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TL;DR:

  • Mike Love felt The Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” was one of the great songs from his band’s catalog.
  • The uncredited drummer who performed on the song said it had a major flaw.
  • Despite this, the drummer said there was a reason “Kokomo” became a success.

Mike Love said The Beach Boys‘ “Kokomo” appealed to fans from different generations. On the other hand, the drummer on “Kokomo” had a less positive appraisal of the track. Notably, the drummer worked with a number of other classic rock acts.

The Beach Boys near the water
The Beach Boys | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

Mike Love named some of The Beach Boys’ songs that he felt had cross-generational appeal

During a 2022 interview with The Times, Love was asked which songs The Beach Boys would play on their current tour. “‘ Surfin’ Safari,’ ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.,’ ‘I Get Around,’ ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ ‘Help Me, Rhonda,’ ‘California Girls,’ ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice,’ ‘God Only Knows,’ ‘Kokomo,’ and a few others.”

Love was told this catalog was impressive. “Yeah, it’s great,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to do those songs, and people still love to hear them performed. And it’s all generations, too. You have the old folks come out with their kids. And then their kids’ kids. So, you’ve got three generations of family members.”

A drummer who worked with John Lennon and Bob Dylan played on The Beach Boys’ ‘Kokomo’ and criticized the song

According to a 2004 article from Entertainment Weekly, “Kokomo” received negative reviews from critics. Jim Keltner played drums on the song without receiving credit. He also played drums on songs by other famous artists, including John Lennon, Elvis Costello, and Bob Dylan.

Keltner discussed why the song received negative press. “Because it’s just sooo syrupy pop,” he said. “But while the critics killed it with their words, they couldn’t kill the ‘hitness’ of it. It’s just a bona fide hit record, that’s all there is to it.” The track appeared on the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise romantic comedy Cocktail.

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How ‘Kokomo’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Kokomo” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week, staying on the chart for 28 weeks altogether. The track appeared on The Beach Boys’ album Still’ Cruisin’, which peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 22 weeks.

“Kokomo” became far less popular in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, “Kokomo” reached No. 25 in the U.K. The song stayed on the chart for a total of nine weeks. On the other hand, Still Cruisin’ never charted in the U.K.

“Kokomo” was not a huge critical hit but it brought The Beach Boys to the No. 1 spot in the United States for the final time.

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