Wendy (song)

This article is about the Beach Boys song. For other songs, see Wendy (disambiguation).

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1964 song by The Beach Boys

"Wendy"

Song by The Beach Boys
from the album  All Summer Long
Released| July 13, 1964 (1964-07-13)
Recorded| April and/or May, 1964
United Western Recorders, Hollywood
Genre| Rock
Length| 2:16
Label| Capitol
Songwriter(s)| Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Producer(s)| Brian Wilson

"Wendy" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1964 album All Summer Long and was also featured on their EP, Four by The Beach Boys.

## Composition[edit]

"Wendy" was originally credited to just Brian Wilson. Mike Love's name was added as a result of a lawsuit filed by him against Wilson in the 1990s.[1] In a 2007 interview, Wilson commented of the song,

> It was not written about my daughter Wendy. This was way before she was born. It starts with a bass slowed down with a guitar. It was an attempt to flatter the Four Seasons. I wanted to try and imitate the Four Seasons in a way they would like to hear it. ’Cause I like [producer] Bob Crewe and the way they do their vocals.[2]

The opening chords are whole notes played on electric guitar and bass. The song begins with a minor i chord in the key of D minor, moves to a major IV, comes back to the minor i, and then moves to a major VI chord, a IV in the key of F. The song then modulates to the key of F major (the relative major of D minor) through a substituted plagal cadence, using a I-ii progression to solidify the new tonic of F.

The verse begins with another I-IV-I progression, ending on an IV chord in the first line. The second line begins the same as the first, but moves to a major ♭VII (in D minor the neapolitan chord), and then modulates to the relative minor through use of a iii chord (A minor, the V in the key of D minor), the A minor moving to a D minor via an authentic cadence. The chorus/bridge ("I never thought a guy could cry") uses the same chord progression found in the introduction (D: i-iv-i-VI(IV in F), coming back to the key of F for the final line. This repeats for the second verse, before going into the organ solo.

After the second chorus, the song modulates again from F to D minor, this time through the usage of the ♭VII (E♭ major), which is a tritone substitution for the V of D. The solo follows the same general progression of the introduction and chorus. Another run of the verse/chorus follows, and the song then fades out with repeated I-IV cadences.

## Personnel[edit]

Per Craig Slownski.[3]

The Beach Boys

* Al Jardine – harmony and backing vocals, electric rhythm guitars, bass guitar
* Mike Love – lead and bass vocals
* Brian Wilson – chorus falsetto lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, upright or grand piano, Hammond B3 organ, producer, arranger
* Carl Wilson – harmony and backing vocals, electric lead guitars
* Dennis Wilson – harmony and backing vocals, drums

Production staff

* Chuck Britz – engineer

## Live performances[edit]

On September 27, 1964, the group performed "Wendy" as well as "I Get Around" on The Ed Sullivan Show.[citation needed] It was also a staple of the band's 50th Anniversary Tour setlist. Bruce Johnston sang the lead vocal during these performances, rather than Love.

## Alternate releases[edit]

Label to single release as B-side of "Good Vibrations"

"Wendy" peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100,[4] at No. 36 in Germany and at No. 5 in Switzerland in July 1967 when it was nominally the B-side of "Good Vibrations" — as it was everywhere outside the US.[citation needed]

## Cover versions[edit]

See also: List of cover versions of Beach Boys songs

* 2017 - Bill DeMain, "Transatlantic Romantic"

## References[edit]

1. ^ Doe, Andrew G. "Album Archive". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly.
2. ^ Kubernick, Harvey (July 3, 2021). "Brian Wilson Remembers: An In-Depth Interview with the Beach Boys' Resident Genius". Best Classic Bands.
3. ^ Boyd, Alan; Linette, Mark; Slowinski, Craig (2014). Keep an Eye On Summer 1964 (Digital Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records. Mirror
4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 65.

