"In My Room" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock bandThe Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl. It was also released as the B-side of the "Be True to Your School" single. The single peaked at number 23 in the U.S. and was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. "In My Room" was ranked number 212 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Writing the song
The song is written in the key of B major and features a flat VII A major chord. Gary Usher explained that Gary Usher further describes that "Brian was always saying that his room was his whole world." Brian seconds this opinion: "I had a room, and I thought of it as my kingdom. And I wrote that song, very definitely, that you're not afraid when you're in your room. It's absolutely true." In 1990, Brian wrote,
The 1993 CD box set, , contains an early version of "In My Room" with a number of differences from the eventual official release. It is unclear if this fully developed demo was recorded the same day as the final version on July 16, 1963. The tune features six Beach Boys: both Al Jardine and David Marks are present. This was the last of eight charting songs to include Marks until nearly 50 years later, performing on 2012's That's Why God Made the Radio. The demo begins with an intro that was later scrapped, and launches into the first verse with full group vocals, unlike the finished recording. There, as previously mentioned, the single brings in Brian Wilson's voice first, then his brother Carl Wilson and finally Dennis Wilson. Then the final version adds, in the title/hook, Al Jardine, and Mike Love's bass voicing which both join in to complete the vocal mix. The Beach Boys also recorded a German version of the song under the title Ganz allein, with lyrics written by a former German girlfriend of Mike Love's. The German version was first released on the 1983 album Rarities, and later as a bonus track on the 2001 CD re-release of the Surfer Girl album.
Charts
"In My Room" remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks, peaking at #23 in 1963. In the UPI weekly survey it was #17 nationally, upheld by its widespread success across the country wherever it was treated as an A-side:
David Crosby of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash admitted to being an admirer of the song, quoting In My Room' was the defining point for me. When I heard it, I thought 'I give up—I can't do that—I'll never be able to do that. He recorded it as a trio with Jimmy Webb and Carly Simon on "An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson."
A remake by Gary Usher's own band, Sagittarius, peaked at #86 in 1969.
Wilson Phillips included their version of the song as the closing track to their 2004 studio albumCalifornia. This version includes vocals by Brian Wilson, the father of group members Carnie and Wendy Wilson.
A recording by E.G. Daily & the Sydney Children's Choir appears in the 2006 computer-animated film Happy Feet.
A version of "In My Room" by Grant Lee Buffalo appears on the soundtrack to the Friends television series. The song was used in a Season Two episode, titled "The One with the List".
The song was recorded by Best Coast on their Make You Mine EP.
The lyrics of "In My Room" were part of the inspiration for the song "Brian Wilson" by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. Written by Steven Page, "Brian Wilson" tells the story of a man whose life parallels that of Brian Wilson, particularly during his time spent with psychologist Eugene Landy after he was diagnosed with mental illness.
Jimmy Buffett and Jake Shimabukuro perform a duet arrangement of "In my Room" on Disc 2, cut 6 of Buffett's "Live in Anguilla" CD
Pianist Larry Goldings arranged "In My Room" in E major for his 2011 CD of the same name.
Danny Gatton recorded an instrumental version of "In My Room" on his album 88 Elmira St.
Tammy Wynette's last recording was "In My Room". It was featured as the last track on the albumTammy Wynette Remembered released in September 1998 on Asylum Records.
Jacob Collier also made a new arrangement of this song and included it in his debut album "In My Room".
