The Beach Boys

Released: March 19, 1979

Songwriter: Geoffrey Cushing-Murray Carl Wilson

Producer: The Beach Boys James William Guercio Bruce Johnston

[Chorus]
I think of going south for the winter
It's getting mighty cold
I watch the fire glow
The moon shining 'cross the snow
Maybe Florida or Mexico
Is where I ought to go

[Verse]
Somewhere where everything is green
Oo the change of scene
Might do a me good
When the swallows go
When they leave Capistrano
Fly away so gracefully
Maybe that's for me
Snowdrifts blowing up against my door
Going clear up to the roof
I could be lying on some sun-washed shore
Truth is, don't know what I'm waiting for

[Chorus]

[Outro]
South of the border
Think I'm going south
Get my life in order
Think I'm going south
For the winter
It's getting mighty cold

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

more tracks from the album

L.A. (Light Album)

From the album

L.A. (Light Album) (1979)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Goin’ SouthThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

L.A. (Light Album)