"Had to Phone Ya" is a song by the American rock band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

from their 1976 album ''

15 Big Ones ''15 Big Ones'' is the 20th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 5, 1976 on Brother/Reprise. It includes a mix of original songs and renditions of rock 'n' roll and R&B standards. The LP was the band's first albu ...

''. It was 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 ...

, his sister-in-law Diane Rovell, and

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-bari ...

. The song was issued as the B-side to their single " It's O.K.". An earlier recording by the group

American Spring American Spring (known as simply Spring before 1972) was an American pop music duo formed in Los Angeles, California. It consisted of sisters Marilyn Wilson and Diane Rovell, who had earlier been members of girl group the Honeys. As with the H ...

was included as a bonus track on a later reissue of the album ''

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

'' (1972).

Background

and

wrote the song, with Diane Rovell also contributing. Diane was originally listed as a cowriter, but her name was removed from songwriting credits in subsequent releases. She is still listed as co-writer in the

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

database. Byron Preiss described the song's creation by

while his wife Marilyn was away in Europe. Brian spoke about the song in 1995: Lindsay Planer of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted "Although the tune may sound uncomplicated, it is part of a larger sonic tapestry that combines the interaction of several simultaneous melodies." noting similarities to earlier Brian Wilson compositions "

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record c ...

" and "

Love to Say Dada "Love to Say Dada" (also known as "I Love to Say Da Da", "Da Da", and "All Day") is an unfinished song that was written by American musician Brian Wilson for the Beach Boys' ''Smile'' project. It spells LSD in its initials and was one of the la ...

". Musician

Dennis Diken Dennis Diken (born February 25, 1957) is an American drummer, DJ, author, music historian, and founding member of the band the Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, and Mike Mesaros in Carteret, New Jersey. Besides ...

compared it to Wilson's " Trombone Dixie". "Had to Phone Ya" was originally recorded in 1973 by

at Junior's Motel in Otho, Iowa. Their version was released as a bonus track for the CD reissue of the album ''

'' (1972).

Recording

The Beach Boys' version of "Had to Phone Ya" was recorded on March 30, 1976, at

Brother Studios Brother Studios (later renamed Crimson Sound) was the name of a recording studio located at 1454 5th St, Santa Monica, California established by brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, co-founders of the Beach Boys. History Brother Studios ...

in the middle of the primary sessions for ''

''. The lead vocals are swapped between the band members. The instrumental track from this session was made available on the 2013 compilation '' Made in California''.

Personnel

Per album liner notes. The Beach Boys * Al Jardine – lead, harmony and backing vocals *

– lead, harmony and backing vocals *

– lead, harmony and backing vocal; acoustic grand piano *

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 ...

– lead, harmony and backing vocals * Dennis Wilson – lead, harmony and backing vocals; drums Guest *

Marilyn Wilson Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford (née Rovell; born February 6, 1948) is an American singer who is best known as the first wife of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Raised in Los Angeles, she started her singing career in the late 1950s, initially as part ...

– spoken word and backing vocals Session musicians and production staff

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Had To Phone Ya 1976 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Songs written by Mike Love Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson Songs about loneliness Songs about telephone calls