Break Away (The Beach Boys song) explained

Break Away
Cover:Beach Boys - Break Away.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the Beach Boys
B-Side:Celebrate the News
Released:June 16, 1969
Recorded:March 31 April 23, 1969
Length:2:56
Label:Capitol
Producer:Brian Wilson, Murry Wilson
Prev Title:I Can Hear Music
Prev Year:1969
Next Title:Add Some Music to Your Day
Next Year:1970

"Break Away" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded during the early sessions for their album Sunflower and issued as a non-album single on June 16, 1969. It was written by Brian and Murry Wilson, although Murry was credited as lyricist under the pseudonym "Reggie Dunbar". Dennis Wilson's "Celebrate the News" was chosen as the B-side. The single peaked at number 63 in the US and number 6 in the UK.[1]

Record World called it "an extremely pretty and summery song."[2]

Background

According to Brian, Murry came up with the idea for the song from watching The Joey Bishop Show on television while it proclaimed, "We're gonna break away for a minute and we'll be right back!". Brian, at his piano, then composed the song with Murry as they "plunked and plunked and plunked" and "finally got a song going."[3] At another time, Brian said that the Monkees inspired him to write this song.[4] The Monkees had appeared on the aforementioned television program on April 29, 1969,[5] but "Break Away" was recorded prior to that date.[6]

Asked why Murry had used a pseudonym, Brian responded that his father "didn't want anyone to know that he wrote it with me."[7] On another occasion, Brian gave a different answer to the same journalist, saying "I don't know. He was nutty. He was crazy, that was his fictitious name."[8]

Brian Wilson spoke positively of the song in a later interview, commenting, "That's a beautiful song. I think it might be one of my most underrated songs."

Charts

Chart (1969)Peak
position
New Zealand (Listener Chart)[9] 20
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[10] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 63

Notes and References

  1. Book: Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. registration. 2004. Backbeat Books. 978-0-87930-818-6. 250.
  2. Single Picks of the Week. Record World. June 21, 1969. 1. 2023-05-08.
  3. Web site: Sharp . Ken . Brian Wilson: God's Messenger . . January 2, 2009.
  4. Web site: Good Times with The Monkees: Bands we love to discredit . DailyTrojan.com . 2016-02-18 .
  5. Book: Ventrella . Mike . Long Title: Looing for the Good Times - Examining the Monkees' Songs. One by One . 2018 . Albany, GA . 9781629331751 .
  6. Web site: Doe . Andrew G. . GIGS69 . Bellagio 10452 . July 10, 2022.
  7. Web site: Brian Wilson Remembers: An In-Depth Interview with the Beach Boys' Resident Genius Best Classic Bands. 20 June 2022 .
  8. Sharp. Ken. Christmas with Brian Wilson. Record Collector. January 2006. 72–76. United Kingdom.
  9. Web site: Break Away (search). Flavour of New Zealand. 2022-03-16. 2022-12-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20221221140113/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=3554#n_view_location. dead.
  10. Web site: officialcharts.com. officialcharts.com. December 2, 2021.
  11. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn

    . Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 65.

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