In The sixties Burrows started as a member of the Kestrals, then moved on to form The Ivy league which changed name to The flowerpot men. By the seventies Burrows had teamed up with former Kestrals member Roger Greenaway to form The Pipkins. Then onto the singing group Brother hood of man.
Burrows also sang backing to many of Elton John's early recordings.
Beach Baby
Tony Burrows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When everybody drove a Chevrolet (Wo-oh-oh)
Whatever happened to the boy next door,
Suntanned, crewcut, all-American Male?
Remember dancing at the high school hop
The dress I ruined with the soda pop?
I barely recognized the girl next door
CHORUS:
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, give me your hand
Give me something that I can remember
Just like before, we can walk by the shore in the moonlight.
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, there on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin' was fun, we'd be out in the sun every day.
Oooh. I never thought that it would end
Oooh. And I was everybody's friend
Long hot days, Blue sea haze
Juke box plays, but now it's fading away.
We could'nt wait for graduation day
We took my car and drove to San Jose
That's where you told me that you'd wear my ring
I guess you don't remember anything!
CHORUS
Vocal Harmonies and Stylings
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, Beach Baby ETC.
Tony Burrows's song "Beach Baby" starts with a nostalgic tone, lyrically and melodically transporting the listener back to old LA, recalling a time when everyone drove a Chevrolet, and the all-American male with a sun-tanned crewcut lived next door. The singer switches between reminiscing about dancing at the high school hop and barely recognizing the girl next door in beat-up sneakers and a ponytail. The chorus is the hallmark of the song, featuring the plea "Beach Baby, Beach Baby, give me your hand, give me something that I can remember, just like before, we can walk by the shore in the moonlight." The chorus further emphasizes that it's beyond the fleeting fun had during summer, where sunbathing, surfing, and dancing were ubiquitous activities, and the memory of it is what holds the most significant value. The song's ending, with a fading jukebox, talks about the unavoidable end to the seemingly endless summer days.
The song was released in 1974 in the UK and emerged as a hit in that country, reaching the top spot in the CKLG chart in Vancouver and hitting the US charts in the top 20. In Australia, the song stayed at number one for seven weeks, and it became a welcome respite for the audiences during the oil crisis. The song has undergone multiple interpretations over the years, with its optimistic and nostalgic lyrics, taking listeners back to a simpler time when they could go on picnics, build sandcastles, and soak up the sun at the beach.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember back in old L.A. (Wo-oh-oh)
Do you recall the memories of the past when we lived in Los Angeles?
When everybody drove a Chevrolet (Wo-oh-oh)
In those days, we all used to drive a Chevrolet car.
Whatever happened to the boy next door,
Suntanned, crewcut, all-American Male?
Where did the guy from our neighborhood go, the guy with a tanned skin, a crewcut hair, and was a typical American boy?
Remember dancing at the high school hop
The dress I ruined with the soda pop?
Do you recall the time we danced during our high school hop and I accidentally spilled soda pop on my dress?
I barely recognized the girl next door
With beatup sneakers and a ponytail
I hardly recognized the girl living next door to us with her worn-out sneakers and a ponytail.
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, give me your hand
Give me something that I can remember
Just like before, we can walk by the shore in the moonlight.
Oh, Beach Baby! Please give me your hand and give me something to cherish, so we can recreate the moments of the past when we walked alongside the seashore under the light of the moon.
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, there on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin’ was fun, we’d be out in the sun every day.
Dear Beach Baby, let's go back to the beach, where we spent our summer days from July until September, and surfed in the sun every day!
Oooh. I never thought that it would end
Oooh. And I was everybody’s friend
Long hot days, Blue sea haze
Jukebox plays, but now it’s fading away.
Oh! I never thought that these days would come to an end. Everyone was once my friend. We had many extended summer days filled with a blue sea haze, and the jukebox used to play our favorite songs. But alas, now it's all fading away.
We couldn’t wait for graduation day
We took my car and drove to San Jose
That’s where you told me that you’d wear my ring
I guess you don’t remember anything!
We couldn't wait for graduation day, so we took my car and headed towards San Jose, where you told me you'd wear my ring. But it seems that you don't recall anything about that day!
Vocal Harmonies and Stylings
Beach Baby, Beach Baby, Beach Baby ETC.
The song ends with vocal harmonies and stylings of the chorus 'Beach Baby'.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GILLIAN IRENE SHAKESPEARE, JOHN CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shane Singleton
I'll bet that was awesome to be there and see and hear this live. As I recall Tony was the actual artist that did the studio recording but I don't think he actually performed live. So this is a VERY rare piece of awesome footage. Love this song even though it was a bit before my time.
Jeffrey Snow
This was incredible version !!!!
circusguy
Love this song! Tony and the guys still sound great. Always on my ipod and especially love the part where he mentions San Jose, my hometown!! Thanks for posting.
Jojo877
IT WAS A HIT!!! "Their debut single "Beach Baby" was a UK No. 13 hit [1]and U.S. No. 4 in the summer of 1974"
Alan Greenley
yes he can sing live, still sounds great, only in the 70,s
Lee Carroll
Alan Greenley are you deaf? He’s a flat as a pancake
Alan Greenley
@Lee Carroll we are not all perfect, the bloke is 70,plus for his age ,he still sounds good
Lee Carroll
Alan Greenley wrong Alan, yes, nobody’s perfect, but when you are out there 8n the public domain, c’mon...it’s just that it sounds bloody awful, there is a time to stop, and that time has passed, he can’t reach the notes, he forgets the words..it’s flat.. yes nostalgia is wonderful, but as Zebedee said “ Boing, time for bed”
window creek
What an epic everlasting fun song. One word...MAGNIFICENT.
Richard Froud
Really great number, classic😎🇬🇧🎸