single existed in 1963 into 1964: You had the rather old-school throwback (with some pretty cool production, I'd say) school spirit song with cheerleaders featured juxtaposed against one of the most introspective and personal songs the band would ever record, a direct glimpse into Brian's personal life and childhood wrapped into a gorgeous and musically sophisticated ballad.

Isn't that contradiction and coexistence in musical styles and lyrical themes one of the key subjects in discussing the band's musical output? There it was on display in an early single.

And as far as introspection and putting yourself into the song and into the listening public's ears, Brian had this going on with In My Room in late 1963. The Beatles wouldn't do this kind of introspective writing until a year later.

[JakeH]

I don't think the song was sincere. It was business.  Brian is an artist, with an introverted temperament. "Rah-rah, look at me and my letterman jacket, and I play football" has never been his thing (and I don't think he would say what he said in 1974 if he believed the song had any artistic merit, or if it meant anything to him. He was about 32 years old on that interview, and sounds very lucid, and he was correct). To hear genuine sincerity (at least sincerity from Brian Wilson as an individual) you flip the "Be True to Your School" single over and get "In My Room."

As for Mike's end of it, he is not and had never been an artist.  This is not a crime. But for him, the "art" in music is one and the same with the business element.  For Mike, "Be True to Your School" is sincere not because it expressed his inner feelings about high school, but because it qualifies as "success." Mike is sincere in his salesmanship - he sincerely wants to sell.  Therefore "Be True to Your School" is a sincere statement from Mike.

Now you could say that in this respect, "Be True to Your School" is no different that the surf and car hits; that Brian didn't care about surfing and car-customization any more than he cared about high school spirit.  So why are those songs ("Catch a Wave" "Little Deuce Coupe" "Surfin' Safari" etc.) better than "Be True to Your School?" I can't answer that off-hand... but one difference is that the Beach Boys stumbled into the surf-craze with naivete and found that for some reason it worked.  As of the time of "Be True To Your School" they are purposefully intending to write for teenagers - to write down to them - and it just comes through on the song.  Also, there's that authoritarian element in the song which does not fit with youth culture or rock 'n' roll at all, while "let's go out and catch a wave" and "check out my hot car with a big engine" is consistent with rock 'n' roll.  Off the top of my head, I can't think of another song in rock/pop with the same character as "Be True to Your School." It's like if someone put out a song titled "Clean Up Your Room." That might be a proper sentiment, but it makes for bad pop music.

What's fascinating is when we consider Be True To Your School was released as the single, the A-side, with "In My Room" as the B-side. And many DJ's started to flip the record over and play In My Room as the lead song. And the B-side in this case also became a hit, in some regional markets it went top-5. In decades to come, the B-side became one of the most beloved songs of the band's catalog, one of Brian's most praised songs, while the A-side exists as kind of a novelty.

So there was the contradictory nature of the band's music on full display as this single existed in 1963 into 1964: You had the rather old-school throwback (with some pretty cool production, I'd say) school spirit song with cheerleaders featured juxtaposed against one of the most introspective and personal songs the band would ever record, a direct glimpse into Brian's personal life and childhood wrapped into a gorgeous and musically sophisticated ballad.

Isn't that contradiction and coexistence in musical styles and lyrical themes one of the key subjects in discussing the band's musical output? There it was on display in an early single.

And as far as introspection and putting yourself into the song and into the listening public's ears, Brian had this going on with In My Room in late 1963. The Beatles wouldn't do this kind of introspective writing until a year later.

A+

[HeyJude]

What's fascinating is when we consider Be True To Your School was released as the single, the A-side, with "In My Room" as the B-side. And many DJ's started to flip the record over and play In My Room as the lead song. And the B-side in this case also became a hit, in some regional markets it went top-5. In decades to come, the B-side became one of the most beloved songs of the band's catalog, one of Brian's most praised songs, while the A-side exists as kind of a novelty.

So there was the contradictory nature of the band's music on full display as this single existed in 1963 into 1964: You had the rather old-school throwback (with some pretty cool production, I'd say) school spirit song with cheerleaders featured juxtaposed against one of the most introspective and personal songs the band would ever record, a direct glimpse into Brian's personal life and childhood wrapped into a gorgeous and musically sophisticated ballad.

Isn't that contradiction and coexistence in musical styles and lyrical themes one of the key subjects in discussing the band's musical output? There it was on display in an early single.

And as far as introspection and putting yourself into the song and into the listening public's ears, Brian had this going on with In My Room in late 1963. The Beatles wouldn't do this kind of introspective writing until a year later.

I'd say "There's A Place", recorded in early 1963 and likely written in late 1962, is pretty similar thematically to "In My Room."

In general, the Beatles were just more mature across the board. They wore suits, they smoked, they drank, all in interviews and on film. They seemed far more like adults far earlier on than the BBs. They were always very open about how they did write a lot of love songs with first and second person pronouns, but while obviously "Love Me Do" is not an introspective song, but their songwriting across the board never got as juvenile and goofy as the worst filler on the early BB albums.

"In My Room" is an amazing miracle, a song to this day, while obviously widely loved, probably still doesn't get enough attention and credit. I take nothing away from it. A great universal lyrical moment for the band thanks to Brian and Gary Usher; mature and introspective but also relatable to young people as well.

[JakeH]

I'd say "There's A Place", recorded in early 1963 and likely written in late 1962, is pretty similar thematically to "In My Room."

In general, the Beatles were just more mature across the board. They wore suits, they smoked, they drank, all in interviews and on film. They seemed far more like adults far earlier on than the BBs. They were always very open about how they did write a lot of love songs with first and second person pronouns, but while obviously "Love Me Do" is not an introspective song, but their songwriting across the board never got as juvenile and goofy as the worst filler on the early BB albums.

"In My Room" is an amazing miracle, a song to this day, while obviously widely loved, probably still doesn't get enough attention and credit. I take nothing away from it. A great universal lyrical moment for the band thanks to Brian and Gary Usher; mature and introspective but also relatable to young people as well.

Interesting discussion here

The Beatles were formulaic to a certain extent in their early days, as were the Beach Boys but the Beach Boys formula was fad-oriented - external fads like surfing first, and then the venerable car song presented as a new fad or craze (entire batches of songs about cars).  The Beach Boys were selling external products. The Beatles could also be said to be a "fad" or "craze" in the U.S. in 1964, but at least they themselves were the fad; the craze-element was the Beatles themselves, not something external.  Young people wanted to be "like the Beatles" - they did not want to be like the Beach Boys (either in terms of style, or even musical style - it was the Beatles, not the Beach Boys that caused countless young people to pick up electric guitars and form bands) but instead wanted to be a surfer, or go to the beach, or buy a surfboard, etc.  The Beach Boys were, and are, always "selling" something to the audience, pointing the audience away from their musical quality and toward something external.  Even, in later years, they are selling Maharishi, then selling or marketing Brian himself during "Brian-Is-Back" and so forth.  "Add Some Music to Your Day" is a sales pitch song.  Brian of course wanted to avoid this, and that's the story of what he was trying, and ultimately failed, to do at least as far back as 1964. In 1963, Brian is still, for the most part, willingly writing in craftsman/businessman-mode. Therefore he does "Be True to Your School" which he soon comes to regret.  And as Guitarfool says, "In My Room" is on the B-side - a song that Brian may have written in business-mode to a degree but was at the same time about something that did in fact mean something to him: being in the music room and working on music and being alone with music and his emotions.  i don't think we can say the same thing about "Be True to Your School." I don't think he cared about that kind of stuff at all.

My assumption is that both "In My Room" and "There's a Place" were inspired by "Up On the Roof" by Goffin-King.  Almost certainly in the case of Usher and Wilson; the "miracle" element in the song is that it was unintentional. Basically, with "In My Room," Brian and Gary have stumbled upon the Pet Sounds songwriting model. Brian will have to wait a while before he could return to that in full force, but when does it's with more purposeful intention - with Pet Sounds, Brian wants to write mature, introspective songs, while with "In My Room" it happened by accident (happy accident, or miracle) At the time, I think Brian and Gary just thought they were doing a Goffin-King type thing. I doubt they (or anybody else) appreciated at the time that they had done something that could very well have been unprecedented in youth pop music.  Neither "Up On the Roof" nor "There's a Place" are as introspective or solitary as "In My Room"

[William Bowe]

Great comments, JakeH. I'd never made the connection from Up on the Roof to In My Room and There's a Place, but it seems obvious now you point it out.

[Howie Edelson]

I was once talking to Steve Van Zandt about his own Beach Boys "journey" -- because I knew that Springsteen had, at least until "Do It Again," kept at least some type of eye and ear on them. SVZ explained it took him decades to understand and appreciate the band's catalogue. He told me, "Be TRUE to your school? I wanted to burn my f ucking school DOWN, so there was no connection between me and THAT." He's now a true believer like most of us. That said, he didn't grow up with it being part of him -- and that side of the group is what made him back off.

[Ian]

Yeah you have hit on something there-I find that people I meet that are resistant to the BBs charms often associate them with “corny” or “cheesy” songs such as “Barbara Ann” and “Be True To Your School” or “Kokomo.” I often forget this association because I always skip those songs when I listen to them. It’s something we all do-we love an artist or band and therefore we basically subtract from our mind anything we can’t relate to or dislike by them. There are many artists who have four albums I listen to all the time and twenty others that I don’t own anymore. Example-Elvis Costello-I listen to his first six or seven albums constantly but basically I am uninterested after Punch the Clock (1983) and I’ve tried many times but I don’t engage the same way with his later stuff but I still think he is a genius based on those six or seven albums

[tpesky]

I think it’s a good song for the 1963  Beach Boys and can be good in concert . The problem is the fact that Mike builds it up like it’s their biggest hit and makes some huge statement ( which he really believes ) and as others mention the shtick he does . Just play the song like the other early hits and it’s fine .

[William Bowe]

Ian, as someone who knows where you're coming from, I suggest you give his most recent album (The Boy Named If) a whirl. It's the first thing of his in three decades that I've really gotten into.

[Ian]

By the way-I’d say McCartney is a similar one for me and a segment of people I meet. Obviously those of us who listen to the great Fabcast know that Howie is a major fan-but I’d argue Paul’s solo career divides Beatles fans. Most of them feel that he rarely made a misstep as a Beatle but that his twee side hinted at in the Fab Four really came out in the 70s. So I meet lots of Beatles fans who only own one or two Macca albums but have everything by the Beatles ever put out!