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“Everyone’s In Love With You” (Beach Boys Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions with Jim Fusco!  A quick update: the recording for my new album has been a fun process and every day I’m more and more excited to hear the finished results.  If you haven’t been following my progress, either go to my website at http://jimfusco.com or directly to my music Twitter feed @jimfuscomusic.

Tonight’s video is one from The Beach Boys- my favorite band of all time.  This song is from one of their most liked albums among fans.  Unfortunately, I don’t fall into that category.  “15 Big Ones” is an interesting album.  Sure, it’s the album where the other members finally got Brian Wilson back into the studio, but to me, it spelled the end of a once-great band.  You see, in the years leading up to “15 Big Ones”, the Beach Boys (the members other than Brian) were writing and producing some amazing music.  IN fact, “Sunflower” may be my favorite album from them.  But, as the nostalgia of the Beach Boys’ #1 greatest hits album, “Endless Summer”, grew in popularity, the band decided to get Brian back to the forefront.  Of course, Brian wasn’t really ready.  He’d been locked away in his room, listening to old music he loved from Fats Domino, Freddy Cannon, etc.  These were songs he loved as a kid and were what got him into rock’n’roll.

So, Brian wasn’t that interested in writing new songs- he ended up going into the studio and having the Boys record many of his old favorites, such as “Rock’n’Roll Music” and “Blueberry Hill”.  Those are the good ones on the album- I’m pretty sure they could’ve left off “A Casual Look” and made it “14 Big Ones” instead.

But, the pun in the title was because the Beach Boys had been a band for 15 years.  And, if I’m not mistaken, this was considered their 15th album.

It’s not a bad album, but it’s definitely dated now.  The synthesizer, brought to even more prominence on “Love You” from the next year, is hard to play for someone right now.  Playing “Palisades Park” for someone and saying, ‘This is from an album considered one of their best” doesn’t really make much of a case for potential fans.

Anyway, there are some great tracks on “15 Big Ones” though, including “It’s OK”.  Actually, I’ve already covered “Blueberry Hill”, “Just Once In My Life”, “Palisades Park” – I must like this album after all!  But, “Everyone’s In Love With You” is my favorite.  It’s definitely Mike Love at his best.  His vocals are sweet and it’s got a great melody.  Songs like this make me wish he had written more (that is, as long as they aren’t “Summer Of Love” from 1992).

I’ve always wondered if “Everyone’s In Love With You” had a bit of a racy meaning to it.  I mean, if you just literally listen to the words, you’ll see what I mean.  But, Mike has said the song is about transcendental meditation, which he was really into at the time.  It’s more of a feeling that everyone shares “love” with each other and individuality takes a back seat to a collective well-being.  At least, that’s what I’ve gained from the whole thing over the years…

I hope you enjoy this song- maybe it’ll prompt you to give “15 Big Ones” a shot someday.  It’s definitely worth a listen, I’ll say that.  I’m pretty busy for the next couple of weeks, but I won’t forget about the music blog.  I’ll be back with another great video soon, so stay-tuned!

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“Farmer’s Daughter” (Beach Boys cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Hello all! Here’s another song for the Laptop Sessions! This one is by request for an early Beach Boys tune called “Farmer’s Daughter”.  It’s a pretty cute little song (only four chords!) made exponentially harder because of the fact that it’s ALL sung in falsetto!  But, as Brian Wilson was about when he recorded this, I’m in my early 20s, so I think I hit the notes!  I, for one, love the songs from the very early Beach Boys albums.  It was definitely a different time.  It was before the Beatles made it big in America and there was an innocence to the music.  Of course, that’s why I love the music I love- I try not to listen to too many depressing songs.  For instance, I was starting to get in to Elliot Smith’s music.  But, as anyone who has heard of Elliot Smith knows, his songs are almost always dark and with an overtone of suicidal thoughts.  Elliot was a great musician and songwriter.  But, I could never become a huge fan because of the songs’ subject matter.  Listing to music has always been a source of joy for me, so I’ve decided to stay in my happy pre-Vietnam music world, smiling all the way. 🙂

Although, I will admit, “Farmer’s Daughter” is a bit too “vanilla”, even for me.  But, Brian Wilson sings it so sweetly and it works.  In fact, many of the songs from their early albums are a bit embarrassing to listen to now.  Remember “Chug a Lug”?  Probably not- it’s not that memorable.  But, basically, it’s about drinking beer…root beer!  I’ve played that song for people over the years and it’s embarrassing every time I do.  But for some reason, I really like that song.  It’s just a song a bunch of teenage friends, brothers, and cousins wrote and sang together for fun.  And their voices are so “cute” that you can’t help but smile while singing.

Speaking of SMiLE, I wonder if these early songs gave Brian Wilson some influence over his most notable work.  He wanted SMiLE to be something fun- something that was brilliant, but also made you not take the music so seriously.  He always seemed stuck in a child-like state.  I wonder if he looked back on these early songs and thought, “Yeah, I’d like to get back to that fun again.  How do I do that while still sounding cool, complex, and relevant?”

