"It's OK" (spelled "It's O.K." on the album disc inlay) is a song by 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 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 ...

''. 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 Mike Love, it is an upbeat song about celebrating summer fun. It was issued as a single on August 9, 1976 (with the B-side "

Had to Phone Ya "Had to Phone Ya" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1976 album ''15 Big Ones''. It was written by Brian Wilson, his sister-in-law Diane Rovell, and Mike Love. The song was issued as the B-side to their single " It's O. ...

") and reached number 29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart.

Background and recording

"It's OK" is an upbeat song about celebrating summer fun that was written by

and Mike Love. Brian commented of the song in a 1995 interview, "That was written inside

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 Santa Monica. At the end, where

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

goes (''sings'') "Find a ride", we put two of his voices on there, and it sounded ''fan-tas-tic''! Fuckin' fantastic from Dennis." On another occasion, he praised Love's lyrics, but said that the song "doesn't bring back real pleasant memories." Sessions for the song commenced at Brother Studios in October 1974, notably featuring members of Wizzard who were staying in Los Angeles at the end of their only U.S. tour. Contrary to the credits on the back of the ''

'' album, bandleader Roy Wood played drums, not saxophone.

Legacy

In the United States, the song was the highest-charting original single that the Beach Boys released between " Do It Again" (which peaked at number 20 in 1968) and "

Getcha Back "Getcha Back" is a song written by Mike Love and Terry Melcher for the American rock band The Beach Boys, on their 1985 album ''The Beach Boys''. It was the band's first release since the drowning death of Dennis Wilson in 1983. The song peaked a ...

" (which peaked at number 26 in 1985); however, "Almost Summer" (a song written by Wilson, Love, and Al Jardine for the sidegroup

Celebration Celebration or Celebrations may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Celebration'' (musical), by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, 1969 * ''Celebration'' (play), by Harold Pinter, 2000 * ''Celebration'' (TV series), a Canadian music TV serie ...

) reached number 28 in 1978, while "

The Beach Boys Medley "The Beach Boys Medley" is a single containing a medley of popular Beach Boys songs from the 1960s, edited by John Palladino. Released in mid-1981, it capitalized on a medley craze begun by the Stars on 45 medleys. "The Beach Boys Medley" reached ...

" (which also interpolates the band's 1965 cover of " Barbara Ann") peaked at number 12 in 1981. "It's O.K." later reappeared as the B-side to the 1985 single "

It's Gettin' Late "It's Gettin' Late" is a song written by Carl Wilson, Myrna Smith Schilling and Robert White Johnson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1985 album ''The Beach Boys'' and as a single with " It's O.K." ''Billboard'' ...

". In 2019, Love re-recorded "It's O.K." for his album ''

12 Sides of Summer 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

''. Wilson also re-recorded the track for the soundtrack to the documentary '' Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road'' (2021).

Personnel

Per 2000 liner notes and Dillon. The Beach Boys * Al Jardine – backing vocals * Mike Love – lead and backing vocals *

– backing vocals, piano,

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 ...

, Moog bass *

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, guitar * Dennis Wilson – backing vocals, drums * Ricky Fataar – drums Additional musicians and production staff *

Dennis Dreith Dennis Dreith (born June 15, 1948 in Glendale, California) is a musician, record producer and a television & motion picture composer, arranger, and conductor. He is also known as an influential advocate for performer's rights. Life Dreith sho ...

– clarinet * Jules Jacobs – clarinet *

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 ...

– backing vocals * Roy Wood – drums * Mike Burney - saxophone * Nick Pentelow - saxophone

References

External links

* 1976 singles The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Songs written by Mike Love Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson Reprise Records singles {{1970s-rock-song-stub