"I Do" 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 Roger Christian, originally released as a single by American vocal group

the Castells The Castells were a male vocal quartet from Santa Rosa, California best remembered for their hits "Sacred" (No. 20 in 1961) and "So This Is Love" (No. 21 in 1962), both released on Era Records. Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hit ...

in March 1964. The recording was also produced and arranged by Wilson. The song's lyrics illustrate a young man getting ready for marriage. Its melody was derived from " County Fair", a song Wilson had earlier written for

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 ...

. According to Keith Mansfield, "the song didn't do much for the Castells, but it was a memorable experience or Chuck Girard">Chuck_Girard.html" ;"title="or Chuck Girard">or Chuck Girard. Musicologist Philip Lambert noted: "The 'I Do' intro is directly inspired by the instrumental accumulation in 'Be My Baby' and in the earlier Phil Spector, [Phil] Spector production of the Crystals' 'Oh Yeah Maybe Baby' (1961), which have similar rhythms and instrumental combinations."

Recording

The backing track of "I Do" was recorded during a 3-hour session at RCA Victor Studio on November 6, 1963. This was followed in January 1964 with two vocal overdubbing sessions with the Castells at United Western Recorders and

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Los Angeles, California, United States. For more than thirty years, from 1950 to 1984, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded ...

Variations

Versions performed by the Beach Boys were included as a bonus track on the 1990 CD reissue ''

Surfer Girl ''Surfer Girl'' is the third album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released September 16, 1963 on Capitol Records. The album reached number 7 in the US during a chart stay of 56 weeks. This was the first album by the group for which B ...

/ Shut Down Volume 2'' and the 2013 compilation ''

The Big Beat 1963 ''The Big Beat 1963'' is a compilation album released on December 17, 2013, exclusively through digital distribution. It features selections of early demos and recordings made by Brian Wilson in the early 1960s with such acts as the Beach Boys and ...

''. In 2014, the compilation '' Sessions '64'' included the song's backing track.

Cover versions

* 1992 – Tatsuro Yamashita

References

The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson 1964 songs 1964 singles Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements Songs written by Roger Christian (songwriter) Songs about marriage {{1960s-rock-song-stub