"Cuckoo Clock" is a song written by

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 ...

and Gary Usher for the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1962 album ''

Surfin' Safari ''Surfin' Safari'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released October 1, 1962 on Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who contributed ...

''. The song was written about the

myna bird The myna (; also spelled mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several species have been introduced to areas like ...

of Brian's father Murry Wilson.

Composition

"Cuckoo Clock" relates the story of a teenage couple trying to spend time together. When things start to get romantic, however, they are interrupted by a cuckoo clock. In the final verse, the teenage boy dismantles the clock so they will not be bothered again. The song is in basic verse-chorus-bridge form. The organ solo in the bridge points the way towards future Beach Boys songs.

Recording

"Cuckoo Clock" was recorded on September 6, 1962, at the last ''

'' session. While

Nik Venet Nick Venet (born Nikolas Kostantinos Venetoulis, 3 December 1936 – 2 January 1998) was an American record producer, who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz. He is best known for signing The Beach Boys to Capitol Records and prod ...

is officially credited as producer, some of the participants claim that

did the production work.Doe, Andrew G.:
Album Archive
.

Retrieved on 2012-02-10.

Personnel

* Mike Love – vocals * David Marks – guitar *

– bass guitar,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, lead vocal *

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's ''de ...

– guitar, vocals * Dennis Wilson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, vocals

References

{{authority control 1962 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Gary Usher Songs written by Brian Wilson Song recordings produced by Nick Venet