Here Comes the Night (The Beach Boys song)

"Here Comes the Night" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Wild Honey. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the group later rerecorded the track for their 1979 album, L.A. (Light Album), as a disco song lasting nearly eleven minutes. A four-minute edit of this version was released as a single on February 19, 1979, and reached number 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Composition Author Andrew Hickey noted: "This is a rather by-the-numbers song which however manages the interesting trick of having the chorus apparently lose its tonal centre altogether – normally one would have a harmonically simple chorus while the verses are complex, but this has simple verses in C but a chorus whose chords are Cmin, Ab7 and F, which are chords that just should not go together."*

Original recording "Here Comes the Night" was logged as having been recorded at Beach Boys Studio on October 26, 1967, although in actuality it's more likely to have been throughout the end of the month.

Disco remake

The 1979 disco version of the song, produced by Bruce Johnston and Curt Becher, is over eight minutes longer than the original song, with Becher contributing to the arrangement.

Dennis Wilson was opposed to this recording, and Brian did not participate. Al Jardine later expressed his distaste for the disco remake of the song.

There are five edits of this disco version. The first edit appears on the L.A. (Light Album), while the second edit was released on a 12" single release (Caribou/Brother/CBS 2Z8-9028). The third edit was the B-side of the 12" single, which is a slightly shorter instrumental (backing track) version of the song. The fourth and fifth version of the song is found on the 7" single release (Caribou/Brother/CBS ZS8 9026)(DJ version).

Variations Time: 10 min 51 sec (album version) Time: 10 min 36 sec (12" single edit) Time: 9 min 4 sec (12" instrumental edit) Time: 4 min 28 sec (7" single edit) long version Time: 3 min 18 sec (7" single edit) short version

Reception Record producer Tony Visconti spoke positively of the song, commenting, "I can play that 10 times today and I wouldn't get bored with it."

The "Here Comes the Night" disco single (backed with "Baby Blue") was issued on February 19, 1979, and peaked at number 44. The band briefly introduced the disco version into their live set in 1979. Jardine commented, "We performed it once and we were booed. We actually received such criticism that we never played it again."

Reviewing the single in 1979, Smash Hits said, "Hard, fast electro-burble and swirling strings pound along beneath snatches of harmonising voices and a lot of solo lead singing of an unremarkable song. It's OK but there are plenty of better disco tracks about." Record World said that the song "is lush and perfectly adapted to the genre."

Personnel Per John Brode, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington, and Craig Slowinski.Slowinski liner notes, ESQ Issue 121.

1967 version

The Beach Boys Al Jardine – backing vocals, 12-string electric guitar Mike Love – backing vocals Brian Wilson – lead and backing vocals, grand piano, Baldwin organ, snare drum Carl Wilson – backing vocals, 12-string electric guitar, bass guitar, tambourine

1979 version The Beach Boys Carl Wilson – lead vocals Mike Love – backing vocals Al Jardine – backing vocals Bruce Johnston – backing vocals Additional personnel

Murray Adler – violin Mike Baird – drums, percussion Myer Bello – viola Curt Boettcher – guitars Joe Chemay – bass guitar Marcia Van Dyke – violin Jesse Ehrlich – cello Gene Estes – clavinet, vibraphone Bob Esty – synthesizer, percussion Victor Feldman – percussion Henry Ferber – violin Ronald Folsom – violin James Getzoff – violin Allan Harshman – viola Raymond Kelley – cello William Kurasch – violin Marvin Limonick – violin Joy Lyle – violin Mike Meros – clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano David Montagu – violin Ira Newborn – guitars Michael Nowak – viola Judy Perett – cello Joel Peskin – alto saxophone Nathan Ross – violin David Schwartz – viola Sid Sharp – violin Harry Shlutz – cello Linn Subotnick – viola Wah Wah Watson – lead guitar Herschel Wise – viola Dan Wyman – synthesizer programming Tibor Zelig – violin Richie Zito – lead guitar

Charts Chart (1979)PeakpositionUK Singles (The Official Charts Company)37US Billboard Hot 10044US Billboard Disco Top 80 48

References

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