(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post)
The Beach Boys - "I Get Around"
Hit Number 1: July 4, 1964
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
Just last year, 1963 brought us the first #1 song that could be considered "surf rock". That was Jan & Dean's "Surf City", which was written by Beach Boys' member Brian Wilson, but had given up far too soon on the eventual chart-topper. This genre of music was a unique style of rock music, which is mostly recognizable because of its close harmonies, and sometimes bluesy sound that it offers. They may not be the first ones to appear on this blog that performed surf rock, but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who did it better than the Beach Boys. Today, I'm sure Wilson still kicks himself over the story of "Surf City", but he would have his moment the next year, when him and fellow Beach Boys' member Mike Love wrote "I Get Around" together.
On my "Surf City" post, I explained how Wilson's father, Murry, was upset that Brian had just given that song away the way he did. His frustration was understandable then, but as I'm doing my background research on "I Get Around", it's apparent to me that Murry was just a giant dickhead. During the recording session, Murry criticized Brian's production techniques, called him a loser several times, and claimed that he was the only one in the studio that had any talent. Did I ever tell you guys that Murry was the Beach Boys' manager at the time? Yeah, not after that. Brian was finally fed up with it all and fired his own father from being the group's manager during the recording session! That's one of the biggest power moves I have ever seen! And clearly, the group did just fine without him.
Despite the difficulties that his father was presenting, Wilson and the other group members constructed a surf rock masterpiece in "I Get Around". The song starts out with its iconic phrase "Round round get around, I get around", before picking up the beat and turning into a complete whirlwind of excitement. The harmonies of the group are perfect, with their voices blending in together like the sun's reflection on the ocean. In other words, they blend in together about as well as they possibly can. Unlike "Surf City" however, "I Get Around" has absolutely nothing to do with surfing, the beach, or the like. Instead, it's about a guy who clearly is living life right. He has a fast car that intimidates the "bad guys", he gets all the girls he wants, and has an ego the size of Texas. If you're anything like this guy, you earn that right. There's plenty of instrumentation to go along with it, but it's pretty obvious to me that the main centerpiece of this song are the Beach Boys themselves, and the amazing harmonies to go along with it. They would continue to bring a similar sound over the rest of the 60s, and of course, we will see them again in this blog.
GRADE: 9/10
JUST MISSED:
Millie Small's somewhat annoying song "My Boy Lollipop" was kept away from the top spot by "I Get Around". Thank god. It's a 3.
Johnny Rivers' (who will eventually appear in this blog) bluesy and laid back "Memphis" also peaked at #2 behind "I Get Around". It's an 8.
Comments