"Busy Doin' Nothin'"
Song by the Beach Boys
from the album Friends
ReleasedJune 24, 1968
RecordedMarch 26 and April 11, 1968
StudioID Sound and Beach Boys Studio, California
GenreBossa nova, pop
Length3:04
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Brian Wilson
Producer(s)The Beach Boys
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"Busy Doin' Nothin'" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1968 album Friends. Written by Brian Wilson, the lyrics reflect the minutiae of his daily social and business life, while the music, Wilson said, was inspired by "bossa nova in general".[1]

Recording

Bel Air, Los Angeles, where Wilson lived in the late 1960s and 1970s.

"Busy Doin' Nothin'" was recorded over two dates, one for the basic instrumental track and another for overdubs, including the vocal track. The basic instrumental track was recorded at Beach Boys Studio on March 26, 1968, under the working titles "Even Steven" and "Even Time".[2] The session used several members of the Wrecking Crew.[3]

Overdubs and the vocal track were recorded on April 11, 1968, at ID Sound, California. The vocal track has Brian singing the lead vocal, briefly joined by his then-wife Marilyn Wilson who sings with Brian during the second bridge.[2]

Biographer John Tobler noted a resemblance between Wilson's vocal performance and that of Chris Montez's on the latter's 1966 rendition of "The More I See You".[4]

Live performances

"Busy Doin' Nothin'" was performed in the early 2000s by Brian Wilson during his Pet Sounds solo tour as well as the No Pier Pressure tour in 2015. The song was performed as part of the Brian Wilson & The Zombies: Something Great From '68 2019 tour.[5]

Cover versions

Personnel

Per Craig Slowinski.[6]

The Beach Boys

Guest

  • Marilyn Wilson - lead vocals (doubled with Brian in some places), backing vocals

Session musicians

  • Jim Ackley - keyboard
  • Al Vescovo - guitars
  • Lyle Ritz - upright basses
  • Alan Estes - vibes & blocks
  • Gene Pello - drums
  • David Sherr - oboe
  • Tom Scott - bass flute
  • Don Englert - clarinet
  • Jay Migliori - bass clarinet

References

  1. ↑ "Brian Answer's Fans' Questions In Live Q&A". January 29, 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 Doe, Andrew G. "Sessions 1968". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Busy Doin' Nothin' - the Beach Boys | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ Tobler, John (1978). The Beach Boys. Chartwell Books. p. 50. ISBN 0890091749.
  5. ↑ Brian Wilson, "Busy Doin' Nothing" (The Beach Boys) - Oakland - Sept. 13, 2019, archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2019-09-24
  6. ↑ Endless Summer Quarterly, Spring 2018 Edition
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