As a session musician, Kaye was the bassist on many Phil Spector and Brian Wilson productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She played guitar on Ritchie Valens' La Bamba and is credited with the bass tracks on several Simon & Garfunkel hits and many film scores by Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. One of the most popular albums Carol contributed to was the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.
Kaye was born in Everett, Washington to professional musicians Clyde and Dot Smith. She grew up in poverty near the Port of Los Angeles and in 1949, at the age of fourteen began teaching guitar professionally. Throughout the 1950s, Kaye played bebop jazz guitar in dozens of nightclubs around Los Angeles with many noted bands including Bob Neal's jazz group, Jack Sheldon backing Lenny Bruce, Teddy Edwards and Billy Higgins. By her own account, Kaye got into lucrative studio work "accidentally" in late 1957 with Sam Cooke.[citation needed] A few years later, when a bass player failed to show for a session at Capitol Records in Hollywood, she was asked to fill in on what was then often called the Fender bass. She was a member of the famed "Wrecking Crew" studio musicians, who played on almost all hit records recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
Throughout the 1960s, she played bass on a significant percentage of records that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, though almost wholly unknown to the general public at the time. Kaye played bass on many of the Beach Boys hit recordings, including Good Vibrations, Help Me, Rhonda, Sloop John B, and California Girls. She worked on Brian Wilson's ill-fated but legendary Smile project (and was present at the Fire session in late November 1966 when Wilson reportedly asked the studio musicians to wear toy fire hats). Kaye's work also appears extensively on well-known television and film soundtracks from the 1960s and early 1970s.
She worked under most of the leading producers and musical directors in Los Angeles during that era, including Brian Wilson, Michel Legrand, Phil Spector, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, David Rose, Dave Grusin, Ernie Freeman, Hugo Montenegro, Leonard Rosenman, John Williams, Alfred Newman, David Axelrod and Lionel Newman. Kaye played the bass tracks on several of the Monkees hits, did soundtrack work (including sound effects on bass guitar) for a young Steven Spielberg and tracks for Quincy Jones whose 2001 autobiography Q noted, "... women like... Fender bass player Carol Kaye... could do anything and leave men in the dust."
Kaye performed on several American television themes including the Quinn Martin produced Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Mission: Impossible, M*A*S*H, Kojak, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, The Love Boat, McCloud, Mannix, It Takes a Thief, Peyton Place and the Cosby Show. She is credited with performing on the soundtracks of Hawaii Five-O, The Addams Family and The Brady Bunch along with Ironside, Room 222, Bonanza, Wonder Woman, Alias Smith & Jones, Run for Your Life and Barnaby Jones.
Beginning in 1969, she wrote How To Play The Electric Bass, the first of many bass tutoring books and DVD courses. She gave lessons to thousands of students, including John Clayton, Mike Porcaro, Alf Clausen, David Hughes, Tony Sales, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Roy Vogt and David Hungate. Kaye retired from studio work during the 1970s because of arthritis. She later became active again as a session musician, live jazz performer, and teacher of bass and guitar, giving seminars and interviews.
Kaye played 12-string guitar on Frank Zappa's album Freak Out!. She also played on a few songs for his next album but declined to continue, saying she found some of the lyrics offensive. Kaye later said Zappa was good-natured and understanding about her qualms and they remained on friendly terms.
Kaye played on hundreds of commercially released recordings and soundtracks. These lists represent only a small fraction of her recorded performances.
