Kokomo – The Beach Boys | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1); 1988
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
By 1988 all but the most ardent fans had written off the Beach Boys. Gone were Dennis Wilson, a victim of his own excesses, and brother Brian, gone solo after years wrestling with his own demons.
Their most popular albums were repackaged of their 1960’s hits, yet, the Beach Boys name still had drawing power. So when their producer Terry Melcher contacted the music guy at Touchstone/Disney – which had a new Tom Cruise movie in the works – he listened.
John Phillips (formerly of The Mamas & Papas), Scott McKenzie (singer of San Francisco; 1967), Mike Love of the BB, and Melcher came up with Kokomo. Never mind that the real Kokomo and Jamaica are worlds apart, everyone in both camps loved the song.
For the California boys Kokomo ended a 24 year absence from the top slot they’d held with Good Vibrations in December of 1966.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Terry Melcher
Lyrics Written by:
- John Phillips
- Scott McKenzie
- Mike Love
- Terry Melcher
Award:
- Nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television at the 1989 Grammy Awards
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).