The Beach Boys: In My Room

If you are wondering where I’ve been for the past several days, I have taken a new job and I am back at my alma mater, Kentucky Christian University, in Grayson, KY. My five years here in the 1970s were crucial to my development – I honed my own musical skills as a student and got my start in broadcasting at the college’s radio station – a career path I followed for 20 years.

When I think of those years, one song comes to mind because of two of my classmates. The Beach Boys’ tune “In My Room” was a flip side that I learned to love. A friend of mine, Kevin Yeager, used to sing it while practicing his guitar and another student, Bruce Templeton, was the consummate Beach Boys fan and played their records quite often.

“In My Room” was the “B” side to “Be True to Your School” and was composed by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher. Its inspiration came from the fact that Brian’s own bedroom was his inner sanctum and became a place where his creativity had flowed. While it was released as a “B” side in 1963, many radio stations flipped the single and “In My Room” charted at #23 while the “A” side made it to the #6 position.

On the recording, Brian Wilson played bass and sang lead and backing vocals. He sang the lead on the verses while Mike Love sang lead on the song’s bridge. Joining Brian Wilson and Mike Love on backing vocals were rhythm guitarist David Marks and Brian’s brothers Carl and Dennis. Carl played lead guitar and Dennis was the drummer. Marks was the youngest member of the band being 15 at the time this song was recorded.

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