"Little Pad" is a song by the American rock 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 1967 album ''

Smiley Smile ''Smiley Smile'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on September 18, 1967. Conceived as a simpler and more relaxed version of their unfinished ''Smile'' album, ''Smiley Smile'' is distinguished for i ...

''. It was 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 ...

and its working title had been "Hawaiian Song". On the track, the group sings in unison about wanting a "little pad in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

" while accompanied by a Hawaiian guitar, an

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, and clip-clop

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

Music

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is a genre of pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the mid-to-late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, ...

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

with elements of

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...

, the song's only lyrics deal with the possibility of having a little house by the sea in

. Unlike many other tracks on ''Smiley Smile'', "Little Pad" did not originate during the sessions for ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

'', the album that was aborted by the band and replaced by ''Smiley Smile.'' Beginning life as the brief piece "Hawaiian Song", it and "Little Pad" were tracked on June 19–21 and 28, 1967. Both songs were later combined into one. Author Andrew Hickey said that "the song's a nothing, but it's a gentle, heartfelt, beautiful vocal performance." Writer

Domenic Priore Domenic Priore (born January 15, 1960) is an American author, historian and television producer whose focus is on popular music and its attendant youth culture. Biography He has written extensively about the Beach Boys' album ''Smile'', including ...

said that the song is "one of the group's finest moments."

Personnel

Sourced from Keith Badman. *

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the vocalists of the Beach Boys, of which he was an original member alongside his cousins Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson and their frien ...

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Carl Wilson as well as ...

Cover versions

*1988 –

Louis Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

*1998 –

The Olivia Tremor Control The Olivia Tremor Control were an American Psychedelic music, psychedelic band from Athens, Georgia that released two studio albums, a bonus disc, a singles collection and a live album between 1996 and 2000. The main members were Will Cullen H ...

, ''

Smiling Pets ''Smiling Pets'' is a multi-artist tribute album consisting of experimental music, experimental/alternative rock, alternative cover versions of the Beach Boys, Beach Boys songs from ''Pet Sounds'' (1966) and the never-finished ''Smile (Beach Boys ...

In popular culture

* In 1996, Japanese

Shibuya-kei is a microgenre of pop music or a general aesthetic that flourished in Japan in the mid-to-late 1990s. The music genre is distinguished by a "cut-and-paste" approach that was inspired by the kitsch, fusion, and artifice from certain music styl ...

musician

Keigo Oyamada , also known by his moniker , is a Japanese musician and producer who co-founded Flipper's Guitar, an influential Shibuya-kei band, and subsequently embarked on a solo career. In 1997, he released the album '' Fantasma'', which landed him pra ...

(stage name Cornelius) recorded a spiritual sequel to the song titled "World's End Humming ~Reprise (In Hawaii)", a closer to his album ''69/96''. * Comedian Trevor Moore stated that the theme song for his troupe's television show, ''

The Whitest Kids U' Know ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' (''WKUK'') is an American sketch comedy television series starring the comedy troupe of the same name. The group consists of Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter. The series ...

'', was based on "Little Pad", which itself had been used as the opening theme for their live shows.

References

{{authority control 1967 songs The Beach Boys songs Songs written by Brian Wilson Song recordings produced by the Beach Boys Songs about Hawaii