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Post by Kapitan on Mar 7, 2022 12:53:51 GMT
In July 1988, the Beach Boys released a single (backed with Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti") in advance of a film soundtrack for the Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail. That single, "Kokomo," became the band's fourth and final (to date) #1 single. Inexplicably, cowriter Mike Love has never mentioned it since.
The song began its life with John Phillips, whose "California Dreamin" the group had recorded and released a few years prior (and, less publicly, a few years prior to that). He and cowriter Scott McKenzie were demoing material in the mid 80s. Melcher reached out about material for the Beach Boys' soundtrack contribution, and he and Mike Love contributed as cowriters. Love, it seems, delivered the infectious rundown of Caribbean islands (including the fictional title one) and chorus, transforming the song into the ear-worm it became.
The Beach Boys recorded their version in spring 1988 with studio pros Van Dyke Parks, Jim Keltner, and Joel Peskin among the musicians.
Not among the contributing musicians was Brian Wilson. His fictional autobiography claims he wasn't given sufficient notice to attend the sessions as he was working on his own debut album. Love says Wilson was not on the recording because his therapist/manager/cult leader Eugene Landy would not allow Wilson to participate unless Landy received cowriter and coproducer credits.
The song was not an immediate hit. By autumn, though, it had climbed the charts and it topped them in November. A few weeks later, the Beach Boys (including Brian) appeared for the first time on friend/percussionist/superfan John Stamos's sitcom Full House in "Beach Boy Bingo," an episode that included a live performance of the song.
"Kokomo" topped the American and Australian charts while making the Top 10 in numerous other countries. (In the UK, it surprisingly reached just #25.) It also went platinum in the US.
Please listen to (or watch), discuss, and rate "Kokomo."
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Post by kds on Mar 7, 2022 13:16:54 GMT
I am an unapologetic fan of Kokomo. I think it's a great summertime, sunshiny, trop rock-ish, 80s pop song. It surely doesn't hurt that you have those BB harmonies on the chorus and that great vocal line from Carl in their too.
I remember during the summer of 1989, my mother would drop me and my sister off at her friend's house while she went to work. The friend's daughter, whose name escapes me but she and I were the same age, had a VHS tape filled with Full House episodes which we'd occasionally watch. The first episode on the tape was Beach Boy Bingo. At the time, I remembered hearing Kokomo on the radio, but I did not make the connection in my eight, soon to be nine, year old brain that it was the same guys who sang those 60s hits that my folks would sometimes play until watching that Full House episode.
I kinda liked the song then, and kind of forgot about it when the 90s rolled around, and I got into more guitar based heavier music. But, I came back around on it in the mid 00s when I was looking for some more summer-y music to listen to. When I was searching for a good BB comp, I made sure it included the one new BB song that I remembered from childhood, and that's one of the reasons I selected Sounds of Summer.
And, even after digging much deeper into the catalog, I still love and enjoy Kokomo, sax solo and all.
I don't think it's quite perfect enough to warrant a ten. But, I'm comfortable with a nine.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 7, 2022 13:44:09 GMT
The first time I heard "Kokomo" was on a national TV special that had something to do with Walt Disney World (I don't remember exactly what the show was), and was taken totally by surprise. I didn't even know the group recorded the song; I must've been slipping. So, I'm sitting there, in front of the TV thinking, "My Beach Boys have reached a new low. This has to be, not only the worst single the group ever released, but the worst song they ever recorded." I hated it and thought that I'd never hear it again (even though I knew I'd eventually buy the single ).
Well, a strange thing happened. Not only did I hear it again, but I kept hearing it! The next think I knew, "Kokomo" was all over the radio and all over MTV. I remember a co-worker asking me, "Hey, what do think of that new Beach Boys' song?" I just replied, "Meh..." And, that has always been my thought. Yes, after repeated listens, it did grow on me a little bit - but not a lot. I think I enjoyed that the song was a hit - and got the guys back in the game big time - more than I enjoyed the song itself. I also remember discussing "Kokomo" at a big family dinner on Thanksgiving Day in 1988. I think it was No. 1 at that time. I just said, "Yeah, it's great", though I wasn't sure what "it" was. I didn't want to be negative. I wanted to embrace it. My heart wasn't in it.
OK, this is what I ultimately think about "Kokomo", 34 years down the road. I think it's an OK to above average song. It is well-produced and well-sung. My favorite part has always been Carl's vocal. That being said, honestly, if it wasn't a Beach Boys' song, I don't think I would've been a fan of it. Oh, it's not a bad song (I've softened my opinion since my first listen) and it has some merit, but for me, it will never be an all-timer. "Meh" is still about the best I can do.
As far as the B-side, "Tutti Frutti", I'll say this. Only the Beach Boys could recruit Little Richard (for "Happy Endings") and misuse him by giving him a ballad to sing instead of a rocker - and putting an old, albeit live version of a 22 year-old Beach Boys' song (California Girls") as the B-side. Then - THEN - on the next single, putting a 30 year-old Little Richard rockin' song as a B-side which has nothing to do with The Beach Boys' A-side (and, yes, I know both songs were on the soundtrack album).