-Electric bass credits:
Credits for recorded singles on bass
Soul Reggae (Charles Kynard)
Andmoreagain (Love)
Homeward Bound (Simon and Garfunkel)
California Girls, Sloop John B, Help Me, Rhonda, Heroes and Villains (The Beach Boys)
Natural Man (Lou Rawls)
Come Together (Count Basie)
Feelin' Alright (Joe Cocker)
I Think He's Hiding (Randy Newman)
Games People Play (Mel Tormé)
Cantaro (Gene Ammons)
Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home (Darlene Love)
Goin' Out Of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You (The Lettermen)
Go Little Honda (The Hondels)
Hikky Burr (Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby & TV theme)
I'm a Believer (The Monkees)
Indian Reservation (Paul Revere & the Raiders)
In the Heat of the Night, I Don't Need No Doctor, America The Beautiful, Understanding (Ray Charles)
It Must Be Him (Vikki Carr)
Little Green Apples (O.C. Smith)
Midnight Confessions (The Grass Roots)
Mission: Impossible Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
Mannix Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
Out of This World (Nancy Wilson)
Wichita Lineman ... Don Bagley played bass on Wichita Lineman. Carol Kaye played percussion. See link to contract for session work - http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/afmcontracts/Campbell,Glen_WichitaLineman.pdf and Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell)
River Deep - Mountain High (Ike & Tina Turner)
Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon and Garfunkel)
Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
Somethin' Stupid (Frank and Nancy Sinatra)
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra)
This Diamond Ring (Gary Lewis & the Playboys)
The Twelfth of Never (Johnny Mathis)
The Way We Were (Barbra Streisand)
Soul & Inspiration bass, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' guitar (The Righteous Brothers)
Carry On (JJ Cale) - JJ Cale Styles Book
Album credits on bass
Selected highlights include:
Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)
Light My Fire (Gábor Szabó and Bob Thiele)
Music from Mission: Impossible (Lalo Schifrin, 1967)
Song of Innocence (David Axelrod, 1968)
Songs of Experience (David Axelrod, 1969)
Release of an Oath (The Electric Prunes, 1968)
There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
More Mission: Impossible (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Mannix (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Bullitt (soundtrack) (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Dirty Harry (score by Lalo Schifrin, 1971)
Northern Windows (Hampton Hawes)
Big Man (Cannonball Adderley)
Reelin' with the Feelin' (Charles Kynard)
Cameo (Dusty Springfield, 1972)
Hugo In Wonder-land (Hugo Montenegro)
Your Good Thing (Lou Rawls)
You've Made Me So Very Happy (Lou Rawls)
The Funky Organ-ization of Henry Cain (Henry Cain)
The Zodiac : Cosmic Sounds
Pride (Pride) (1970)
Thumbs up (Ray Pizzi, Carol Kaye, Mitch Holder)(1999)
Picking Up On The E-String (Carol Kaye) (1995)
Freak Out! (Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention)1965
Absolutely Free (Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention) 1966
Cosmic Brotherhood (Bill Plummer, 1968)
-Recorded credits on guitar:
Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals)
Danke Schoen (Wayne Newton)
Johnny Angel (Shelley Fabares)
La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)
Let's Dance (Chris Montez)
Needles and Pins (Jackie DeShannon)
The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher)
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (The Righteous Brothers)
The Birds and the Bees (Jewel Akens), with a Leslie speaker effect
Mannix Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
The Daily Planet (Love)
If I Were a Bell
Carol Kaye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that we're cosy and clinging,
Well sir, all I can say is
If I were a bell I'd be ringing!
From the moment we kissed goodnight,
That's the way I just gotta behave,
And if I were a lamp I'd light,
Ask me how do I feel,
Little me with my quiet upbringing,
Well sir, all I can say is
If I were a gate I'd be swinging!
And if I were a watch,
I'd start popping my spring,
Oh, and if I were a bell
I'd go "Ding dong ding dong ding!".
Ask me how do I feel
From this chemistry lesson I'm learning,
Well sir, all I can say is
If I were a bridge I'd be burning!
Well, I knew my moral would crack
From the wonderful way you looked,
Boy, if I were a duck I'd quack,
Or if I were a goose I'd be cooked!
Ask me how do I feel
Now that we're fondly caressing,
And if I were a salad,
I know I'd be splashing my dressing!
Or if I were a season,
I'd surely be Spring,
Yes, and if I were a bell,
Say, if I were a bell,
If I were a bell
I'd go "Ding dong ding dong ding!".
