Singer and songwriter Brian Wilson has died. Co-founder of the seminal surf-rock band The Beach Boys, Wilson is credited with creating the California sound that defined an era. His musical style created a movement centered around seasides, cruising, and carefree summers, and brought 1960s California to the masses. Cars were a big part of that and Wilson’s penned many an automotive hit single, but there’s only one whose title called out a marque by name — “Little Honda”.
With songs called “Little Deuce Coupe” and “409” and lyrics about T-Birds and Stingrays, Wilson helped mythologize southern California’s hot rod culture. His lyrics painted an evocative image of surfboards and bikini-clad babes that seared itself into the imaginations of onlookers worldwide. SoCal was the epicenter of cool, and by sheer geographic luck it was also the launchpad for Japanese manufacturers hoping to sell cars in the US.
Honda established its US headquarters in Los Angeles on June 11, 1959, so it was no surprise that its motorcycles showed up on SoCal streets first. Wilson had a sharp eye for trends, and noticed the cool kids riding around on Honda Super Cubs, then called the Honda 50 in the US.
At the time, motorcycles had a fairly nasty reputation in the US thanks to events like the Hollister riot and films like The Wild One. The Honda 50 had begun to change that image, thanks to its bright colors, user-friendly design, and unthreatening 50cc engine. Awareness of the bike kicked into high gear in 1963 with the launch of the famous “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” ad campaign.
“Little Honda”, co-written with fellow Beach Boy Mike Love, was released in July 1964. Neither Wilson nor Love had an affiliation with the Honda company, but the song might as well have been a Super Cub ad. The lyrics describe visiting a Honda dealership and the newfound freedom of hitting the road with your sweetheart on the “groovy little motorbike.”
It praises of the Honda’s lightness and turn-taking ability, and generally makes riding one seem like a total blast. It was such a glowing endorsement that when the Beach Boys performed the song on the Andy Williams Show, the host made them change every mention of Honda to the world “cycle” because he didn’t want to give Honda free advertising.
“Little Honda” wasn’t the only Beach Boys song to mention a Honda. “All Summer Long” was the title track of the album on which “Little Honda” was released, and it paints an image of endless summer riding “Hondas in the hills”. It’s just a brief mention though, unlike “Little Honda”, which is entirely about the Super Cub.
“Little Honda” was covered by many other acts and became a hit, not only in the US but in countries like Norway and Sweden (where it reached number one). When American Honda realized what a gift the song was for them, they presented Wilson with his own Honda 50.
Bandmate Love remembers Wilson riding a Honda onto the stage during a performance in Santa Monica. However, Wilson has been photographed riding a few different Hondas so it’s not clear if that was the one from Honda. Reportedly Wilson eventually crashed the gift bike, but used the accident as inspiration to write “Dead Man’s Curve”.
It all came full circle in 2020, when Honda used “Little Honda” in a Japanese commercial for the N-One kei car (with a surprise N360 cameo!). It’s hard to believe that it took 56 years for Honda to make it happen.
“Little Honda” came out at a time when memories of World War II were still fresh on the minds of many in the US. Having all-American celebrities like the Beach Boys extol the merits of the Japanese motorcycle likely helped it gain some mainstream acceptance. “Little Honda” may not have been the group’s biggest hit, but the unexpected song got the Honda name into the ears and households of America. Wilson was 89 years old.
Bonus 1981 Japanese Bridgestone Potenza ad with “I Get Around”, also co-written by Wilson:
Never had a Honda bike … I was given a lift home from school once by a classmate who had one … it was my first time on a bike. A bit scary (especially going around a traffic circle … remember THOSE?). My next foray was when I was up in Alaska and a shipmate had me try taking his Honda 100 through the boondocks … that was great but, I never ever got a bike. The closest I came to one was my 1972 Honda Z600 Sports Coupe … the original SYNARA that is the name of my Nissan S-Cargo and plate. I drove that from Fort Jackson, SC to Phoenix, AZ. Took four days. I had the car for over 2 years until it finally died on me with 105,000 on it. It was my first time into JDM microcars but not my last.
Ben, I really appreciate the coverage and detail you provide in articles like this. It really emphasizes the love that even “unsuspecting” people may have for the brands that continue to bring us together.
I wasn’t aware that Brian shared the amount of admiration for Honda he did, and just adds one more thing that i appreciate about the Beach Boys. Not that i was necessarily a fan to begin with.