The Beach Boys: Good Timin' (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)

The Beach Boys: Good Timin' (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)

"Good Timin'" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys and the second single from their 1979 album L.A. (Light Album). It is one of the few songs jointly credited to Brian and Carl Wilson.

"Good Timin'" was recorded during the group's sessions at Brother Studios and Caribou Ranch in April and November 1974, respectively, with Brian contributing piano and harpsichord. The basic track was completed and Carl Wilson recorded the lead vocals.[citation needed] In a 1975 interview, Carl stated that the track had been slated for the group's next album. That album, which became 15 Big Ones, ultimately did not include "Good Timin'". In a 1976 interview, Dennis Wilson bemoaned the track's absence from 15 Big Ones, praising it as "another 'Surfer Girl'".

Due to negative critical reactions to the Beach Boys' "Here Comes the Night" disco single, "Good Timin'" was hastily assembled with necessary vocal overdubs by Carl and Bruce Johnston and released as a single. Johnston recalled: "I'm not putting Al down or Mike but the real soldier who stuck with me the whole time was Carl. The two of us sang the verses on Good Timin', the two of us sang the four vocal parts."

"Good Timin'" reached No. 40 in the U.S. during a stay of ten weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; and peaked at No. 33 on the Cash Box sales chart. It was their first single to reach the Top 40 portion of the chart since "It's OK" in October 1976. It also reached No. 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Record World called it a "vintage Beach Boys ballad complete with rich layers of their trademark falsetto harmonies."