Each day, Rich Terfry and Radio 2 Drive wraps up your day with music and stories about the interesting things going on in the world.
Rich's Pick:
"Akazehe" by Musique du Burundi
Junk In The Trunk:
Spongebob loves bass
Hygienic handshakes
Weather in an elevator
Rear View Mirror:
Every week, Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days. This week, the story behind The Beach Boys "Sloop John B"
As musically adventurous as Brian Wilson has been in his career, he was never terribly interested in folk music. So when the Beach Boys covered an old sea shanty from the Bahamas in 1965, Brain Wilson had to be tricked into doing it.
Renowned ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax made a field recording of a song called "The John B. Sails" while on a trip to the Bahamas in 1935.
By the end of the '50s, versions of the song had been recorded by The Weavers,
and The Kingston Trio.
Al Jardine of the Beach Boys loved the song and brought it to Brian Wilson, suggesting the band record a version of their own while they were in the studio recording their now-legendary Pet Sounds album. When Jardine played it, Wilson reacted dismissively saying, "I don't like The Kingston Trio."
Jardine didn't give up on the idea. He figured the tune was too simple for Wilson's tastes, so he played it again, but in a signature Beach Boys style. He made it more complex, modifying the chord changes and adding some musical intrigue. When he finished playing, he got up from the piano and walked away. Not a word was said.
The next morning, Jardine received a phone call and was asked to return to the studio. When he arrived, Wilson played a song for him. It was a finished version of the song we now know as "Sloop John B."
Brian Wilson built the entire track from the ground up, by himself, in less than 24 hours. He made a few changes to the lyrics and incorporated Jardine's chord arrangement and ended up with a masterpiece. The song was released the following spring and was a big hit. It was the Beach Boys' fastest seller to date, moving half a million copies in less than two weeks and reached number two on the charts.
Jardine was never credited for his contribution, but described the experience of bringing this song to the band as "very rewarding" nonetheless.
Here are some other great editions of Rear-view Mirror:
New York Dolls "Personality Crisis"
George Jones "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA"
The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends"
James Brown, 'Hot (I Need to be loved loved loved)'
Ray Charles, 'I Don't Need No Doctor'
Curtis Mayfield, 'Freddy's Dead'
Gang Starr, 'Beyond Comprehension'
CCR, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'
Howlin' Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning'
Bobby Womack, 'Across 110th Street'
Foggy Hogtown Boys, 'Man of Constant Sorrow'
Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here'
Neil Young, 'Cortez The Killer'
Bob Dylan, 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'
Elvis Costello, 'Watching the Detectives'
Jimmy Cliff, 'The Harder They Come'
The Verve, 'Bittersweet Symphony'
Roberta Flack, 'Killing Me Softly with his Song'