The Beach Boys

Released: October 1, 1962

Songwriter: Brian Wilson Gary Usher

Producer: Nick Venet

[Intro]
Every time
We have a fight
We flip a coin
To see who's right

[Verse 1]
Why do we have to gamble just to see who's right?
Why can't we arbitrarily resolve a fight?
But with your style of gambling there's no chance to win
That's how it is and that's the way it's always been

[Chorus 1]
Heads, you win
Tails, I lose
Heads, you win
Tails, I lose
Bad news

[Verse 2]
If we were playing cards you'd be the one to deal
You'd play with loaded dice and fix the roulette wheel
You pick them at the races like I've never seen
And then you make me pay off like a slot machine

[Chorus 1]

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Oh well, match me honey (match me honey)
Take my money (take my money)
You know the odds are yours (flip it baby)
So flip the coin

[Chorus 2]
I'm going to make some changes with this gambling game
From now on I'm the dealer and I'll do the same
I'll load my dice and stack the deck and fix the odds again
So if you want to flip to see who's right I know I'll win

[Chorus 1]
Heads, I win
Tails, you lose
Heads, I win
Tails, you lose
Bad news

[Pre-Chorus 2]

[Chorus 2]

[Chorus 1][x2]
Heads, I win
Tails, you lose
Heads, I win
Tails, you lose
Bad news

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

Surfin’ Safari

From the album

Surfin’ Safari (1962)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Heads I Win, Tails You LoseThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Surfin’ Safari