"26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" is a popular song by the 1950s and 1960s pop band
The Four Preps
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Big Man (The Four ...
. It reached number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, number six on the
''Billboard'' R&B chart, and number 11 in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in 1958. The song sold over a million copies and the group appeared on several television shows, including ''
The Gisele MacKenzie Show
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (March 15, 1958) and ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
''.
Credits
*Conductor
rchestra Lincoln Mayorga
Lincoln Mayorga (born March 28, 1937) is an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who has worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music.
Life and career
Pop music in the 1950s and '60s
Mayorga was born in Los Angeles, Cal ...
(tracks: B)
*Writers:
Bruce Belland
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included " 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", " Big Man", "Lazy ...
, Glenn Larson*
History
At the age of 15, the band's lead singer Bruce Belland broke his ankle and took up the
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
to pass the time while recuperating. He learned four chords, which ended up becoming the song's opening music. The chorus was developed some time later when, while body surfing at a California beach, Belland's friend said he could see Santa Catalina 26 miles away.
The main theme is summed up in the last line in the refrain, stating that
Santa Catalina is "the island of romance", with the word "romance" repeated four times.
In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Its million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles," "Big Man," "Lazy Summer Night," and "Down by the Station." Bruce Belland, Ed Cobb, Marv Ingram, and Glen Larson were students at Hollywood High School and were signed to a recording contract by Capitol Records, after one of Capitol's executives saw them at a talent show at that school in 1956.
Their biggest hit was "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," which reached number 2 in 1958. The record sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc.
Glen Larson
Glen Albert Larson (January 3, 1937 – November 14, 2014) was an American musician, television producer, writer, and director. His best known work in television was as the creator of the television series ''Alias Smith and Jones'', ''Battlestar ...
also receives credit for writing the song, as he contributed to the lyrics.
Cover versions
The song was covered by
Dent May
James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is mostly associated with psychedelic pop, synthpop, indie rock, and new wave genres of ...
on his album ''Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele''.
Influences
The song served as an influence to
Beach Boys
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
singer
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
, as well as
Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...
.
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...
, lyricist/drummer of the band
Rush, recalls that it is one of the first
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
songs that he remembers listening to as a child, stating "I heard that song many times that year (1958). The chorus echoes readily in memory, with its lilting shuffle."
In popular culture
The song was one of many California-related songs played throughout "Sunshine Plaza" in the original
Disney California Adventure
Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Park ...
.
The song was featured playing on a radio in the opening scene of ''
Bad Times at the El Royale
''Bad Times at the El Royale'' is a 2018 American neo-noir thriller film written, directed, and produced by Drew Goddard. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pull ...
''.
SI reference
An alternate chorus in the song includes the words "Forty kilometers in a leaky old boat . . .", a rare mention of a
metric unit
The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Internati ...
in American popular music, and a tolerably accurate conversion (26 miles = 41.8 km).
References
External links
Four Preps, The – 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) YouTube : The Gisele MacKenzie show from March 15, 1958
{{authority control
American pop songs
1957 singles
1957 songs
Capitol Records singles
The Four Preps songs
Songs written by Bruce Belland
Songs written by Glen A. Larson