A rating? I'm going to be a little tough on this one. I can appreciate "Kokomo"'s success. Obviously they (whoever "they" were) knew what they doing. "Kokomo" was a very important record to the band, and, yes, one that DID affect their legacy...in a good way. I'm going with a 7.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 7, 2022 14:21:17 GMT
I don't remember the first time I heard "Kokomo," but given the era, I've got to assume it was seeing the video on MTV. This was, for me, prime MTV time: old enough to follow popular music (turning 12 not long after "Kokomo" was released), but too young to drive and be fully mobile in my social life.
What I do remember is hating it with a passion. And, for that matter, hating Full House (with or without the Beach Boys). (Keep in mind, I was just getting old enough to sneer at anything with hints of "kid stuff," hence the cheeseball, feel-good-moments of Full House being on the receiving end of my disdain.) 1988 was, for me, about Guns 'n' Roses, Poison, Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, and KISS, to name a few. And when I got tired of the contemporary popular pop-metal, I dug into less popular fare, or those artists' back catalogs.
I hung on to that snarky dislike for a solid 15 years or more, but it mostly was separate from the song itself. It was more about corny old people in general, an open-shirted Mike Love pretending to play sax, a pink tank-topped Stamos getting a little too into his aux percussion, and no hint of a distorted electric guitar solo or whammy bar dive.
Somewhere along the line I changed my mind to the point of thinking it's a fine song. I still don't especially like it, but it's not the worst thing anyone ever did, not by a long shot. It was a big hit (and I just wish Mike Love would stand up for himself once in a while and admit it), so good for them.
Not sure where that leaves me to rank it. I'm probably in 7 range.
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Post by kds on Mar 7, 2022 19:46:20 GMT
I didn't realize that Kokomo was actually nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe
"Kokomo" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1988, but lost to Phil Collins' "Two Hearts" (from the film Buster) and Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" from Working Girl jointly beat it for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song"
- Wikipedia
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 7, 2022 19:50:18 GMT
I didn't realize that Kokomo was actually nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe "Kokomo" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1988, but lost to Phil Collins' "Two Hearts" (from the film Buster) and Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" from Working Girl jointly beat it for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song" - Wikipedia A bit of ironic payback considering the song "Kokomo" knocked from the top of the charts to hit #1 was "Groovy Kind of Love," by none other than Phil Collins.
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Post by kds on Mar 7, 2022 19:57:19 GMT
I didn't realize that Kokomo was actually nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe "Kokomo" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1988, but lost to Phil Collins' "Two Hearts" (from the film Buster) and Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" from Working Girl jointly beat it for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song" - Wikipedia A bit of ironic payback considering the song "Kokomo" knocked from the top of the charts to hit #1 was "Groovy Kind of Love," by none other than Phil Collins.
Sometimes, life comes Phil Circle, especially in the late 1980s.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Mar 8, 2022 0:16:54 GMT
I've mentioned a few times over the years how Kokomo was probably the first song I can remember hearing, albeit sung by the Muppets. Being from 1988, I didn't really connect with the song for another 8-9 years in my early teens since it wasn't played on oldies stations. It's always been one of my favorites. I can remember thinking wow, The Beach Boys had a hit just over 20 years ago, and now it's been over 30 years. I guess I can't use that a justification anymore for them being relevant today. It was definitely well produced and ended up being the right song at the right time, but I don't know if it's *that* much better than what else was released around that time. That said, it gave the band a much needed shot in the arm, although I think it had a minor negative effect as the early 90s rolled around. 9/10.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 8, 2022 2:11:08 GMT
That said, it gave the band a much needed shot in the arm, although I think it had a minor negative effect as the early 90s rolled around. It's such an interesting thing, what ends up a shot in the arm (that jumpstarts a career, maybe a la Aerosmith with "Walk This Way") versus what seems to be an aberration, with maybe more negative than positive reaction. I mean, having a massive hit be the butt of jokes so quickly.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 8, 2022 3:58:19 GMT
I've mentioned a few times over the years how Kokomo was probably the first song I can remember hearing, albeit sung by the Muppets. Being from 1988, I didn't really connect with the song for another 8-9 years in my early teens since it wasn't played on oldies stations. For a long time post-1988, I did not hear "Kokomo" on the radio very often. Now, on oldies stations that play songs from the 80s, I hear "Kokomo" quite a bit. I guess it does sound like a "radio song", and I know this won't sit well with many Beach Boys' fans (especially anti-Mike Love fans), but I think it is now played as much or more than the other Beach Boys' classic hits.
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Post by kds on Mar 8, 2022 13:23:09 GMT
That said, it gave the band a much needed shot in the arm, although I think it had a minor negative effect as the early 90s rolled around. It's such an interesting thing, what ends up a shot in the arm (that jumpstarts a career, maybe a la Aerosmith with "Walk This Way") versus what seems to be an aberration, with maybe more negative than positive reaction. I mean, having a massive hit be the butt of jokes so quickly. With those examples, Aerosmith used Walk This Way as a spring board for a very successful second phase of their career, following it up with many successful songs and albums. The Beach Boys, on the other hand, weren't really able to do the same with Kokomo.
