"Busy Doin' Nothin'" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

from their 1968 album ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

''. Written by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

, the lyrics reflect the minutiae of his daily social and business life, while the music, Wilson said, was inspired by " bossa nova in general".

Recording

"Busy Doin' Nothin'" was recorded over two dates, one for the basic instrumental track and another for overdubs, including the vocal track. The basic instrumental track was recorded at

Beach Boys Studio Beach Boys Studio (also known as Brother Records Studio, Brother Recording Studio, and 10452 Bellagio Road) was a private recording studio owned by the Beach Boys. It was located within Brian Wilson's home at 10452 Bellagio Road in Los Angeles. ...

on March 26, 1968, under the working titles "Even Steven" and "Even Time". The session used several members of the Wrecking Crew. Overdubs and the vocal track were recorded on April 11, 1968, at ID Sound, California. The vocal track has Brian singing the lead vocal, briefly joined by his then-wife

Marilyn Wilson Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford (née Rovell; born February 6, 1948) is an American singer who is best known as the first wife of Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson. She was also a member of two girl groups, the Honeys in the 1960s and American Sprin ...

who sings with Brian during the second bridge. Biographer

John Tobler John Hugen Tobler (born 9 May 1943) is a British rock music journalist, writer, occasional broadcaster, and record company executive. With Pete Frame, he was one of the founders of ''ZigZag'' magazine in April 1969. The magazine focused on the ...

noted a resemblance between Wilson's vocal performance and that of

Chris Montez Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montañez; January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as hi ...

's on the latter's 1966 rendition of "

The More I See You "The More I See You" is a popular song composed by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Mack Gordon. The song was first published in 1945. The song was introduced by Dick Haymes in the 1945 film '' Diamond Horseshoe'', and also played as an overtu ...

Live performances

"Busy Doin' Nothin'" was performed in the early 2000s by Brian Wilson during his ''Pet Sounds'' solo tour as well as the ''No Pier Pressure'' tour in 2015. The song was performed as part of the ''Brian Wilson & The Zombies: Something Great From '68'' 2019 tour.

Cover versions

* 2000 – Camping, ''

Caroline Now! ''Caroline Now!: The Songs of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys'' is a 2000 tribute album devoted to songs by the Beach Boys, consisting of cover versions recorded by independent artists. The chosen material focuses on rarities by the group, some o ...

Personnel

Per Craig Slowinski.Endless Summer Quarterly, Spring 2018 Edition The Beach Boys *

- lead vocals, backing vocals Guest *

- lead vocals (doubled with Brian in some places), backing vocals Session musicians * Jim Ackley - keyboard * Al Vescovo - guitars * Lyle Ritz - upright basses * Alan Estes - vibes & blocks * Gene Pello - drums * David Sherr - oboe * Tom Scott - bass flute * Don Englert - clarinet * Jay Migliori - bass clarinet

References

{{authority control 1968 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson