The Beach Boys enjoyed some major late-career success in 1988 with the hit single “Kokomo.” The tropical-themed song, which appeared on the soundtrack to the romantic comedy-drama film Cocktail, topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5 of that year.
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“Kokomo” knocked Phil Collins’ cover of The Mindbenders’ 1965 British Invasion gem “Groovy Kind of Love” from the top of the chart. It spent one week at No. 1 before being replaced by U.K. pop group The Escape Club’s “Wild, Wild West.”
“Kokomo” was The Beach Boys’ fourth single overall to top the Hot 100, and the last to date. The famous band’s previous chart-toppers were “I Get Around” (1964), “Help Me Rhonda” (1965), and “Good Vibrations.”
On the Writing and Recording of “Kokomo”
“Kokomo” was written by Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love with producer Terry Melcher, John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and 1960s pop/folk singer Scott McKenzie.
In the early 1960s, Phillips and McKenzie played together in the folk group The Journeyman. Phillips also wrote McKenzie’s classic 1967 hippie anthem “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair),” which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
Melcher, whose mother was Doris Day, produced The Byrds’ first two albums. He also produced The Beach Boys’ 1986 cover of The Mamas and the Papas classic “California Dreamin’.”
“Kokomo” came together after The Beach Boys and Melcher were hired to come up with a song for Cocktail. Love wrote the chorus, which mentions various vacation spots in the Caribbean. Phillips wrote the main part of the verses, which mentions the fictional Kokomo, envisioned as a laidback tropical paradise.
Love was the main lead singer on the tune, while bandmate Carl Wilson also sang a section. All of the then-surviving core Beach Boys members except Brian Wilson—Love, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston—contributed vocals. At the time, Brian was struggling with drug and mental-health issues, and was under the supervision of his controlling psychotherapist, Dr. Eugene Landy.
Several well-known musicians contributed to “Kokomo.” They included Ry Cooder on guitars and mandolin, longtime Beach Boys touring member Jeffrey Foskett on acoustic guitar, and acclaimed session drummer Jim Keltner. Van Dyke Parks, who famously collaborated with Brian on the aborted Beach Boys project Smile, played accordion on the track.
More About Cocktail
Cocktail starred Tom Cruise as a business student who starts bartending to make ends meet. He ends up dropping out of school and tries to pursue his dream of opening his own cocktail bar. Cruise’s character eventually winds up bartending in Jamaica, where romance and drama ensue.
“Kokomo” is heard in a scene where Cruise is traveling to Jamaica.
The Cocktail soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. “Kokomo” was the second of two No. 1 Hot 100 hits featured on the album. The other was Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” which topped the chart for two weeks in late September-early October.
“Kokomo” also appeared on The Beach Boys’ 1989 album Still Cruisin’, which featured several songs the band contributed to various soundtracks.
The “Kokomo” Music Video
A music video for “Kokomo” was shot at World Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida. The clip features The Beach Boys playing by the hotel poo. They’re joined by their longtime pal and sometimes touring member, Full House actor John Stamos, on percussion.
The video also includes footage of various scenes from Cocktail.
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