Brian Wilson initially gave The Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” completely different lyrics.
The original version of The Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” became a hit in the United States.
The band released another version of the song that became popular in the United Kingdom.
The Beach Boys | GAB Archive / Contributor
The Beach Boys‘ “Fun, Fun, Fun” is a classic 1960s car song. Notably, a songwriter revealed The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson initially intended “Fun, Fun, Fun” to have completely different lyrics. In addition, the songwriter revealed why he didn’t like Wilson’s music at first.
Brian Wilson initially gave The Beach Boys’ ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ a different title
Russ Titelman is a professional songwriter. He was behind songs such as The Hollies’ “Yes I Will” and Glenn Campbell’s “Guess I’m Dumb.” During a 1996 interview with Billboard, Titelman discussed Wilson.
“One day when I visited Brian at the office, he was writing ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ but the lyric he had at the time was ‘Run, Run, Run,'” Titelman recalled. “He had a whole other lyric for it, and it was a good song that way, too!”
What Russ Titelman thought about The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson as his musical style changed
Titelman revealed his feelings about Wilson. “He was like a kid, going around barefoot in a T-shirt and jeans,” Titelman remembered. “I was never a fan of his early surfing records, but when he started idolizing Phil Spector and it was orchestral surf music, then I got interested in it. I love the spontaneity of what was coming out of his head.”
Titelman contrasted Wilson and Spector. “Later, I thought Pet Sounds was way ahead of anything of Phil’s,” he opined. “As great as Phil was, his orchestrations were all the same kind of thing. But Brian’s didn’t have a formula!”
How the original ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ and a 1990s version of it performed on the charts
“Fun, Fun, Fun” became a hit. The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed on the chart for 11 weeks.
The band released “Fun, Fun, Fun” on the album Shut Down Volume 2. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 38 weeks.
In 1996, The Beach Boys released a version of “Fun, Fun, Fun” with the English band Status Quo. The Official Charts Company reports that version of the song reached No. 24 in the United Kingdom, staying on the chart for five weeks. This rendition of the track appeared on the album Don’t Stop. The album reached No. 2 and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.
“Fun, Fun, Fun” is a classic song even if it’s very different from Wilson’s original vision.
Matt Trzcinski is a Tufts University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies. He's been a film critic since 2012 and joined the Showbiz Cheat Sheet team in 2019.