One other album I love so much (which you’ll see plenty of videos from here on the music blog) is the Beach Boys Christmas Album from 1964.  It’s one of my absolute favorite albums of all time.  Why?  Well, it fits all the criteria I listed above!  It’s great music with the wonderful innocence and happiness of Christmas built right in.  Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face (musically) than their Christmas songs.

I hope you enjoy.

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The Road to Nyack – Playlists on Parade

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I’ll be driving my sister and her boyfriend back to New York soon.  Seeing as how I have a full gas tank already and recently brought my car for an oil change, I figured the best way to prepare for the trip was to make a playlist.

No brainer, right?

So, I’ve spent much longer than I should have rooting around among my iTunes archives to find a selection of songs that is varied, caters to both of our tastes, and will be good for a road trip.  This was a bit more difficult than I initially anticipated, but I finally have a final sequence that will last the entire hour and a half journey (give or take).

You’ll find some songs that Jaime first introduced me to via her consistently high-quality compilations, songs like “Anti-Christ Television Blues” from Arcade Fire and “I Just Do” by Dear & the Headlights.  Other songs are my picks from albums that she introduced me to, tracks like Right Away, Great Captain’s “What A Pity” and Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.”

I would have liked to include a different track by the Hush Sound (“A Dark Congregation” is a song that she included on a compilation), but I haven’t picked up a copy of their 2008 album Goodbye Blues yet.

Emphasis on “yet”…

The rest of the playlist is populated by blasts from the past, like the opener from Relient K, as well as a healthy helping of new 2010 tracks that I want her to hear (the songs from the Black Keys, the Hold Steady, Locksley, and Spoon).  And, of course, I couldn’t resist Bob Dylan and Beach Boys songs with New York in the title, as well as the only song I know of that refers to Nyack in the lyrics: Fountains of Wayne’s “Little Red Light.”

So, that’s my thought process on the creation of this playlist.  If you can think of any songs I should have added, comment as soon as possible so I can make the necessary updates!  🙂

1)  “My Way or the Highway…” – Relient K

2)  “I Just Do” – Dear & the Headlights

3)  “Asleep in the Chapel” – Thursday

4)  “Hard Times in New York Town” – Bob Dylan

5)  “Cream and Bastards Rise” – Harvey Danger

6)  “16 Military Wives” – The Decemberists

7)  “Drive My Car” (Live from Good Evening New York City) – Paul McCartney

8)  “Tighten Up” – The Black Keys

9)  “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out” – Lifehouse

10)  “Get Back” (from Love) – The Beatles

11)  “Hustle and Cuss” – The Dead Weather

12)  “The Girl From New York City” – The Beach Boys

13)  “Try” – Straylight Run

14)  “The Fixer” – Pearl Jam

15)  “What A Pity” – Right Away, Great Captain

16)  “Drive” – Incubus

17)  “Blue Orchid” (Live from Under Great White Lights) – The White Stripes

18)  “Soft in the Center” – The Hold Steady

19)  “21st Century” – Locksley

20)  “A Dark Congregation” – The Hush Sound

21)  “The Vampires of New York” – Marcy Playground

22)  “Anti-Christ Television Blues” – Arcade Fire

23)  “Hop a Plane” – Tegan & Sara

24)  “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” – Neutral Milk Hotel

25)  “California Zephyr” – Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard

26)  “Little Red Light” – Fountains of Wayne

27)  “Written In Reverse” – Spoon

28)  “Everybody Learns From Disaster” – Dashboard Confessional

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“Getcha Back” by the Beach Boys – Chords & How to Play

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To see how it’s played in the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!

“Getcha Back”
The Beach Boys (Love – Melcher)

Intro:   A   F#m   Bm   E   (x2)

E               A                        F#m
The other night, they were playin’ our song.
Bm                        E
Hadn’t heard it for oh so long.
A                                          F#m
Took me back darlin’ to that time in my car when you
Bm                                 E
Cried all night ‘cuz we’d gone too far.

E                           A                             F#m
Can I ever getcha back, getcha back, baby,
F#m                Bm                  E
Gonna getcha back now.
E                           F                 G
Can I ever getcha back?

I’m getting tired, layin’ around here at night.
Thinkin’ ’bout some other guy holdin’ you tight.
He may have money and a brand new car,
May even treat you like a movie star.

Ain’t no matter what he ever do for you:
He can never love you like I can do.
So if I leave her and you leave him,
Can we ever get it back again?

E                           A                             F#m
Can I ever getcha back, getcha back, baby,
F#m                Bm                  E
Gonna getcha back now.
E                           A
Can I ever getcha back?

Middle:  B   Abm   C#m   F#

F#        B                             Abm
Getcha back, getcha back, baby,
Abm                C#m              F#
Gonna getcha back now.

I’ll leave her, and you leave him.
Can we baby get back again?

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s).  They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

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