On This Day in 1966, The Beatles’ Biggest Competitor Landed Their Third No. 1 Hit With a Classic Song They Accredit to Marijuana

The Beatles were undoubtedly the most successful band of the 1960s. We could remind you of all of the details as to why that is, but there is really only one you need to know. That one detail is that they have 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. No. 1 hits certainly aren’t everything, but as a creative force, The Beatles covered all those bases as well. However, one band that was always nipping at their heels and or surpassing them was The Beach Boys, who on this day, December 10, 1966, landed their third No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Have you ever heard the saying “iron sharpens iron?” Even if you haven’t, a prime example of this metaphor is the healthy competition between The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Without Pet Sounds, The Beatles probably wouldn’t have felt competitive and motivated enough to create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Needless to say, the two groups made each other better, and on this day, The Beach Boys’ talent scored them yet another No. 1 hit.

The 1960s Chart Success of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys

Prior to scoring a No. 1 hit on this day, December 10, 1966, The Beach Boys scored two No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. Those two No. 1 hits were “I Get Around” in 1964 and “Help Me, Rhonda” in 1965. To this day, both songs exist a staple tunes of the decade, and introductory pieces that paint the cultural and musical landscape of the United States’ most colorful decade in history.

Despite The Beach Boys being a major force in the music industry, “Good Vibrations” was their final No. 1 hit in the 1960s. Released on October 10, “Good Vibrations” debuted on the Hot 100 12 days later on October 22 at No. 81. Fast forward a couple of months to this day in 1966, and The Beach Boys’ 1966 single peaked at No. 1 on the most notable music chart in the world. Holding the top spot for a single week on the Hot 100, “Good Vibrations” also peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and was named the 33rd biggest hit of 1966 on the Billboard Year-End chart.

In a 2012 interview, Brian Wilson attributed the inspiration behind “Good Vibrations” to his use of marijuana as opposed to past belief it was due to LSD. “I don’t accredit it to LSD, I accredit it to marijuana. I smoked marijuana just before I wrote it.”

Following the success of “Good Vibrations”, The Beach Boys went 22 years without a No. 1 hit. Their next single to reach the top of the chart was their 1988 single, “Kokomo”.

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