The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson’s ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ connection to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson has died. The band’s connection to Utah runs deep.

The band first played at Lagoon in 1963. Over the next decade, they came back at least eight more times, sometimes coming a couple of times a year, according to records.

KSL.com reports Utah radio stations were some of the first to play the Beach Boys’ music outside of California. And during that time frame, they wrote the song “Salt Lake City” in 1965.

There’s a park near the city, yeah

All the kids dig the Lagoon now It’s full of all kinds of girls

And rides and we’ll be flyin’ there soon now

And girl for girl

They’ve got the cutest of the Western states

They got the sun in the summer

And winter time the skiing is great yeah

— “Salt Lake City” lyrics via Spotify.

Brian Wilson sang on the song along with Mike Love.

Another hit from the Beach Boys was inspired by a Utah woman.

“Fun, Fun, Fun,” released in 1964, was reportedly about Shirley England.

And she’ll have fun, fun, fun

‘Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away,”

— “Fun, Fun, Fun” lyrics via Spotify.

KSL.com reported in 2007, England’s dad owned a radio station that often interviewed the Beach Boys in the 60s. Her dad also owned a T-Bird, like the one mentioned in the song.

England said one day she was caught using her dad’s car and he took it away.

She complained about it at the station while the Beach Boys were there. That’s when she said they overheard her and “Fun Fun Fun” was born.

Related: Brian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer’s poet laureate, dies at 82