A Member of The Mamas & the Papas Co-Wrote The Beach Boys’ Last No. 1 Song
Some of the biggest names in classic rock often worked together. For example, one of The Beach Boys’ songs was co-written by a member of The Mamas & the Papas. In addition, the producer of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” worked on the track.
The Beach Boys’ Mike Love made a ‘true collaboration’ with other rockers
During a 2019 interview with Keys Weekly, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love was asked if Kokomo from the song of the same name was a real place. “Kokomo was a name that originated with John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas,” Love recalled.
“Phillips wrote the melody and the verse, and I wrote the chorus, and our friend Terry Melcher produced the record, and he came up with the ‘Oooh I want to take you … ‘ and it was a true collaboration,” Love said. For context, Terry Melcher was the producer behind Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and The Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Mike Love discussed how ‘Kokomo’ performed compared to other Beach Boys songs
During a 2020 interview with The Arizona Republic, Love discussed the success of “Kokomo.” “‘Good Vibrations‘ was the biggest-selling single of the ’60s,” he said. “And we had some pretty big ones, too. ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ and ‘California Girls‘ and ‘Help Me, Rhonda.'”
Love revealed what he thought of “Kokomo.” “They say that ‘Kokomo’ in 1988 was our biggest-selling single,” he said. “And that was a great song. It’s a huge singalong in our concerts.”
Love said the track had a huge impact. “Multiple generations like that song,” the singer said. “Even in a period of time, when maybe The Beach Boys aren’t as popular as they had once been, here we go with our biggest-selling single.”
How The Beach Boys’ ‘Kokomo’ performed on the charts in the United States and impacted pop culture
“Kokomo” became a massive hit for The Beach Boys. It topped the Billboard Hot 100, for one week, staying on the chart for 28 weeks in total. None of the band’s other songs lasted on the chart for a longer period of time.
The Beach Boys released “Kokomo” on the album Still Cruisin’. The album reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200. Still Cruisin’ remained on the chart for 22 weeks.
The track earned its place in pop culture. “Kokomo” was featured on the soundtrack of Tom Cruise’s movie Cocktail. The Muppets covered the track for the album Muppet Beach Party. The Muppets made a music video for the song that appeared at the beginning of many children’s VHS tapes. Steve Carell sang “Kokomo” in the sitcom Space Force.
“Kokomo” was a huge hit for The Beach Boys and it wouldn’t be the same without Phillips.
