Getcha Back
"Getcha Back" is a song written by Mike Love and Terry Melcher for the American rock band The Beach Boys, on their 1985 album The Beach Boys. It was the band's first release since the drowning death of Dennis Wilson in 1983. The song peaked at number 26 nationally and number two on the Adult Contemporary chart.[1] "Getcha Back" recaptured the sound and feel of the Beach Boys' early hits.
| "Getcha Back" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Beach Boys | ||||
| from the album The Beach Boys | ||||
| B-side | "Male Ego" | |||
| Released | May 8, 1985 | |||
| Format | Vinyl | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Brother | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Love, Terry Melcher | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Levine | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Musically, the backing vocals resemble those from the 1959 hit "Hushabye" by The Mystics, which the Beach Boys had covered in 1964 for their All Summer Long album. Comparisons could also be made to Bruce Springsteen's 1980 hit "Hungry Heart", which Love later recorded a cover of for a tribute album. The Allmusic Review had this to say "despite the production sheen provided by Steve Levine (of Culture Club fame), this is another competent but uninspired effort."[2]
Music video
The music video directed by Dominic Orlando, was filmed on location in Malibu and Venice, California. It featured a then-unknown Katherine Kelly Lang, who went on to play Brooke Logan on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Although the active members of the Beach Boys appear in the video, they do not play, sing, or lip-sync the song.
Personnel
- The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine – vocals
- Bruce Johnston – vocals
- Mike Love – lead vocals
- Brian Wilson – lead vocals, backing vocals, falsetto[3], vocal arrangements (uncredited), synthesizer bass (uncredited)
- Carl Wilson – vocals
- Additional musicians and production staff
- John Alder – guitars
- Graham Broad – percussion
- Steve Grainger – baritone saxophone
- Steve Levine – Fairlight programming, drum programming
- Julian Lindsay – Kurzweil 250 synthesizer, PPG Wave synthesizer, synthesizers programming
- Terry Melcher – Kurzweil 250
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 81 |
| Canada Top Singles | 26 |
| UK Singles | 97 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 2 |
Track listing
- 2:59
- 5:12 (Extended Version)
Live versions
The song was played on the Beach Boys' The 50th Reunion Tour in 2012 with David Marks taking over on lead vocals and with Jeff Foskett on Brian Wilson's original falsetto part.
Cover versions
Mark McGrath, lead singer of the California rock band Sugar Ray, performed a cover of this song for the soundtrack of Herbie: Fully Loaded, a Walt Disney Pictures movie released in 2005. The Beach Boys version appears at the beginning, during the flashback of Herbie's racing career, during the opening credits.
Mike Love re-recorded the song for his 2017 solo album Unleash the Love. This version features altered lyrics and a new third verse, and features John Stamos on percussion.
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 29.
- Ruhlmann, William (2008). The Allmusic Review. Allmusic.
- http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,7369.75.html
