Hey Little Tomboy

"Hey Little Tomboy" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1978 album M.I.U. Album. Written by Brian Wilson, the song was to be included as a track on Adult/Child before the album was scrapped.^[1] It was also issued as the B-side to their single "Peggy Sue".

"Hey Little Tomboy"
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album M.I.U. Album
A-side	"Peggy Sue"
Released	August 28, 1978 (1978-08-28)
Recorded	October 1976 (1976-10)–1978 (1978)
Genre	Rock
Length	2:27
Songwriter(s)	Brian Wilson
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Honkin' Down the Highway" (1977) "Hey Little Tomboy" (1978) "Here Comes the Night" (1979)

Background

Early recording sessions for the song were held in August and October 1976.^[2] Wilson, describing "Hey Little Tomboy" as a contender for the Love You track list, said: "It's about a little girl who is sort of a roughneck, and this guy convinces her to become a pretty girl, and sure enough she slowly turns into a pretty—she starts shaving her legs and wearing short sticks—puts lipstick on and makeup. So she's a little tomboy. We're very happy with it."^[3]

Reception

Biographer Peter Ames Carlin wrote: "[the song] revealed uncomfortably in an adolescent girl who is putting away her skateboard and baseball mitt to get hot and heavy with the swain portrayed by Mike [Love]. … [it] may be the most unsettling moment in the entire recorded history of the Beach Boys."^[4] Music critic Jeff Tamarkin wrote that the song "is politically incorrect in every way by modern standards, yet its innocence and simplicity are undeniably charming".^[5]

Personnel

Credits are sourced from Craig Slowinski, John Brode, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington, and David Beard.^[6]

The Beach Boys

• Al Jardine - possible bass guitar
• Mike Love - lead vocals
• Brian Wilson - lead and backing vocals, tack piano, Minimoog bass
• Carl Wilson - lead and backing vocals, electric guitar
• Dennis Wilson - backing vocals, drums

Additional Musicians

• Ron Altbach - vibraphone
• Ed Carter - possible bass guitar
• Gary Griffin - Minimoog
• Mike Kowalski - drums, sleigh bells, guiro, shakers

Cover versions

See also: List of cover versions of Beach Boys songs

• 2003 – BMX Bandits with Pearl Fishers^[7]

See also

• "All Dressed Up for School"
• "Smart Girls"

References

1. Lambert, Philip (2007). Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 314. ISBN 978-1-4411-0748-0.
2. Doe, Andrew Grayham. "GIGS76". Endless Summer Quarterly. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
3. "INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN WILSON OF THE BEACH BOYS IN EARLY 1980'S". Global Image Works. 1976. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
4. Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. p. 226. ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
5. Tamarkin, Jeff (2000). M.I.U./L.A. Light Album (booklet). The Beach Boys. California: Capitol Records.
6. Slowinski, Craig (Winter 2023). Beard, David (ed.). "The Beach Boys M.I.U. Album Vol 1". Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine. Vol. 37, no. 144. Charlotte, North Carolina.
7. Schnee, Steve "Spaz". "BMX Bandits On the Radio (1986-1996)". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2014.