Readers at Mac’s Motor City Garage flat love the Beach Boys. So here you go: Today’s CarTune is their 1963 hit, “Shut Down.”
Like most of the classic Beach Boys car songs, “Shut Down” was written with lyrical assistance from Los Angeles disc jockey Roger Christian. One of the original KHJ “boss jocks,” Christian also collaborated on a number of songs for the beach movies, including Beach Blanket Bingo and Muscle Beach Party.
Released as the B side of “Surfin’ USA,” the record charted at number 23 in the States and number 34 in Britain. Essentially, the lyrics of “Shut Down” describe an impromptu street race between the narrator’s fuel-injected Corvette Stingray and an unspecified 413-powered Chrysler product. The lines are a bit wacky and awkward, but the two everyone remembers and joins in on are:
Tach it up, tach it up
Buddy gonna shut you down
The thing that got my interest here was Mike Love’s pioneering moonwalk. I googled for more on Mr Love and not being familiar with the BBs’ history was a bit taken aback by how widely – and intensely – he is disliked…
Because he’s the dweeby little loudmouth gumchewer. They don’t really hate him, they just like to rag on him.
Oh, no it’s worse than just ragging, this rant for example is just one of many, many similar pages: http://alexcastle.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-beach-boys-mike-love-is-awful-human.html
Absolutely love their car tunes but were any of the Beach Boys really car guys?
great way to start a Saturday listening car tunes.
that’s the greatest music ever made!!!!
According to my friend and former co-worker Dave Wallace, Jr. who (with his dad) worked at San Fernando Raceway as a little kid, Dennis Wilson had a pair of Cobras he ran there in 1965-66. Photos have since surfaced to back it up. All done anonymously so he could have some privacy, though Dave’s sister did get an autograph. Dennis was also into campers, dune buggies, and motorcycles, all things that enabled his bohemian lifestyle.
Of course, Dennis also co-starred with James Taylor in Two Lane Blacktop, for whatever it’s worth.
Beyond that, I think the Beach Boys were into cars the same way all teenage males were into cars back then, especially in Southern California. Everyone could talk a little car talk.