Sloop John B
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| "Sloop John B" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Beach Boys | ||
| from the album Pet Sounds | ||
| Released | March 1966 | |
| Format | Vinyl | |
| Recorded | July 12, 1965 to January 1966 | |
| Genre | Baroque Pop | |
| Length | 5 min 10 sec for both songs | |
| Label | Capitol Records | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |
| Chart positions | ||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||
| "Barbara Ann"/"Girl Don't Tell Me" (1965) |
"Sloop John B"/"You're So Good to Me" (1966) |
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"/"God Only Knows" (1966) |
"Sloop John B" is the seventh track on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album and was also a single which was released in 1966 on Capitol Records. The B-side of this single was "You're So Good to Me". It was originally a traditional West Indies folk song, possibly recorded earliest by The Weavers under the title "Wreck of the John B", the song taken from a collection by Carl Sandburg (1927). Alan Lomax is said to have made a field recording of the song in Nassau, 1935, under the title "Hoist Up the John B. Sail". The song was adapted by Weavers member Lee Hays. The recording of the song which directly influenced The Beach Boys was by The Kingston Trio. The actual ship was a sponger, whose crew was known for being 'very merry' while in port. It was wrecked and sunk at Governers Harbour in Eleuthera, The Bahamas about 1900. The song has been recorded by many artists, including Joseph Spence, Roger Whitaker, Dick Dale, Catch-22 and, most recently, Relient K.
Contents |
[edit] Beach Boys version
[edit] Idea for the song
Alan Jardine, who was a keen folk music fan, suggested to Brian Wilson that the Beach Boys should do a cover version of Sloop John B. As Jardine explains, "Brian was at the piano. I asked him if I could sit down and show him something. I laid out the chord pattern for 'Sloop John B'. I said, 'Remember this song?' I played it. He said, 'I'm not a big fan of the Kingston Trio.' He wasn't into folk music. But I didn't give up on the idea. So what I did was to sit down and play it for him in the Beach Boys idiom. I figured if I gave it to him in the right light, he might end up believing in it. So I modified the chord changes so it would be a little more interesting. The original song is basically a three-chord song, and I knew that wouldn't fly. So I put some minor changes in there, and it stretched out the possibilities from a vocal point of view. Anyway, I played it, walked away from the piano and we went back to work. The very next day, I got a phone call to come down to the studio. Brian played the song for me, and I was blown away. The idea stage to the completed track took less than 24 hours."[1]
[edit] Choosing the lead vocalist
Al Jardine then explains that Brian "then lined us up one at a time to try out for the lead vocal. I had naturally assumed I would sing the lead, since I had brought in the arrangement. It was like interviewing for a job. Pretty funny. He didn't like any of us. My vocal had a much more mellow approach because I was bringing it from the folk idiom. For the radio, we needed a more rock approach. Brian and Mike ended up singing it. But I had a lot of fun bringing the idea to the band. It was very rewarding in every way but one; I was never given label credit for my contribution."[2]
[edit] Lyric Changes
Brian Wilson changed the lyrics in two of the lines of the song. He changed the lyric "This is the worst trip since I've been born" to "This is the worst trip I've ever been on". He also changed the lyric "I feel so break up" to "I feel so broke up". The line "broke into the people's trunk", is changed to "Broke into the captain's trunk".
[edit] Details
- Written by: Traditional
- Arranged by: Brian Wilson
- Album: Pet Sounds
- Time: 2 min 56 sec
- Produced by: Brian Wilson
- Instrumental track: recorded July 12, 1965 at Western Recorders, Hollywood, California. Engineered by Chuck Britz.
- Vocals track: recorded December 22 1965 at Western Recorders, Hollywood, California.
- New lead vocal and 12 string electric guitar overdub: recorded December 29, 1965 at Western Recorders, Hollywood, California
- High harmony lead and additional backing tracks: recorded January 1966 at Western Recorders, Hollywood, California
- Single: released March 21, 1966 as the Capitol single Sloop John B which also featured You're So Good to Me. Entered Billboard "Hot 100" on April 2, 1966; remained on chart 11 weeks; peaked at #3 in the U.S. on May 7, 1966.
[edit] Performers
- Brian Wilson: Lead Vocals
- Mike Love: Lead Vocals
- Hal Blaine: Drums
- Ron Swallow: Tambourine
- Lyle Ritz: String Bass
- Carol Kaye: Electric Bass
- Al Casey: Guitar
- Jerry Cole: Guitar
- Billy Strange: Guitar, 12-String Electric Guitar
- Al de Lory: Organ
- Frank Capp: Glockenspiel
- Jay Migliori: Clarinet
- Steve Douglas: Flute
- Jim Horn: Flute
- Jack Nimitz: Baritone Saxophone
[edit] Cultural References
- Numerous fans of football clubs in England have adopted chants to the tune of the chorus., the first being Manchester United, who sing "We paid for your home", a reference to Manchester City's council-owned stadium, as well as numerous other songs. Fans of Liverpool FC also use the song to celebrate their five European Cup victories. It has now become so common to hear the song in English football grounds, that FC United of Manchester, the team set up in the wake of Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United, now, ironically, sing the original words of the song as one of their adopted chants.
