Down in Kokomo

Facts about the song Kokomo

*This came together when producer Terry Melcher was hired to work on a song with The Beach Boys for the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. The Beach Boys' best days were behind them, and they had been playing fairs and nostalgia shows. They were one of the most popular bands of the 60s, and had a bunch of songs dealing with recreation and fun, which is why they were asked to record for the movie.

*Brian Wilson was the creative force behind The Beach Boys, but he had nothing to do with this. He released his first solo album that year and came out with the first single, "Love And Mercy," 3 weeks before this was released. Wilson's album didn't do very well.

*Melcher wrote this with the help of John Phillips, a former member of The Mamas And The Papas, Beach Boy Mike Love, and Scott McKenzie, who had a hit in 1967 with "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)." Phillips' daughter Chynna was in the group Wilson Phillips with Brian Wilson's daughters, Carnie and Wendy.

*Kokomo is a city in the middle of Indiana and is also a small resort owned by Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, the title was made up. It was supposed to represent all the tropical places and images that people think of when wishing to get away to some paradise island to escape the dreary work life. John Phillips thought the name sounded good and wanted to use it for the title. Mike Love added the "Aruba, Jamaica" part and changed the line "That's where we used to go" to "That's where we want to go."


*Van Dyke Parks was called in to help record the song. He worked closely with Brian Wilson and was a big part of the "Smile" project - an album Wilson worked on when he was going through drug addiction and severe mental problems. Parks was one of the few people in Wilson's world at the time, and helped with lyrics on the project, which was never finished. Having Parks at the sessions made it more of a legitimate Beach Boys song. He arranged the steel drum band and played accordion on the track.

*This was released in July 1988, but it went nowhere until the movie came out a few months later and made it a huge hit. When The Beach Boys played it live during concerts that summer, it got no response.

*Before this, the last US #1 for The Beach Boys was "Good Vibrations" in 1966. At 22 years, it was the longest ever between #1 hits.

*Actor John Stamos played drums in the video. He is famous for his work on the TV show Full House and for his wife, actress Rebecca Romijn Stamos.

*The Beach Boys performed this song on an episode of Full House entitled "Beach Boy Bingo." Everyone tries to coax D.J., who won 2 tickets to the next Beach Boys concert, to take them with her. John Stamos played "Jesse" on the show.

*The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame the year this was released.

*In 1999, DJ Bob Rivers parodied the song as "Kosovo."




From Wikipedia
*In the original version, lead vocals were performed by Mike Love and Carl Wilson. The harmonies include Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston. The only active Beach Boys member not involved with the recording was Brian Wilson, who, according to his autobiography, was given short notice of the recording session and unable to attend. He was, however, included in concert recordings of the song, including a live concert filmed for the television show Full House (episode 028). The 2008 A&E Network Biography on Brian Wilson stated that Mike Love would "brag" about having a #1 hit without Wilson's help.

*"Kokomo" appeared on VH1's "40 Most Awesomely Bad No. 1 Songs". However, it received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song - Motion Picture in 1989. The song also ranked at #12 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever",[2] while the music video was named the #3 worst video of 1988 on MuchMoreMusic's Back In... '88.