"Getcha Back" is a song written by
Mike Love and
Terry Melcher for the American
rock band The Beach Boys, on their 1985 album ''
The Beach Boys''. It was the band's first release since the
drowning death of
Dennis Wilson in 1983. The song peaked at number 26 nationally and number two on the
Adult Contemporary chart.
Musically, the backing vocals resemble those from the 1959 hit "
Hushabye" by
The Mystics, which the Beach Boys had covered in 1964 for their ''
All Summer Long'' album. Comparisons could also be made to
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's 1980 hit "
Hungry Heart", which Love later recorded a cover of for a tribute album. The AllMusic review by William Ruhlmann stated that "despite the production sheen provided by Steve Levine (of Culture Club fame), this is another competent but uninspired effort."
Reception
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said the song "so wonderously recalls
he Beach Boys'earlier times and earlier sounds."
Music video
The music video, directed by Dominic Orlando, was filmed on location in
Malibu and
Venice, California. It featured a then-unknown
Katherine Kelly Lang, who went on to play
Brooke Logan on the
soap opera ''
The Bold and the Beautiful''.
Chart positions
Cover versions
Mark McGrath, lead singer of the
California rock band
Sugar Ray, performed a cover of this song for the
soundtrack of ''
Herbie: Fully Loaded'' (
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
). The Beach Boys version appears at the beginning, during the flashback of Herbie's racing career, during the opening credits.
Mike Love re-recorded the song for his 2017 solo album ''
Unleash the Love''. This version features altered lyrics and a new third verse, and features
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the Da ...
on percussion.
References
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1985 songs
1985 singles
The Beach Boys songs
Songs written by Mike Love
Songs written by Terry Melcher
Song recordings produced by Steve Levine