The lyrics to Carol Kaye's song If I Were a Bell are about falling in love and the overwhelming feelings that come with it. The singer is being asked how they feel now that they are "cosy and clinging" to their partner, and they respond with a series of imaginative scenarios in which they would be ringing, lighting, waving, swinging, and popping their spring if they were various objects. They express their excitement and happiness by comparing themselves to things that are lively and expressive.
The singer also acknowledges the moral boundaries that they are crossing by being with this person, saying that they knew their "moral would crack" from the way they looked at them. They remark that if they were a duck, they would quack, or if they were a goose, they would be cooked, implying that they are willing to take risks for this person.
Line by Line Meaning
Ask me how do I feel,
Inquire about my emotional state,
Now that we're cosy and clinging,
Now that we are comfortably close to each other,
Well sir, all I can say is
I can only express in this manner,
If I were a bell I'd be ringing!
I would be experiencing intense joy and excitement.
From the moment we kissed goodnight,
From the time we parted affectionately,
That's the way I just gotta behave,
I am compelled to act in this manner,
And if I were a lamp I'd light,
I would radiate and shine,
Or if I were a banner I'd wave!
I would enthusiastically signal my elation.
Little me with my quiet upbringing,
I, who was brought up quietly,
Well sir, all I can say is
I can only express in this manner,
If I were a gate I'd be swinging!
I would be opening and closing in excitement.
And if I were a watch,
If I were a timepiece,
I'd start popping my spring,
I would be so excited that even the watch parts would be shaking.
Oh, and if I were a bell
And more specifically, if I were a bell
I'd go "Ding dong ding dong ding!".
I would be ringing so loudly and happily.
From this chemistry lesson I'm learning,
From this experience where I am learning about attraction,
Well sir, all I can say is
I can only express in this manner,
If I were a bridge I'd be burning!
I would be so passionate that even a bridge would burst into flames.
Well, I knew my moral would crack
I knew my self-restraint would falter,
From the wonderful way you looked,
From the delightful appearance you presented,
Boy, if I were a duck I'd quack,
I would be so overwhelmed I would be unable to articulate coherently.
Or if I were a goose I'd be cooked!
I would be so intensely excited I would be metaphorically 'cooked'.
Now that we're fondly caressing,
Now that we are affectionately touching each other,
And if I were a salad,
And if I were a dish of greens,
I know I'd be splashing my dressing!
I would be expressing my happiness by splashing my dressing everywhere.
Or if I were a season,
Or if I were a time of year,
I'd surely be Spring,
I would be the season of renewal and youthfulness.
Say, if I were a bell,
Imagine if I were a bell,
If I were a bell
If I were capable of so much joy and excitement,
I'd go "Ding dong ding dong ding!".
I would express this enthusiasm by ringing loudly and continuously.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
M G Koch
That bass line in Good Vibrations is iconic!
Caprise - Music
All of those basslines are iconic ffs
Rich Sackett
@Neil Becker I’d suggest anyone IRL telling someone to “get therapy” should expect an immediate bitchslap.
Neil Becker
@Rich Sackett
You are disproportionately bitter about this topic.
Get therapy.
Bo Reidler
@EclecticHillbilly He may have written out a bass line but from what Carol herself says, she modified it to what it is now.
Blend42
@wingracer 16 I understand that Ray Pohlman played electric bass (Fender P bass) and Lyle Ritz played double bass on the track. Carol Kaye played many of the sessions and you can here Brian talking to her in the session tapes but it's understood her work did not make the final track. Never heard of Motown bassist James Jamerson playing on a Beach Boys track ever. Brian Wilson would compose and arrange 2 bass lines on much of Pet Sounds and a bit before and after it. Sometimes a Danoelectric Bass VI was used in conjunction with another bass too.
TONE MAN
I still can't get over the fact that Carol played the guitar on Richie Valens
'La Bamba'...
She's a truly amazing musician...
Chris Johnson
Ah, she played rhythm guitar.
Chris Johnson
That is astounding, it's an iconic gritty sound.
funkypunk1001
Honestly Julia's probably one of the best bassists on youtube. I've never seen her rip solos or do crazy things but her clean playing, timing and variety in tone make her rival some of the best studio recording bassist.