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"Little Bird"
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album Friends
A-side	"Friends"
Released	April 8, 1968
Recorded	February 29, 1968
Studio	Beach Boys Studio, Los Angeles
Length	1:57
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Dennis Wilson Stephen Kalinich
Producer(s)	The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Darlin'" (1967) "Little Bird" (1968) "Do It Again" (1968)

"Little Bird" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1968 album Friends. It was credited to Dennis Wilson and Stephen Kalinich, however, it was written primarily by Brian Wilson, who declined a songwriting credit. The track was placed as the B-side of the album's "Friends" single, which peaked at number 47 in the US and number 25 in the UK.

Background

Brian recalled; "Dennis gave us 'Little Bird' which blew my mind because it was so full of spiritualness. He was a late bloomer as a music maker. He lived hard and rough but his music was as sensitive as anyone's." The outro of "Little Bird" features music reworked from Brian's unfinished 1966 composition "Child Is Father of the Man", originally intended for the Smile album. Brian's contribution remains uncredited.

According to Kalinich, Brian rewrote virtually all of the composition. "I always claimed Brian wrote the bridge and changed my words around, but he also changed the whole melody. I talked to Brian recently and he said, 'Well, I touched it up, arranged it and produced it.' So he calls that an arrangement, but it's really a rewrite. Brian didn't take credit. He was trying to help his little brother."

Reception

Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic called the song a "wonderful surprise" from Dennis: " earthy ability to capture his love of the power of nature is the basis for this minor masterpiece, and along with talented collaborator Steve Kalinich, he was able to nail his emotions."

Personnel

Per Craig Slowinski.

The Beach Boys

• Carl Wilson – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Dennis Wilson – lead vocals, backing vocals, harmonium
• Al Jardine – backing vocals
• Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
• Brian Wilson – backing vocals

Session musicians

• Al Vescovo – guitar, banjo
• Lyle Ritz – electric & upright basses
• Jim Gordon – drums, block & bell
• Roy Caton, Dick Forrest, Ollie Mitchell, Tony Terran – trumpets
• Raymond Kelley, Jacqueline Lustgarden – cellos

Cover versions

• 2012 – Of Montreal

References

1. Leaf, David (1990). Friends / 20/20 (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
2. Chidester, Brian (March 7, 2014). "Busy Doin' Somethin': Uncovering Brian Wilson's Lost Bedroom Tapes". Paste. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
3. Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
4. Dillon 2012, p. 161.
5. Greenwalk, Matthew. "Little Bird review". AllMusic.
6. Endless Summer Quarterly, Spring 2018 Edition
7. "Watch/Listen: Of Montreal – "Little Bird" (Beach Boys Cover) | Beats per Minute". 19 November 2012.

Bibliography

• Dillon, Mark (2012). Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77090-198-8.

Further reading

• Lambert, Philip (December 26, 2024). "Inside the Music of Brian Wilson". Postmondaen.

• 1968 songs
• The Beach Boys songs
• Psychedelic pop songs
• Songs written by Stephen Kalinich
• Songs written by Dennis Wilson
• Song recordings produced by the Beach Boys
• Songs about birds