* v
* t
* e

All Summer Long

Songs|

| Side one|

* "I Get Around"
* "All Summer Long"
* "Hushabye"
* "Little Honda"
* "We'll Run Away"
* "Carl's Big Chance"

|

Side two|

* "Wendy"
* "Do You Remember?"
* "Girls on the Beach"
* "Drive-In"
* "Our Favorite Recording Sessions"
* "Don't Back Down"

Related articles|

* "All Dressed Up for School"
* Keep an Eye on Summer – The Beach Boys Sessions 1964
* The Beach Boys
* discography
* The Girls on the Beach
* The Monkey's Uncle
* Four by the Beach Boys

* Surfin' Safari
* Surfin' U.S.A.
* Surfer Girl
* Little Deuce Coupe
* Shut Down Volume 2
* All Summer Long
* The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
* The Beach Boys Today!
* Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
* Beach Boys' Party!
* Pet Sounds
* Smiley Smile
* Wild Honey
* Friends
* 20/20
* Sunflower
* Surf's Up
* Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
* Holland
* 15 Big Ones
* The Beach Boys Love You
* M.I.U. Album
* L.A. (Light Album)
* Keepin' the Summer Alive
* The Beach Boys
* Still Cruisin'
* Summer in Paradise
* Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
* That's Why God Made the Radio

* v
* t
* e

The Beach Boys

* Brian Wilson
* Dennis Wilson
* Carl Wilson
* Mike Love
* Al Jardine

* Bruce Johnston
* David Marks
* Blondie Chaplin
* Ricky Fataar

Studio albums|

* Surfin' Safari
* Surfin' U.S.A.
* Surfer Girl
* Little Deuce Coupe
* Shut Down Volume 2
* All Summer Long
* The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
* The Beach Boys Today!
* Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
* Beach Boys' Party!
* Pet Sounds
* Smiley Smile
* Wild Honey
* Friends
* 20/20
* Sunflower
* Surf's Up
* Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
* Holland
* 15 Big Ones
* The Beach Boys Love You
* M.I.U. Album
* L.A. (Light Album)
* Keepin' the Summer Alive
* The Beach Boys
* Still Cruisin'
* Summer in Paradise
* Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
* That's Why God Made the Radio

Live albums|

* Beach Boys Concert
* Live in London
* The Beach Boys in Concert
* Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980
* Songs from Here & Back
* Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour
* Live in Sacramento 1964
* Live in Chicago 1965
* Graduation Day 1966
* 1967 – Live Sunshine
* The Beach Boys On Tour: 1968

Selected
compilations|

* Endless Summer
* Rarities
* Made in U.S.A.
* Lost & Found (1961–62)
* Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
* The Pet Sounds Sessions
* Endless Harmony
* Ultimate Christmas
* Hawthorne, CA
* Sounds of Summer
* The Smile Sessions
* Made in California
* The Big Beat 1963
* Keep an Eye on Summer 1964
* Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged
* Becoming the Beach Boys
* 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow
* Wake the World: The Friends Sessions
* I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions
* Feel Flows
* Sail On Sailor – 1972

Unreleased|

* Smile
* Lei'd in Hawaii
* Charles Manson sessions
* Adult/Child
* Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys
* Andy Paley sessions

EPs|

* Four by the Beach Boys
* Mount Vernon and Fairway

* Documentary

concert films

* It's OK! (1976)
* An American Band (1985)
* Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (1995)
* Nashville Sounds (1996)
* Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story (1998)
* Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980 (2002)
* Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile (2004)
* Doin' It Again (2012)
* Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021)

Fictionalized|

* Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys (1990)
* An American Family (2000)
* Love & Mercy (2014)

Books|

* The Beach Boys and the California Myth
* Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961–1963
* Catch a Wave
* Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy
* Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys
* I Am Brian Wilson
* Inside the Music of Brian Wilson
* Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story

Places|

* Beach Boys Historic Landmark
* Beach Boys Studio
* Brother Studios
* Radiant Radish
* United Western Recorders

Lists|

* Bootlegs and unreleased material
* Cover versions
* Discography
* Song recordings
* Unreleased
* Brian
* Carl
* Dennis
* Mike
* Songs covered by the Beach Boys

Personnel|

* David Anderle
* Irving Azoff
* Jeffrey Foskett
* James William Guercio
* Jack Rieley
* Jerry Schilling
* Derek Taylor
* Michael Vosse
* Murry Wilson

Related media|

* The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
* Brian Wilson Presents Smile
* Caroline Now!
* Good Vibrations (musical)
* Looking Back with Love
* Pacific Ocean Blue
* Pet Sounds Live
* A Postcard from California
* Smiling Pets
* Spring

Other topics|

* "Brian Wilson is a genius"
* Brother Records
* California Music
* California sound
* Live performances
* 1967 Summer Spectacular
* 1968 tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
* 1975 tour with Chicago
* The 50th Reunion Tour
* Love v. Wilson
* Sea of Tunes

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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