Mike Love is certain we will all get back to having fun, fun, fun in the sun again.
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, who co-founded The Beach Boys, released a new song on Friday titled "This Too Shall Pass" in hopes of sending some good vibrations to fans amid the coronavirus outbreak. The video also features longtime pal John Stamos as a special guest on drums.
All artist royalties and BMG’s royalties will go to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund to help food banks across the country as they support communities impacted by the pandemic. "This Too Shall Pass" marks the 79-year-old’s first studio release since 2019’s "12 Sides of Summer."
Love spoke to Fox News about what inspired his new song, his relationship with the "Full House" star over the years, how he’s staying positive during unprecedented times, and what has kept him going as an artist.
Mike Love of The Beach Boys has released a new song titled 'This Too Shall Pass.' (Photo by C Brandon/Redferns/Getty)
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Fox News: What inspired you to record "This Too Shall Pass"?
Mike Love: So many things. The media has been reporting so many horrible things about people being sick and literally dying. The people in the healthcare industry are stressed out and out of masks or personal protection equipment. And sure, there have been some overreaching things, like the other day when I heard a surfer in Southern California was handcuffed for going surfing. I don’t think there’s anything healthier than going to the beach and surfing. And if you’ve ever surfed, you would know you’re social distancing.
But really, I wanted to do a song that dealt with the issues of today that are affecting all of us. Some far worse than others… I wanted to give a little glimmer of hope and positivity. This brand new record is kind of like an early summer view of the future. It won’t always be like this--when we’re locked down. We will get back to having fun, fun, fun in the sun again.
That’s been the whole ethos of The Beach Boys, I think. We’ve gone around the world bringing our brand of good vibrations and fun, fun, fun. Now that it’s all come to a halt, I wanted to give a message that there will be a better day right down the road very soon.
Emmy Award-nominated actor and producer and host John Stamos (R) performs with Mike Love of The Beach Boys at the 2018 A Capitol Fourth rehearsals sat U.S. Capitol, West Lawn on July 3, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts Inc.)
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Fox News: John Stamos is a special guest on drums. Can you tell us more about that?
Love: Not only did John Stamos play the drums on the video, but he actually produced the whole video. Our lead guitarist and musical director did the basic track in Florida. Our sax player was in Nashville. Our keyboard player in Vegas. We had people phoning in their parts from all around their little studios and their laptops. It was a true nationwide collaboration. And then John took all those pieces and put them together.
I think he did an amazing job. And he's been coming out and performing with us since he was Blackie on "General Hospital." Before he was America's favorite uncle, Uncle Jesse, on "Full House," he was a drummer and a fine one. And he loves coming out and playing with us. We love having him.
Now the record was produced by our physical director, Scott Totten, who’s in Florida. And I did my part, the lead, here in my studio in Lake Tahoe. It's different than how we've normally done tracks because we usually get together in a studio. But in this case, we're all seriously socially distancing.
Emmy nominated actor John Stamos (L) performs with Mike Love of The Beach Boys at A Capitol Fourth at U.S. Capitol, West Lawn on July 4, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts)
Fox News: What has your relationship with John Stamos been like over the years?
Love: He’s always been a great supporter. In fact, one of the reasons he had us on "Full House" a few times was because he loved The Beach Boys music so much, that he wanted to share that love with his audience.
Fox News: What has been keeping you so positive and hopeful?
Love: Well, first of all, I learned meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in December of 1967. I've been meditating every day since then. I've even gone through a six-month-long meditation course back in the '70s. So that's my technique for transcending-- transcendental meditation -- going beyond all the stuff that life can throw at you. It allows you to cope with it better, I think. And I certainly feel more energy and clarity having meditated. And so whatever life throws at you, for me it's been a hugely positive thing.
But in terms of reaching out to people who are really in serious pain and worrying about things -- if somebody were to buy [this song] from Spotify or Amazon or iTunes, any of that kind of thing, we are going to donate the entire proceeds to Feed America, which is a nationwide organization that helps support food banks all over the place. They are under a huge amount of stress and need a lot of help now. So we are hoping that we can help out in that way by directly benefiting some of the people who are really suffering.
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The Beach Boys pose for a portrait in circa 1964. (L-R) Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Brian Wilson. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Fox News: What was it about transcendental meditation that captivated you?
