About The Song
“Kokomo” is a song by the American rock band The Beach Boys, released as a single in July 1988 by Elektra Records. It was featured in the 1988 film Cocktail and included on the album Still Cruisin’. The song was written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love, and Terry Melcher. It became a major hit, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia, marking The Beach Boys’ first number-one hit in 22 years and their first original top-20 single in two decades. It was also their final top 40 hit.
The lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a fictional tropical place called Kokomo, which is said to be off the Florida Keys. The song mentions other Caribbean destinations such as Aruba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Martinique, Montserrat, Key Largo, and Bermuda. The place Kokomo itself was invented for the song, though years later a private island in Montego Bay, Jamaica, was named Kokomo Island (now Sandals Cay).
The song’s verse originated from a demo by John Phillips (formerly of The Mamas & the Papas) and Scott McKenzie, known for the 1967 hit “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”. Mike Love of The Beach Boys added the catchy chorus listing the islands and suggested changing the lyrics from past to present tense, which shifted the tone from melancholic to inviting and upbeat. Despite its commercial success, “Kokomo” has been one of the most divisive songs among Beach Boys fans and critics. It was recorded without Brian Wilson, the band’s creative genius, and is often criticized for being overly commercial and cheesy compared to the band’s earlier, more experimental work like “Good Vibrations”. The song’s unabashedly commercial style and its association with the 1980s pop scene have made it a polarizing but undeniably catchy summer anthem.
The music video features actor John Stamos performing with the band, but Brian Wilson does not appear. The song’s success helped revitalize The Beach Boys’ commercial presence, although it also highlighted some of the tensions and changes within the band during that era
The official music video for “Kokomo” features The Beach Boys performing the song alongside actor John Stamos, who was closely associated with the band during that period. The video captures a relaxed, tropical vibe consistent with the song’s theme of an idyllic Caribbean getaway. Notably, Brian Wilson, the band’s key creative force, does not appear in the video, which reflects some of the internal band dynamics at the time. The video helped promote the song’s popularity, especially as it was tied to the movie Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise, which boosted the song’s exposure and commercial success
Video
Lyric
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
JamaicaOff the Florida Keys
There’s a place called Kokomo
That’s where you wanna go to
Get away from it allBodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
We’ll be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in KokomoAruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
Ooh, I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We’ll get there fast
And then we’ll take it slow
That’s where we wanna go
Way down in KokomoMartinique, that Montserrat mystique
We’ll put out to sea
And we’ll perfect our chemistry
By and by, we’ll defy a little bit of gravity
Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high
Way down in KokomoAruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
Ooh, I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We’ll get there fast
And then we’ll take it slow
That’s where we wanna go
Way down in KokomoPort au Prince, I wanna catch a glimpse
Everybody knows
A little place like Kokomo
Now if you wanna go
And get away from it all
Go down to KokomoAruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
Ooh, I wanna take you down to Kokomo
We’ll get there fast
And then we’ll take it slow
That’s where we wanna go
Way down in Kokomo