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Post by kds on Mar 8, 2022 13:33:35 GMT
I've mentioned a few times over the years how Kokomo was probably the first song I can remember hearing, albeit sung by the Muppets. Being from 1988, I didn't really connect with the song for another 8-9 years in my early teens since it wasn't played on oldies stations. For a long time post-1988, I did not hear "Kokomo" on the radio very often. Now, on oldies stations that play songs from the 80s, I hear "Kokomo" quite a bit. I guess it does sound like a "radio song", and I know this won't sit well with many Beach Boys' fans (especially anti-Mike Love fans), but I think it is now played as much or more than the other Beach Boys' classic hits. In the Baltimore area, I'd bet that Kokomo is easily the most played non Christmas Beach Boys song on FM radio. We haven't had an "oldies" station here in almost 20 years. The classic rock station almost never plays The Beach Boys. But, the variety, mix, lite type stations will play Kokomo now and then, particularly in summertime.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 8, 2022 13:49:56 GMT
It's such an interesting thing, what ends up a shot in the arm (that jumpstarts a career, maybe a la Aerosmith with "Walk This Way") versus what seems to be an aberration, with maybe more negative than positive reaction. I mean, having a massive hit be the butt of jokes so quickly. With those examples, Aerosmith used Walk This Way as a spring board for a very successful second phase of their career, following it up with many successful songs and albums. The Beach Boys, on the other hand, weren't really able to do the same with Kokomo. I put the failure to capitalize on the success of "Kokomo" right up there with the SMiLE/ Smiley Smile debacle after "Good Vibrations", and the group's decision to go with 15 Big Ones after Endless Summer/ Spirit Of America and the "Brian Is Back" campaign. Those are The Big 3 for me, the three most career-altering...happenings...in the band's history. Yes, we know that Still Cruisin' (with "Kokomo" on it) did well commercially. But, do you get the feeling that those who purchased that album - many of them younger, newer fans who discovered the group through "Kokomo" - were ultimately disappointed in Still Cruisin' and like what happened with Smiley Smile and 15 Big Ones before it...bailed.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 8, 2022 14:05:08 GMT
With those examples, Aerosmith used Walk This Way as a spring board for a very successful second phase of their career, following it up with many successful songs and albums. The Beach Boys, on the other hand, weren't really able to do the same with Kokomo. I put the failure to capitalize on the success of "Kokomo" right up there with the SMiLE/ Smiley Smile debacle after "Good Vibrations", and the group's decision to go with 15 Big Ones after Endless Summer/ Spirit Of America and the "Brian Is Back" campaign. Those are The Big 3 for me, the three most career-altering...happenings...in the band's history. Yes, we know that Still Cruisin' (with "Kokomo" on it) did well commercially. But, do you get the feeling that those who purchased that album - many of them younger, newer fans who discovered the group through "Kokomo" - were ultimately disappointed in THAT album, and like what happened with Smiley Smile and 15 Big Ones before it...bailed. First, yep, you guys captured what I was trying to say: you get those moments, and sometimes they really are exactly what you'd hope for, that late-career boost. Other times ... not.
But as to Still Cruisin being commercially successful ... kind of? On one hand, yes, it went platinum. First BBs studio album to do so since Pet Sounds (and I'm not sure when that was certified ... if I recall, it was quite late). Counting comps, though, Made in USA, released just a few years earlier, was double platinum. (It's actually interesting: the Beach Boys have had six comps go platinum--several 2x or even 3x--but only three studio albums.)
But in terms of charting, Still Cruisin "only" reached #46. Yes, that's their best showing since 15 Big Ones hit #8, but on the other hand, it's pretty similar to CATP (50), Love You (53) and 85 (52), none of which were considered particularly successful commercially.
"Kokomo" definitely has to be considered a shame, though, a fumbled opportunity. To follow up a big hit with their first album in almost five years, and for that album to be a mixture of a greatest hits album and an odds-end-ends comp because of Mike's "soundtrack songs concept"...why? New songs were not going to compete with "I Get Around," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," or "California Girls." A novelty song like "Wipe Out" had its moment, but those things don't age well, so putting it on an album more than two years later (by which time the rap world had seen the emergence of both sophisticated sampling like De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising and the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, as well as the emergence of Public Enemy and NWA) seemed like a terrible idea. This would have been the time to pull out all the stops, try to reincorporate Brian Wilson (and his best new material) more fully, and really give it a serious shot.
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Post by kds on Mar 8, 2022 14:11:40 GMT
It's pretty telling that Still Cruisin, while being a commercial success at the time and a platinum album, is still unavailable on streaming sites.
I agree, much 1967 and 1976, it's another example of huge missed opportunity.
Had they been able to follow up Kokomo with a true full LP, maybe Kokomo wouldn't be viewed so much like a fluke.
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