Love: Well, during that time there were a lot of drugs going on. Not so great things happened to a lot of artists and regular people alike. Some of the effects of those drugs weren’t so great. In fact, some of them were fatal.
The key to transcendental meditation? Maharishi said this was a simple and natural mental technique that allows the mind to become more expanded and more creative… On a practical level, it gives you energy and clarity and allows you to deal with issues. We all get problems thrown at us in life, but it just helps you ... The problem diminishes the more the mind is expanded. TM helps you to do that.
Fox News: Has there ever been a moment where you haven't meditated since discovering it?
Love: Yeah, I didn't meditate the day we did the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and I got carried away. I wasn't in my best shape. I learned I better meditate because otherwise, I may not put my best foot forward. In fact, I’ll be putting my foot in my mouth (laughs). If I don't meditate in the morning, I don't feel as good as if I do. So it's like, "Hey dummy, sit down and meditate for a few minutes and you'll feel better."
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Mike Love of The Beach Boys enjoys playing his beloved hits for fans. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/Getty Images)
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Fox News: How has quarantine brought you closer to loved ones in any way?
Love: We certainly stay in touch. We do a Skype kind of thing where everybody phones in from wherever they are and it's kind of like how we did the record. Nobody’s coming to visit. My oldest daughter's a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines and she stayed away from the house. She's living with us [now] but she stayed away from the house for 14 days… because I'm in that high-risk category.
Fox News: How do you think this pandemic is going to change the way artists have concerts or go on tour? Is there anything that you would like to see more or less of moving forward?
Love: We’ve been seeing a lot of artists get creative by putting on shows from their homes or studios with the help of technology. People can’t go to concerts, but they’re still eager to enjoy some music. The entire music industry has been grounded, but there’s still that impulse to be creative and share your music with other people. Thanks to technology, we’re able to do that.
Fox News: What has kept you going as an artist?
Love: The audience response. Whenever we do all those Beach Boys songs… people sing along and just have a great time. We get a chance to go all around the world and sing these songs together. We’ve been very blessed that our music has been appreciated so much by so many people for so many years. It’s all about that audience response. Honestly, if we didn't have an audience or if we didn't have a decent response, there wouldn't be much motivation to go out and do what we do. But we're all musicians who love going and performing for people.
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Mike Love of The Beach Boys headlines on stage during Day 3 of the Cornbury Festival 2019 on July 07, 2019, in Oxford, England. (Photo by C Brandon/Redferns/Getty)
I don't remember a time when music wasn't part of my life. My mom used to wake us up to opera music to go to school. And we all took piano lessons. I have two sisters that play the harp. And so it's just been a lifetime of music. We're really blessed to be able to go out and perform year after year.
Fox News: Are you worried you won’t experience that audience response again?
Love: No, because like the song says, this too shall pass. I think there will be a time where there will be tentative steps towards doing large concerts and gatherings. But ultimately there'll be a treatment and a vaccine. People will always love music and artists will always love delivering it to them. So I’m not really concerned. There’ll be a bit of time before it gets back to how it used to be, but we will get there eventually.
Fox News: How would you describe your quarantine routine these days?
Love: Well, I go to the studio, the kitchen and then the bedroom (laughs). But every morning I get up, shower and meditate right away. We have meals at home, of course. But most of the time, I’m in the studio creating. Right now I should really be on the road. We would have been on tour, but our concerts have been postponed into the fall and spring of next year. We’re all professional musicians for a lifetime, so we’re all anxious to get back to doing what we love. But I am truly blessed to have this beautiful place and be with my family.
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The Beach Boys, circa 1962. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Fox News: How does it feel to know that those classic songs created by The Beach Boys continue to invoke euphoria and good times?
Love: It’s amazing. Like the song "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" from our "Pet Sounds" album, we get requests to put that in commercials and movies all the time. All of our heads wind up in movies or commercials around the world. It truly feels wonderful to know those songs continued to be loved. On stage, I like to start with the surfing songs… they just generate so much joy and positivity. That’s what keeps me going and in good spirits, for sure.
Fox News: We would have asked if you have a special message for our readers, but it sounds like your song "This Too Shall Pass" says it all.
Love: It does. I know people are suffering. I know people are going through so much. And so I just wanted them to know that this too shall pass and we will get back to having fun, fun, fun in the sun. The song is the message.
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