B-side "Little Bird" Format Vinyl Genre Rock, pop | Released April 8, 1968 Recorded March 1968 Length 2:30 | |
"Friends" is a song written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1968 album Friends. It was also released as a single, with "Little Bird" as the B-side. The single peaked at #47 in the U.S. and #25 in the U.K. The song was recorded in March 1968.
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Background
The song was recorded in 4/4 time for its first take. Immediately after, Brian rearranged the song after realizing that there weren't many waltzes on the radio. Brian Wilson once stated, "The cut 'Friends' was, in my opinion, a good way to keep waltzes alive. Carl had sung...before and now he spearheaded this cut with a heavy vocal performance." As Peter Reum, a Beach Boys historian, stated "'Friends' is a waltz, and it's been used at the Berklee College of Music to teach students how to write in 3/4 time."
Brian has since claimed that the song was his favorite from the Friends album.
Other releases
Its a cappella mix was sold temporarily as analog single with Al Jardine's Beach Boys reunion song "Don't Fight the Sea" for the charity of 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in April 2011.