Released 1990 (1990) Length 2:20 Writer(s) Brian Wilson | Genre Rock Label Capitol | |
Recorded September 16, 1964 (1964-09-16), United Western Recorders, Hollywood | ||
"All Dressed Up for School" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was recorded very early in the sessions for the 1965 album Today!, but was not released until 1990. Carl Wilson sings vocals, a rarity at the time the song was recorded. In the song, the singer finds himself suddenly attracted to a girl (who had a crush on him) who he previously wasn't interested in until she dressed up in new school clothes. However, all the other boys also are trying to get her attention, which means that the girl no longer has time for him.
Contents
Author Philip Lambert described the track as "packed with musical invention" and said that the lyrics are "interesting" despite being "unsuitable for release in 1964." Author Andrew Hickey described the song as "absolutely astonishing."
Composition
"All Dressed Up for School" started life as a song called "What Will I Wear to School (Today)", a song which was written in early 1964 for Sharon Marie, (a friend of Mike Love's) but never recorded. According to author Keith Badman, this version of the song featured lyrics that were partly written by Roger Christian, a frequent writing collaborator of Brian Wilson's.
Parts of the melody of "All Dressed Up for School" would be reused by Brian Wilson in "I Just Got My Pay", an outtake from 1970's Sunflower, which was released in 1993 on the box set. The chords in the opening a capella vocal passage would later show up in unreleased versions of "Heroes and Villains", and later in the 1980 single "Goin' On".
Recording
The song was recorded on September 16, 1964 at Western Studios, with Chuck Britz as the engineer. For its release in 1990, it was mixed by Mark Linett.
Personnel
Track details courtesy of session archivist Craig Slowinski.