Music like Beach Baby

"Beach Baby" is a song by the British band The First Class. It was written by John Carter and his wife, Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare; the song became the band's only substantial hit.

Carter and Shakespeare wrote "Beach Baby" in their home in East Sheen, South West London. Shortly afterward, Carter hired Tony Burrows and session singer Chas Mills to record it under the band name The First Class. Towards the end of the song, there are two instrumental quotations, both on the French Horn: the main theme from the last movement of Sibelius's Fifth Symphony and the tune of the title line from one of Carter's previous compositions ("Let's Go to San Francisco", a hit in 1967 for The Flower Pot Men). Lead singer Burrows attempts to sing in an American accent, reflecting the song's setting in California. Because the running time was over 5 minutes, several AM radio stations edited "Beach Baby" by fading it out during the second instrumental bridge. The estate of Jean Sibelius filed a lawsuit against the song's writers, for infringing on the Sibelius piece. The case was settled out of court, with the Sibelius estate receiving half of the song's proceeds. The radio-play fade outs then took on some importance, helping to avoid further legal implications.