Кокомо: История хита The Beach Boys 1988 года

1988 single by the Beach Boys

"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'. Written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love, and Terry Melcher, the song was released as a single on July 18, 1988 by Elektra Records and became a number one hit in the US and Australia. It was the band's first original top 20 single in 20 years and their first number one hit in 22 years. The lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a relaxing place on Kokomo, a utopian island off the Florida Keys. In addition to the fictional Kokomo, the song also makes references to many real Caribbean islands, including Aruba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Martinique, and Montserrat.

The verse of the song came from a demo by John Phillips (formerly of the Mamas & the Papas) and Scott McKenzie (best known for his 1967 song "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)", which Phillips wrote). The Beach Boys' Mike Love added the chorus which lists the names of islands, and suggested that Phillips change the lyrics from past tense to present tense, transforming the tone of the song from melancholic to inviting.

"Kokomo" was recorded on March 22 and April 5–6, 1988 with production by Terry Melcher, who had previously produced the band's "Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue" (1986) and "California Dreamin'" (1986). It was created through overdubbing parts onto the band's demo for the song. The recording featured every current member of the group except Brian Wilson, who did not attend the sessions. In his 1991 memoir Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, it was stated that Wilson was unable to contribute to the song because he was committed to recording his first solo album, and his bandmates deliberately did not inform him of the session date until it was too late. According to biographer Mark Dillon, "Available session date information does not substantiate this claim, however." Mike Love stated that Wilson was not on "Kokomo" because Eugene Landy, Wilson's therapist turned collaborator, refused to "let Brian sing on it unless Landy was a producer and co writer" and Melcher did not "feel he needed Landy since he had produced some number one records. It was pathetic of Landy to do that, but he controlled Brian completely at that time." According to a 2018 article in Stereogum, "When [Brian] first heard the song on the radio, he didn’t even recognize it as a Beach Boys tune." The group later recorded a Spanish language version of "Kokomo" with participation from Brian.

The video for "Kokomo" was filmed at the then recently opened Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida. Although they had not played these instruments on the recording, Mike Love is playing saxophone, Al Jardine is playing tambourine, Carl Wilson is playing guitar, and Bruce Johnston is playing bass, with touring drummer Mike Kowalski in his usual role and actor and occasional Beach Boys live guest John Stamos is playing steel drum. In 2011, NME ranked the video as the 17th worst of all time, commenting, "It was as if Mike Love had taken the 'Beach Boys' name straight out of Brian Wilson's hands and we were forced to watch footage of Tom Cruise mixing up Bloody Marys. Thanks guys."

After being released as a single in 1988, the song was included on the soundtrack album for the movie Cocktail as well as the 1989 Beach Boys album Still Cruisin'. "Kokomo" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1988, but lost to Phil Collins' "Two Hearts" (from the film Buster). "Two Hearts" and Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" from Working Girl jointly beat it for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.