"Chug-A-Lug"
Song by the Beach Boys
from the album Surfin' Safari
ReleasedOctober 1, 1962 (1962-10-01)
RecordedAugust 8, 1962 (1962-08-08)
StudioCapitol Studios
GenreSurf rock
Length1:59
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Brian Wilson
Gary Usher
Mike Love
Producer(s)Nik Venet

"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.[1]

Composition

"Chug-A-Lug" is in a standard verse-chorus form, which is the most common song structure in the Beach Boys' music.[2] 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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Elliott, Brad: "Surf's Up! The Beach Boys On Record 1961-1981", page 15. Popular Culture Ink, 1991.
  2. ↑ O'Regan, Jadey (2012). Lambert, Philip (ed.). When I Grow Up: The Beach Boys' Early Music. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. pp. 143, 161. ISBN 978-0-472-11995-0.
  3. 1 2 Lambert, Philip: Inside the Music of Brian Wilson, pages 43-44. Continuum Publishing, 2007.
  4. ↑ Doe, Andrew G. & Tobler, John: "Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music", pages 8-9. Omnibus Press, 2004.
  5. ↑ Doe, Andrew G.: "ALBUMARCHIVE#1 Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Bellagio 10452. Retrieved on 2011-08-09.
  6. ↑ Badman, Keith: The Beach Boys, pages 25-26. Backbeat Books, 2004.
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