This Charming Ukulele Cover of a Beach Boys Song Will Make You Smile

Check out this charming ukulele cover of the Beach Boys’ song ‘Kokomo.’ The musicians in the video are known as the Solera Ukulele Players, also known as SUP! They share their musical performances on their dedicated YouTube channel, and this is one that will bring a smile to your face.

‘Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go?
Jamaica, off the Florida Keys’

What a great cover of this iconic song! While the Solera Ukulele Players perform locally, they share many of their performances on their YouTube page, which spreads joy to people all over.

As for the iconic Beach Boys’ song ‘Kokomo,’ this hit was written about a fictional, idyllic Caribbean paradise. It was commissioned for the 1988 film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise, which required a tropical escape anthem. ‘Kokomo’ became a massive hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts in late 1988 and becoming The Beach Boys' last chart-topping single.

While there is no actual island called Kokomo in the Caribbean or near Florida, the name actually refers to a real city in Indiana. Scott McKenzie, one of the co-writers of ‘Kokomo,’ shares about the writing behind the song and how the song’s title came about.

"John Phillips and I were writing in his SoHo apartment in New York when John got a call from our California friend Terry Melcher," says Scott McKenzie. "John and I began throwing around ideas, and in a few minutes he began to sing: 'Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo. That's where you want to go to get away from it all.’ I said, 'That's a beautiful melody, John, but what's with Kokomo? Kokomo's a place in Indiana. It's about as Caribbean as Fairbanks or Switzerland.' ‘That's exactly why it's a great title,' John replied. Which is only part of why John Phillips was a great songwriter."

What a fun song with a creative beginning! We hope you enjoyed this ukulele rendition of ‘Kokomo’ today.