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409 (song)
 
 
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"409" is a song written by Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson

Brian Douglas Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning United States musician best known as a member of the American rock and roll band, the Beach Boys....
, Mike Love
Mike Love

Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an United States singer/songwriter with The Beach Boys. He formed the band along with his cousins Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine....
 and Gary Usher
Gary Usher

Gary Usher was an United States surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer....
 for the American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
. The song features Mike Love singing lead vocals. It was originally released as the b-side of the "Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari (song)

"Surfin' Safari" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for The Beach Boys. It was released as a single with "409 " in 1962. The song also appeared on the 1962 album of the same name, Surfin' Safari....
" single. It was later released on their 1962 album, Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari

Surfin' Safari is the debut album by The Beach Boys, released in 1962. Surfin' Safari is now paired on CD with Surfin' USA with bonus tracks from the period....
, and it was also on their 1963 album, Little Deuce Coupe
Little Deuce Coupe

Little Deuce Coupe is The Beach Boys' fourth album, and third overall LP release in 1963. Almost unintentionally, the album was rush-recorded and compiled when leader Brian Wilson sought to protect his band....
.

"Surfin Safari" would reach #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
, while 409 reached #76.

Although The Beach Boys recorded over a dozen songs that were written about or had strong references to cars, only a few of them would become well-known songs.






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"409" is a song written by Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson

Brian Douglas Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning United States musician best known as a member of the American rock and roll band, the Beach Boys....
, Mike Love
Mike Love

Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an United States singer/songwriter with The Beach Boys. He formed the band along with his cousins Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine....
 and Gary Usher
Gary Usher

Gary Usher was an United States surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer....
 for the American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
. The song features Mike Love singing lead vocals. It was originally released as the b-side of the "Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari (song)

"Surfin' Safari" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for The Beach Boys. It was released as a single with "409 " in 1962. The song also appeared on the 1962 album of the same name, Surfin' Safari....
" single. It was later released on their 1962 album, Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari

Surfin' Safari is the debut album by The Beach Boys, released in 1962. Surfin' Safari is now paired on CD with Surfin' USA with bonus tracks from the period....
, and it was also on their 1963 album, Little Deuce Coupe
Little Deuce Coupe

Little Deuce Coupe is The Beach Boys' fourth album, and third overall LP release in 1963. Almost unintentionally, the album was rush-recorded and compiled when leader Brian Wilson sought to protect his band....
.

"Surfin Safari" would reach #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
, while 409 reached #76.

Although The Beach Boys recorded over a dozen songs that were written about or had strong references to cars, only a few of them would become well-known songs. These included "Shut Down", "Little Deuce Coupe
Little Deuce Coupe (song)

"Little Deuce Coupe" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian . The song first appeared as the b-side to The Beach Boys 1963 single "Surfer Girl "....
" and "Fun, Fun, Fun
Fun, Fun, Fun

Fun, Fun, Fun, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, was a hit single by The Beach Boys that was released in 1964 on the band's album Shut Down Volume 2....
".

Composition

The "409" of the song is the Chevrolet
Chevrolet

Chevrolet is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors . It is the top selling GM marque, with "Chevrolet" or "Chevy" being at times synonymous with GM....
 409
Chevrolet Big-Block engine

The Chevrolet big block is a series of large displacement V8 engines that were developed in the USA during the 1950s and 1960s. As American automobiles grew in size and weight following the Second World War the engines powering them had to keep pace....
, a 409 cubic inch W-series
Chevrolet Big-Block engine

The Chevrolet big block is a series of large displacement V8 engines that were developed in the USA during the 1950s and 1960s. As American automobiles grew in size and weight following the Second World War the engines powering them had to keep pace....
 V8 engine popular with "hot rodders"
Hot rod

Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the term "hot rod." One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a Roadster that was modified for speed....
 of the time. Gary Usher, who wrote the majority of the lyrics for the song dreamed at that time of one day owning a Chevrolet 409.

The song was originally credited to just Wilson and Usher. Mike Love's name was added as a result of a lawsuit filed by him against Wilson in the 1990s.

Recording

"409" was recorded at the third Beach Boys recording session, on April 19, 1962, at Western Studios
United Western Recorders

United Western Recorders, often abbrieviated to UWR was a renowned recording studio complex in Hollywood, California, which became one of the most successful independent recording studios in the world in the late 1950s and 1960s....
. The band's previous record label, Candix
Candix Records

Candix Records was an independent American record label known primarily for releasing The Beach Boys first single, "Surfin' ." Candix staffers Joe Saraceno and Russ Regan are attributed with renaming The Pendletones as The Beach Boys, in an attempt to make them more marketable....
, had folded, and with the recordings made at this session, the band was able to sign with Capitol Records
Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood, California and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group....
. This was David Marks's
David Marks (musician)

David Lee Marks is a songwriter and musician. He is best known as being a member of The Beach Boys from February 1962 to October 1963, a period of time that established the band as a top-rate American rock group....
 first session as a member of the band.

The engine noises heard at the beginning of the song were of Usher's Chevrolet 348
Chevrolet Big-Block engine

The Chevrolet big block is a series of large displacement V8 engines that were developed in the USA during the 1950s and 1960s. As American automobiles grew in size and weight following the Second World War the engines powering them had to keep pace....
, the W-series predecessor to the 409.

Musicians

  • Mike Love
    Mike Love

    Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an United States singer/songwriter with The Beach Boys. He formed the band along with his cousins Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine....
     - lead vocals
  • David Marks
    David Marks (musician)

    David Lee Marks is a songwriter and musician. He is best known as being a member of The Beach Boys from February 1962 to October 1963, a period of time that established the band as a top-rate American rock group....
     - guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
  • Brian Wilson
    Brian Wilson

    Brian Douglas Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning United States musician best known as a member of the American rock and roll band, the Beach Boys....
     - bass guitar
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , vocals
  • Carl Wilson
    Carl Wilson

    Carl Dean Wilson was an United States rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys....
     - lead guitar, vocals
  • Dennis Wilson
    Dennis Wilson

    Dennis Carl Wilson was an United States rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drum kit of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983, though in keeping with recording studio practices of the time un credited session musicians would be used....
     - drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    , vocals


See also

  • List of songs by The Beach Boys
    List of songs by The Beach Boys

    This list is an attempt to document every song released by The Beach Boys. It does not include songs released only separately by the individual members....
  • Surfin' Safari
    Surfin' Safari

    Surfin' Safari is the debut album by The Beach Boys, released in 1962. Surfin' Safari is now paired on CD with Surfin' USA with bonus tracks from the period....