THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

1000-The First Class-Beach Baby.

1974-Number 13 single.

Best Bit-At 3.23. It’s the best Surf song in the world ever that The Beach Boys didn’t write.

‘Beach Baby’ was co-written by the husband and wife songwriting team of John Carter, and his wife Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare as a tribute to American Pop from the mid 1960’s, it was also written in the style of ‘Bubblegum Pop.’ Bubblegum Pop is Pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents, A great example of this would be ‘The Archies’ 1969 Number 1 single ‘Sugar Sugar.’ It was the music producers Jerry Kasenetz, and Jeffry Katz (see also best songs 781) who claimed the credit for coining ‘Bubblegum Pop,’ saying that when they discussed their target audience, they decided it was ‘Teenagers, the young kids, and at the time we used to be chewing bubblegum, and my partner and I used to look at it and laugh and say, ‘Ah, this is like bubblegum music’.”

John Carter was born John Nicholas Shakespeare on October 20th, 1940, in Small Heath, Birmingham, England, he is a prolific songwriter, with many hit songs to his name, which he has co-written with others including ‘Let’s Go to San Francisco,’ for ‘The Flower Pot Men,’ (UK 1967, Number 4) ‘Tossing and Turning’ for ‘The Ivy League’ (UK 1965, Number 3) and ‘Knock, Knock, Who’s There’ for Mary Hopkin (UK 1970, Number 2.) Carter was also a member of The Ivy League when they provided backing vocals for ‘The Who’ on their 1965 single ‘I Can’t Explain.’ (UK Number 8.) Carter’s voice can also be heard singing the lead vocal on the ‘New Vaudeville Band’s’ UK 1966 Number 4 hit ‘Winchester Cathedral.’

After Carter and his wife Gillian had written ‘Beach Baby’ they hired the singer Tony Burrows, and the session singer Chas Mills to record the song using the name ‘The First Class,’ Burrows attempted to sing the lead vocal in an American accent to reflect the song’s California setting. When the song became a major hit, reaching Number 4 in America, and Number 1 in Canada, and Number 11 in Australia, Carter hastily put a band together to promote the song as neither he or Burrows wanted to go out on tour at that time. In total ‘The First Class’ would release two studio Albums between 1974-1976, and 12 singles between 1974-1983, with only ‘Beach Boy’ charting for them. None of the five members who made up the touring band played on any of the studio recordings.

Tony Burrows was born on April 14th, 1942, in Exeter, Devon, England, he has appeared as lead singer on five major UK hit singles for different groups, including on the UK Number 1 single ‘Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes’) with ‘Edison Lighthouse,’ ‘My Baby Loves Lovin” with ‘White Plains,’ (UK Number 9) the ‘Pipkins’ with ‘Gimme Dat Ding,’ (UK Number 6) and the ‘Brotherhood of Man’ with ‘United We Stand,’ (UK Number 10) all of these songs were hits between January to April in 1970. Amazingly he appeared on the British television music show ‘Top of the Pops’ four times fronting two different bands on the same programme, between January to February 1970. Tony Burrows who also sang backing vocals on Elton John’s 1971 song ‘Tiny Dancer’ has also released 14 solo singles between 1970-1984, but none of them have reached the top 40.

‘Beach Baby’ may appear to be the most carefree happy go lucky summer song you’re likely ever to hear, but it’s lyrics are sad.The narrator is reminiscing about the time he was in love, and thought that she loved him too, but they drifted apart, and now he is wondering if she even remembers who he is.

‘We couldn’t wait for graduation day, we took my car and drove to San Jose. That’s where you told me that you’d wear my ring, I guess you don’t remember anything.’