Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the original group comprised singer-musician-composer and bandleader Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Wilson neighbor David Marks appeared on their first four albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963 as a temporary replacement for Jardine, who had left the group to pursue a career in dentistry.
On their first few studio albums, the group primarily played surf music, but this changed after 1964 as their songs became more sophisticated and autobiographical. The 1965 album Today! particularly represented this shift in sound. Bruce Johnston joined the group that same year. Session drummer Hal Blaine is quoted: "We all studied in conservatories; we were trained musicians. We thought it was a fluke at first, but then we realized Brian was writing these incredible songs. This was not just a young kid writing about high school and surfing."
Following their most esteemed work, Pet Sounds (1966), the band became symbols of psychedelic counterculture. The highly anticipated follow-up, Smile, was left unfinished, and Brian soon relinquished his creative hold on the group. A trilogy of lo-fi releases followed: Smiley Smile (1967), Wild Honey (1967), and Friends (1968). Brian would not be credited as a primary composer for any Beach Boys album until 1977's Love You, an album on the fringe of synth-pop, new wave, and punk.
In Brian's absence, the Beach Boys still managed to release music that was regarded favorably by fans and critics despite poor sales: Sunflower (1970) and Surf's Up (1971). South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar played and sang with the band on the next two albums: Carl & the Passions - So Tough (1972), and Holland (1973).
Many changes in both musical style and personnel have occurred in their sometimes-stormy career: Brian Wilson's mental illness and drug addiction; the deaths of Dennis Wilson in 1983 and Carl Wilson in 1998; and continuing legal battles among surviving members of the group. With the release of 1974's Endless Summer they became a more popular touring act, playing their greatest hits. They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four number-one singles), have had over 100 million sales, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Official site: http://www.thebeachboys.com
Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a party goin' down at the rock 'n' roll show
Baby get ready if you really wanna go
Now everybody's goin' to the rock 'n' roll show
I saw some surfer girls in west L.A.
And right away it got me thinkin' 'bout my high school days
Well I was always kinda shy you know I never learned to dance
And it happened it was lookin' through my mamma's things
I found some rock and roll records and I learned to sing!
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock to the rescue
I said it rescued me
And it'll rescue you
Now believe it when I tell ya that I never felt alive
Not 'til the night I started rockin' to my mamma's 45's
Well it was one for the money now and two for the show
Baby you better get a'ready now and go cat go!
Yeah the long tall Sally got me boppin' 'round the room
She sing be bop wadda loo bop a-whop bam boom
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock to the rescue
I said it rescued me
And it'll rescue you
So we got a band together now we're really quite the rage
Oh how I lose my inhibitions when I move across the stage
We're the hottest ticket goin' what a fantasy flight
They tell me fifty thousand people come to see us every night
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock to the rescue
I said it rescued me
And it'll rescue you
Gotta get a ticket cause I really gotta go
There's a party goin' down at the rock 'n' roll show
Baby get ready if you really wanna go
Now everybody's goin' to the rock 'n' roll show
The Beach Boys's song Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue is a celebration of rock and roll music, which is depicted as easy to enjoy and dance to. The first verse emphasizes the simplicity and accessibility of rock and roll, claiming that "any old way you choose it / It's got a back beat / You can't lose it." The chorus declares that if you want to dance, rock and roll music is the way to go.
The second verse contrasts rock and roll with modern jazz, which the singer has no problem with unless it gets too complicated and loses its "melody." The third verse describes a trip to a "jubilee" in the southern United States, where the party-goers are drinking "homebrew" and dancing to "rock and roll music." The final verse expresses a preference for lively rhythms like mambo over more sedate fare like tango or congo.
Line by Line Meaning
Any old way you choose it
No matter how you play it, it will always be rock and roll music
It's got a back beat
The strong emphasis on beats two and four is what makes rock and roll music distinct
You can't lose it
You can't go wrong with rock and roll music
Any old time you use it
Whenever you want to listen to music, you can always count on rock and roll music
It's gotta be
It has to be rock and roll music, no other type will do
Rock and roll music
Referring specifically to the genre of music that is characterized by a strong beat, electric guitars, and a rebellious spirit
If you wanna dance with me
If you want to dance, I'm all for it
I've got no kick against modern jazz
I don't dislike modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too darn fast.
