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
Ten Little Indians
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The first little Indian gave squaw pretty feather
(Little Indian boy)
The second little Indian made her an Indian dollar
(Fighting over a squaw)
Well the third little Indian gave her moccasin leather
(Little Indian boy)
The squaw didn't like 'em at all
The fourth little Indian took her riding in his big canoe
(Little Indian boy)
The fifth little Indian took her down the waterfall
(Fighting over a squaw)
The sixth little Indian taught the squaw how to woo-woo
(Little Indian boy)
But the squaw didn't like 'em at all
One little, two little, three little Indians
(Keep us humming we're the ten little Indians)
Four little, five little, six little Indians
(Keep us humming we're the ten little Indians)
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
(Keep us humming we're the ten little Indians)
Ten little Indian boys
The seventh little Indian took her over to his tee pee
(Little Indian boy)
The eighth little Indian tried to give her a love poem
(Fighting over a squaw)
The ninth little Indian said "You're my Kemosabe"
(Little Indian boy)
The squaw didn't like 'em at all
The tenth little Indian said it really didn't matter
(Little Indian boy)
He acted like himself and he didn't look at her
(Fighting over a squaw)
The squaw didn't care if he never did a thing
(Little Indian boy)
Cause she loved the tenth Indian boy
Loved the tenth Indian boy
Loved the tenth Indian boy
Loved the tenth Indian boy
The Beach Boys' "Ten Little Indians" is a whimsical love story about ten Indian boys vying for the affections of one squaw. The first little Indian boy gave her a pretty feather, the second made her an Indian dollar, and the third boy gave her moccasin leather, but she didn't like any of them. The fourth boy took her riding in his big canoe, the fifth took her down a waterfall, and the sixth taught her how to "woo-woo," but she still didn't like them. The seventh boy took her to his teepee, the eighth tried to give her a love poem, and the ninth called her his Kemosabe, but the squaw still wasn't impressed.
Finally, in the last verse, the tenth little Indian won her heart by just being himself and not trying to impress her. This cheery melody with a playful, catchy sing-along chorus is an entertaining take on the fable "Ten Little Indians" that nursery rhyme enthusiasts would recognize. Despite the song's lack of complexity, that doesn't limit its upbeat, toe-tapping rhythm that would be popular with a younger audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten little Indian boys
There were ten little Indian boys
The first little Indian gave squaw pretty feather
The first Indian boy gave the squaw a beautiful feather
(Little Indian boy)
The Indian boy did what he thought was charming or romantic
The second little Indian made her an Indian dollar
The second Indian boy gave the squaw a piece of Indian currency
(Fighting over a squaw)
The boys were competing for the squaw’s affection
Well the third little Indian gave her moccasin leather
The third Indian boy gave the squaw a pair of moccasin leather material
The squaw didn't like 'em at all
The squaw didn't like the gifts and gestures the Indian boys were giving her
The fourth little Indian took her riding in his big canoe
The fourth Indian boy took the squaw on a ride in his big canoe
The fifth little Indian took her down the waterfall
The fifth Indian boy took the squaw down a waterfall
The sixth little Indian taught the squaw how to woo-woo
The sixth Indian boy taught the squaw how to woo-woo or sing
But the squaw didn't like 'em at all
Despite these grand gestures, the squaw didn't like the Indian boys
One little, two little, three little Indians
Counting the Indian boys
(Keep us humming we're the ten little Indians)
Repeating the song’s title as a way to keep the counting rhythm
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Continuing the counting
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Still counting till the ninth Indian
(Keep us humming we're the ten little Indians)
Repeating the song’s title again as a way to keep the counting rhythm
Ten little Indian boys
This is the final count
The seventh little Indian took her over to his tee pee
The seventh Indian boy took the squaw to his tee pee
The eighth little Indian tried to give her a love poem
The eighth Indian boy attempted to woo the squaw with a love poem
The ninth little Indian said 'You're my Kemosabe'
The ninth Indian boy affectionate called the squaw 'Kemosabe'
The squaw didn't like 'em at all
Despite these gestures, the squaw didn't like the Indian boys
The tenth little Indian said it really didn't matter
The tenth Indian boy expressed that none of this mattered
He acted like himself and he didn't look at her
The tenth Indian boy acted like himself without trying to impress the squaw
The squaw didn't care if he never did a thing
The squaw didn't care what the tenth Indian boy did or didn't do
Cause she loved the tenth Indian boy
The squaw loved the tenth Indian boy even without any grand gestures
Loved the tenth Indian boy
The squaw loved the tenth Indian boy
Loved the tenth Indian boy
The squaw loved the tenth Indian boy
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GARY USHER, BRIAN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Kokomo
This song is an absolute classic and I love the way that it lists all the major destinations in the Caribbean.
Philip Kassabian
on Surfin' U.S.A.
A great song by The Beach Boys hit all the major surfing destinations.
Philip Kassabian
on Catch a Wave
This song really gets you in the mood for surfing.
Philip Kassabian
on Surfer Girl
What a splendid song by The Beach Boys. They really were a great band.
Philip Kassabian
on Wouldn't It Be Nice
One of the greatest Beach Boys songs.
Les lumb
on Surf's Up
Love Good Vibrations ,God Only Knows however this is my fav Beach Boys song
Les lumb
on San Miguel
It captures the mood of the place, very atmospheric
Les lumb
on Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) [Single Version]
Great version by the Beach Boys it flows
Les lumb
on Break Away
Soothing
Leslie Lumb
on Break Away
Love the opening verses beautiful words