Song Details
- Artist
- The Beach Boys
- Album
- Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
- Released
- 1965
- Genre
- Pop, Surf Rock
- Length
- 2:38
¶ Deep Analysis
"California Girls" is famously Brian Wilson's favorite Beach Boys song, and for good reason. It perfectly meshes the complex, symphonic orchestration of *Pet Sounds* (which was just around the corner) with the fun, sun-soaked pop of their early hits.
The Intro
The song begins with a 30-second orchestral prelude that sounds more like a classical symphony than a pop song. It was Brian Wilson flexing his musical muscles, proving that surf music could be high art.
Inspired by a cowboy movie (and partly written during an LSD trip), Wilson conceived it as a "rhythm and blues" song but with the expansive feel of the American West.
@ History & Impact
-
1
David Lee Roth Cover
David Lee Roth's 1985 cover brought the song back to the charts, with a famous music video that paid homage to the original's celebration of sunny American imagery.
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2
Beatles Influence
Paul McCartney referenced "California Girls" as the direct inspiration for "Back in the U.S.S.R.," which was a parody/tribute to The Beach Boys' sound.