The Beach Boys - "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" (1964)

It’s way too easy to overlook this Beach Boys track. It was recorded for the first of four Beach Boys albums released in 1964 and was handily overshadowed by the genius of Pet Sounds and the SMiLE sessions. It even gets lost among the other tracks on Shut Down, Vol. II. How can it compete against songs like “Don’t Worry, Baby” or “The Warmth of The Sun”? Who would think that such a powerful song would be wedged between such middle of the album filler as “This Car of Mine” and “Pom Pom Playgirl”? All these factors may make “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” easy to overlook, but you’d be cheating yourself if you didn’t give it a solid listen.

The production immediately grabs you. It’s no secret that Brian Wilson’s production style was heavily informed by the work of Phil Spector, but this song sounds so close, it’s almost plagiarism. You can tell from the highly reverberated snare hit that kick starts the song that this is a direct descendant of the wall of sound. If that isn’t enough to convince you, the jangling tambourine and rolling acoustic guitars should change your opinion.

All of this is not to say that the song is derivative, though; on the contrary, Wilson plays with the format that Spector perfected. Tradition dictates that after the second verse, some awful Baritone Sax has to take over with an unnecessary solo. Wilson correctly thought it would be wiser to bury the horns in the mix. The listener’s left hanging for a good three measures, wondering why the song feels so empty, when the Beach Boys suddenly jump back in with their famous five-part harmonies. They even add a slight key modulation not found in Frankie Lymon’s original, for an added bonus.

The Beach Boys, like most other bands from the early 60s, had their share of missteps. Their covers of 50s hits songs like “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Louie, Louie” immediately spring to mind as perfect examples. At face value, this might look like it’s cut from the same mold as those two, but don’t be...well...fooled – “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” presents the Beach Boys on the verge of something big, taking their influence from the past and synthesizing it with the sound of the present to make the music destined to shape the future of pop.

Youtube Link: The Beach Boys - Why Do Fools Fall In Love?