| "Fun, Fun, Fun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 U.S. picture sleeve | ||||
| Single bythe Beach Boys | ||||
| from the albumShut Down Volume 2 | ||||
| B-side | "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" | |||
| Released | February 3, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | January 1 and 8–9, 1964 | |||
| Studio | United Western Recorders, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:16 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Fun, Fun, Fun" is a song by the American rock bandthe Beach Boys from their 1964 albumShut Down Volume 2. Written byBrian Wilson andMike Love, it is one of their early songs that defined the idyllic pop aesthetic later dubbed the "California myth".[5] It was released as a single in February, backed with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", and reached number five in the U.S. charts.
The song was written byBrian Wilson andMike Love. The lyrics are partly inspired by events fromDennis Wilson's life.[6][7] Love stated that his lyrics were modeled afterChuck Berry's 1964 song "Nadine".[8][dubious –discuss]Russ Titelman recalled that he visited Brian while he was working on the song, and that its original lyric was "Run, Run, Run".[9]
The lyrics describe a teenage girl who deceives her father so she can go hot-rodding with hisFord Thunderbird. At the end, her father discovers her deception and takes the keys from her. Near the end of the song, the song's narrator suggests that the girl accompany him, so that they may "have fun, fun, fun" engaging in other activities, "now that Daddy took the T-Bird away."[1]
According toSalt Lake City radio manager Bill "Daddy-O" Hesterman of KNAK, an early promoter of the Beach Boys who brought them to Utah for appearances and concerts, the song was inspired by an incident involving Shirley Johnson, the station owner's daughter.[10] Johnson had borrowed her father's 1963 Thunderbird, which had aUniversity of Utah parking sticker, ostensibly to go study at the University library. Instead, she went to Shore's Drive In, a hamburger shop on the corner of 33rd South and 27th East. When the deception came to light, her driving privileges were revoked. In 2007, Johnson toldKSL News that she was complaining loudly about the incident at the radio station, where she worked as a part-time secretary, when the Beach Boys happened to be there for an interview. Hesterman said that Brian Wilson and Love, amused by the incident, jotted down the beginnings of the song as he took them to the airport that afternoon.[11]
The openingelectric guitar introduction of the song was based on Berry's "Johnny B. Goode",[12][13] and the track's punctuateddrum fills were inspired by the work ofPhil Spector.[1] MusicologistPhilip Lambert noted that the initial two phrases of the song are based on almost the same chord progression as the first two phrases of "Da Doo Ron Ron", and are melodically similar.[14]
The song was recorded on January 1, 1964, atUnited Western Recorders Studio 3. Vocals and additional overdubs followed on either January 8 or 9.[15] An earlier session was cancelled by band managerMurry Wilson, as he had felt dissatisfied with the song. Brian rescheduled the session after discovering what happened.[7]
The stereo and mono mixes stem from the same recording but have a significant difference: the fadeout on the stereo mix fades out early into the song's outro, with the instruments fading away before the vocals (and an overdubbed drum part). The mono mix, as heard on the 45 as well as mono copies ofShut Down Volume 2 has an extended outro.[citation needed]
The "Fun, Fun, Fun" single backed with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was released in the United States in February 1964.Cash Box described it as "a contagious steady rock beat" song with a "great teenarrangement."[16] The single peaked at the number-five spot on theBillboard chart. In the United Kingdom, the single was released in March 1964 throughCapitol Records, but failed to chart.[citation needed] In Australia, the single peaked at the number-six position, which was the band's highest charting single in Australia at that time. InWest Germany, the single became their first single to chart in the country when it peaked at the number-49 position.
| "Fun, Fun, Fun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byStatus Quo andthe Beach Boys | ||||
| from the albumDon't Stop | ||||
| B-side | "Mortified" (Status Quo) | |||
| Released | February 19, 1996 (1996-02-19)[17] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | PolyGram | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Pip Williams | |||
| Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was covered in 1996 by the then-current lineups of the Beach Boys andStatus Quo, with a new verse written for the song. The Beach Boys sang mainly backing vocals, with Status Quo'sFrancis Rossi performing the lead vocal for the entire song, except the new verse, which was sung by Mike Love. It was released underPolyGram Records as a single in the United Kingdom. The single, featuring another artist on the B-side, peaked at number 24 on theUK Singles Chart.[18]
Track details courtesy of session archivist Craig Slowinski.[15][19]
The Beach Boys
Additional musicians
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart[20][better source needed] | 6 |
| CanadaCHUM Chart[21] | 6 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[22] | 8 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[23] | 5 |
| West Germany (GfK)[24] | 49 |
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25] | 43 |
| Germany (GfK)[26] | 81 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[27] | 21 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 24 |
