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Chug-A-Lug (The Beach Boys song)
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Wikipedia article
'"Chug-A-Lug"' is a song written by Brian Wilson, Gary Usher and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1962 album 'Surfin' Safari'.Elliott, Brad: "Surf's Up! The Beach Boys On Record 1961-1981", page 15. Popular Culture Ink, 1991.
Composition
"Chug-A-Lug" is in a standard verse-chorus form, which is the most common song structure in the Beach Boys' music. The lyrics of the song are about the members of the band hanging out at a root beer stand and drinking mugs of root beer while talking about girls, cars, and music.Lambert, Philip: Inside the Music of Brian Wilson, pages 43-44. Continuum Publishing, 2007.
The song begins with a truncated statement of the hook, before leading directly into the verse. The verse consists of a lead melody, sung by Love, set against a background choir of "Oohs." The chorus sounds for six bars in a blues progression, before moving directly into the hook, resulting in an eight-bar phrase that is balanced with eight bars of the verse.
The song was originally credited to just Wilson and Usher. Mike Love's name was added as a result of a lawsuit filed by him against Wilson in 1994.Doe, Andrew G. & Tobler, John: "Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music", pages 8-9. Omnibus Press, 2004.
Recording
"Chug-A-Lug" was recorded at Capitol Records with "Ten Little Indians" and "The Shift" on August 8, 1962. The session was officially produced by Nik Venet, though many of the participants claim that Brian Wilson was just as responsible for the production as Venet.Doe, Andrew G.: "[http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html ALBUMARCHIVE#1] ." [https://archive.today/20120720210630/http://www.btinternet.com/%7Ebellagio/ Bellagio 10452]. Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
Personnel
*Mike Love lead vocal
*David Marks guitar
*Brian Wilson bass guitar, organ, vocals
*Carl Wilson guitar, vocals
*Dennis Wilson drums, vocalsBadman, Keith: The Beach Boys, pages 25-26. Backbeat Books, 2004.
References
Category:1962 songs
Category:The Beach Boys songs
Category:Songs written by Gary Usher
Category:Songs written by Brian Wilson
Category:Songs written by Mike Love
Category:Song recordings produced by Nick Venet
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