Worst Beach Boys Song on Summer Days (and Summer Nights) - Part 15 in an Ongoing Series

"Salt Lake City" is not very good

amazing, classic album, but it starts off with two serious duds. how many amazing, classic albums can you say that about. but, then again, "salt lake city" ... (mike love factor).

Actually, I'm not sure if I'm thinking of "Amusement Parks U.S.A." when I think I'm thinking of "Salt Lake City"

they are both pretty dumb ... at least Amusement Parks seems consciously dumb (that laugh!), whereas SLC is painfully earnest in the way that only Mike Love can be.

Yep, "Salt Lake City" it is

Amusement Parks has the carnival barker (Hal Blaine?!) in the middle.

I think we're all on the same page here

Down in Utah
The guys and I dig a city called Salt Lake
It's got the grooviest kids
That's why we never get tired of Salt Lake
And the way the kids talk so cool
Is an out of sight thing
And the number one radio station
Makes the town really swing yeah
Salt Lake City we'll be coming soon
There's a park near the city, yeah
All the kids dig the Lagoon now
It's full of all kinds of girls
And rides and we'll be flyin' there soon now
And girl for girl
They've got the cutest of the Western states
They got the sun in the summer
And winter time the skiing is great yeah
Salt Lake City we'll be coming soon
Salt Lake City we'll be coming soon
We'll be coming soon
We'll be coming soon
We'll be coming soon

Guys, there's a Steve Douglass sax break in SLC that positively KILLS. Please retract your votes. Thanks.

nah the only redeeming thing about SLC is that chiming ascending bassline

reading those SLC lyrics, it's like it could be a totally ironic Randy Newman song or something

I'd have guessed it as being an "I can write totally hip and groovy lyrics like my sons" Murry Wilson lyric.

There's a park near the city, yeah
lol

And the way the kids talk so cool
Is an out of sight thing

this line always makes me lol cuz, well... really? you think mormon slang is "out of sight"?

All the kids dig the Lagoon now
It's full of all kinds of girls

Salt Lake City serial killer on the loose

lolz

hahaha.
still, that song probably gets the hell played out of it on Salt Lake City oldies stations ... Mike Love, having the last laugh again.

As he always will.

nah the only redeeming thing about SLC is that chiming ascending bassline

No, it's the break. Trust me on this.

Didn't Murry sell all these songs though?

reading those SLC lyrics, it's like it could be a totally ironic Randy Newman song or something

hahaha I have a new appreciation for the song

surprised 'bugged' hasn't been mentioned yet. it's a v. interesting song cause of...context...but it's still not that great to actually listen to.

A great album though not as solid as Today! thanks to those weak songs on the first side. Voted Salt Lake City. I like Brian's vocal gymnastics on Bugged.

Bugged is great, I never skip it. Very funny song

funny! maybe outside of any context. but when you have a violent and abusive father who the song is obviously about...

Bugged is a bona fide Beach Boys classic. The context of the boys having an asshole father who probably did these things (or worse) is what makes it hilarious of course! One of the rare moments when their "humor" works I think.

^^^yep.

comedy comes from pain you know

"The Girl From New York City" is great! One of their best throwaways.

Yup

"I'm Bugged At My Old Man" is horrible.

Not one for the conceptual, are you, Geir?

man, "Today" is going to be a snap ... unless "Bull Session With Big Daddy" is not deemed a "song".

man, "Today" is going to be a snap ... unless "Bull Session With Big Daddy" is not deemed a "song".

it is included with the original album and is listed on the tracklisting, but yeah... foregone conclusion fer sher

Not one for the conceptual, are you, Geir?

I usually find that the Beach Boys had a terrible sense of humour, and that their "funny" numbers tend to be the worst on the entire album. Also add the fact that most of the tracks on this album are amazing.

Starting to wish I hadn't said Girl From New York City. It;s not great, but it's now stuck in my head and I want to hear it!

I always heard this album title as being delivered by eric Idle, and peronounced:

Summer Days (hey, and Summer Nights ay? wor, ay? ay? you know, worrrrrr, ay?)

..

"Bugged" is like the Mothers a year or two early. Having listened to this album again, I like "Amusement Parks USA"!

Yeah Bugged and Amusement Parks are essential!

The vocal on "Amusement Parks" is really good, give old Mike Love his due, he's such a witty vocalist

For ages I heard the line in Amusement Parks about cracking up in front of the crazy mirrors as "crazy n*****s", believing that this was some sort of racist throwback on Mike Love's part.

People will believe anything of Mike

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Wrong

this album ownes

AND I LUUUUUVE IT, LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVE IT

"S-she looks like a fake to me!"

"Salt Lake City" is not very good

― Dante ... Bruno . Vico .. Passantino (Tom D.), Tuesday, May 26, 2009 3:53 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That guy's wrong, "Salt Lake City" is good... just not very good in context.

I have made my own version of this album by removing "girl from NYC" and "amusement park" and adding "the little girl I once knew" as well as "trombone dixie" and the instrumental version of "Guess I'm dumb" to make a kind of all instrumental part at the end :

California girls
Rhonda
SLC
Girl don't
Good to me
Let him run
The little girl
Trombone
Dumb
Summer
Dreams
Bugged

That makes an album almost better than Pet sounds !