Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Fun, Fun, Fun (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a girl who borrows her father's Ford Thunderbird. When is the last time you drove someone else's car? It was my cousin Rosemary's car. We were on a highway headed to Florida for a trip to Disneyworld. This man was President. (I was a terrible driver and don't do it at all today.)

2) The teen in question is well known for ability to drive "like an ace." If we were to ask your high school classmates what they remember most about you, what do you think they'd say? Nerd.

3) She told her father she needed the car to go to the library but used it instead to meet friends. Can you recall a time your parents caught you in a fib? Yes. I was in junior high and went to a party at Nancy's house. Nancy's parents weren't home and I knew I shouldn't stay. My mom was very strict about unsupervised parties. Anyway, I was too embarrassed to leave. When I got home, my mom asked me about Nancy's mom and I made up an elaborate tale about her hair and her bathing cap (Nancy's family had a pool). My mom ran into Nancy's mom at the grocery store a day or two later. Such is life in a small town. Being caught in the lie was mortifying.

4) For this girl and her friends, fun centered on cars and fast food. What did you and your friends do for fun during your teen years? The mall! Every Tuesday, Korvette's (the big department store) ran an ad that announced which record label was on sale that week. We'd spend days deciding which albums we'd snag for just $5 each and then on Saturday afternoon we'd take the bus over. In addition to Korvette's, we'd stop at either Orange Julius or McDonald's and maybe the movie theater. We saw the same movies over and over (The Sting, The Way We Were and Cabaret stand out in my memory). The mall is still there, but many of the smaller shops stand empty. The movie theater is now a Best Buy and Korvette's is Kohl's. 

5) Legend has it songwriters Brian Wilson and Mike Love got the idea for this song from a Salt Lake City disc jockey. He told them he'd lent his T-bird to his daughter so she could go to class at the community college but discovered her deception when the car was ticketed in front of a fast food restaurant. Can you think of another song inspired by true events? Abraham, Martin and John.

 
6) As in the song, the disc jockey punished his daughter by taking her driving privileges away. Were your parents strict when you were growing up? Not really. But they didn't need to be, either. The hijinks in #3 were about as naughty as I got.

7) This song was recorded on January 1, 1964. The Beach Boys had to work on the holiday because they were under pressure to meet a February release date. How did you spend New Year's Day 2026? I don't recall, but I bet I stayed in my pajamas all day.

 
8) 1964 was a great year for Capitol Records. They had chart-topping hits by the Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand and, most spectacularly, The Beatles. The Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles is considered iconic and it's a stop on tourist bus tours. Have you ever been to Southern California? If yes, what did you do? I just got back from Hollywood! I was there for the TCM Classic Film Festival and the movies kept me very busy. But I saw the Hollywood sign and the hand and footprints at the TCL Chinese Theater.

 

 
9) Random question: What's the last compliment you received? The aesthetician marveled at my unlined skin. Of course, I've been seeing her twice a month since February, so I'm not sure if she was complimenting me or herself.