"Sumahama" is a song by American rock band
the Beach Boys from their 1979 album ''
L.A. (Light Album)
''L.A. (Light Album)'' is the 23rd studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on March 16, 1979, and their first issued through CBS Records. Recorded during a period of acrimony between the band members, it was a critical an ...
''. Written by
Mike Love, it was lyrically inspired by his fiancée at the time, a woman named Sumako. The lyrics describe "a young girl who wants to go with her mother to a place called 'Sumahama' in search of her father."
Although some of the lyrics are in Japanese, Sumako was of Korean descent.
Sumahama is also the name of a popular beach in Kobe, Japan. 'Hama' is the Japanese word for 'beach'.
Background
It was originally written by
Mike Love for his unreleased solo album, ''First Love''. When the release of that project fell through, the song was rerecorded by the Beach Boys.
The original United States LP release of the ''L.A. (Light Album)'' featured a version of "Sumahama" that faded out early during the final Japanese verse and did not feature the instrumental ending present on the later released 45 or the re-released CD version of the album. The original LP version of the song was approximately four minutes and seven seconds.
Single release
In the U.S., "Sumahama" was released as a B-side to the single "
It's a Beautiful Day
It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards.
David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...
".
"Sumahama" was released as a single in the UK backed with "Angel Come Home", charting at number 45.
[ ]
Personnel
Per Craig Slowinski.
The Beach Boys
*
Mike Love – lead vocals
*
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 ...
- backing vocals
*
Bruce Johnston - backing vocals
Additional musicians
*Murray Adler - violin
*Roberleigh Barnhart - cello
*Myer Bello - viola
*Alfred Breuning - violin
*Isabelle Daskoff - violin
*Earle Dumler - oboe
*Jesse Ehrlich - cello
*Bryan Garofalo - bass guitar
*Igor Horoshevsky - cello
*Bill House - guitar
*Bernard Kundell - violin
*William Kurasch - violin
*Gayle Levant - harp
*Joy Lyle - violin
*Brian O’Connor - French horn
*
Earl Palmer - drums
*Joel Peskin - flute
*Jay Rosen - violin
*Sid Sharp - violin
*Barbara Thomason - cello
*
Tommy Vig
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
- vibraphone
*Jai Winding -
Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...
*Herschel Wise - viola
*Tibor Zelig - violin
References
{{The Beach Boys
1979 songs
The Beach Boys songs
Songs written by Mike Love
Song recordings produced by Bruce Johnston
Song recordings produced by James William Guercio