But if they play it too fast, then I am not interested
And change the beauty of the melody
When composers alter the melody, it detracts from the beauty of the song
Until they sound just like a symphony
When modern jazz becomes too structured and refined, it loses the raw and rebellious spirit of rock and roll music
That's why I go for that
This is the reason why I prefer
I took my loved one over 'cross the tracks
I took my partner to the other side of town
So she can hear man awail a sax
So she could hear a man play a passionate saxophone solo
I must admit they have a rockin' band
I have to admit that the band was really excellent
Man
Used as an interjection to express excitement or enthusiasm
They were goin' like a hurrican'
They were playing with a lot of fierce energy
That's why I go for that
This is the reason why I prefer
Rock and roll music
And this is why I love rock and roll music
'Way down south they grave a jubilee
In the southern states, they have a celebratory gathering
The jokey folks they had a jamboree
The fun-loving people there were having a lively party
They're drinkin' homebrew from a water cup
They're drinking homemade alcohol from a makeshift cup
The folks dancin' got all shook up
The people dancing were getting very excited and animated
And started playin' that
They then began to play
Rock and roll music
Rock and roll music was the type of music they began playing
Don't care to hear 'em play a tango
I don't want to hear them play a tango
I'm in the mood to hear a mambo
I want to hear a mambo, it's the type of music I'm in the mood for
It's 'way too early for a congo
It's too early to hear congo music
So keep a-rockin' that piano
So, please continue to play that lively piano music
So I can hear some of that
I want to hear more of
Rock and roll music
Rock and roll music, it's the only type of music I want to hear right now
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: M. LOVE, T. MELCHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rocco antonio sanza
Gotta get a ticket cause I really gotta go
There's a party goin' down at the rock 'n' roll show
Baby get ready if you really wanna go
Now everybody's goin' to the rock 'n' roll show
I saw some surfer girls in west L.A
And right away it got me thinkin' 'bout my high school days
Well I was always kinda shy you know I never learned to dance now
And I remember bein' nervous I was scared to take a chance now
And it happened I was lookin' through my mamma's things
I found some rock and roll records and I learned to sing now
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock 'n' roll gonna get you
Rock to the rescue
I said it rescued me
And it'll rescue you
Now believe it when I tell ya that I never felt alive
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
Not 'til the night I started rockin' to my mamma's 45's
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
Well it was one for the money now and two for the show yeah
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
Hey you better get ready now and go get go
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
Yeah the long tall Sally started boppin' 'round the room yeah
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
She singing bop wadda loo bop a-whop bam boom yeah
(Hey now, hey now)
Rock 'n' roll to the rescue
Rock 'n' roll gonna get you
Rock to the rescue
I said it rescued me
And it'll rescue you
So we got a band together now we're really quite the rage now
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
[?] I lose my inhibitions when I move across the stage now
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
We're the hottest ticket goin' what a fantasy flight now
(Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
They tell me fifty thousand people come to see us every night now
(Hey now, hey now)
JohnnyManThan
Gotta admit, Carl KILLS the vocal on this song, especially at 1:46 😍
Joseph Jennison
So did Al on the 1st 3 lines of the 2nd verse.
Michael Tucker
Great song...we used to turn it up loud and rock out in 1986. Still a gem!
John Doyle
This something similar they 8 years later in a Episode Baywatch with Summer in paradise.
woodstock
Beach Boys forever 😍
Joe Rodriguez
The fact that Brian Wilson is singing makes this song perfect
Battle Of Trenton
Mike has sung so many Brian Wilson compositions, it seems odd to hear Brian sing lead on a Mike Love composition.
Tony M
If this song were promoted similarly, I believe it could/should have been almost as a big a hit as Kokomo was two years later. This video fits right in very nicely with the rest in 1986 too. OK, it would fit even better into 1983-84, but it still works well for 1986. Easily the best Beach Boys music video for the times!
Getcha Back from the year before is a good song, but I don't see how it was a bigger hit. Must have been difference in promotion, because Rock n Roll to the Rescue is a better song with a better video! I wish Capitol would have said "Let's really put the thing out!" when it came time to release the single, so this song could've become the hit it deserved to be.
Nicholas Prom
It's certainly a far better song than 'Kokomo', which is just embarrassing Boomer Porn.
d00mer 34
@Nicholas Prom honestly i think all of the 3 mentioned songs are pretty good!