On This Day

"Kokomo" single by The Beach Boys from the film "Cocktail" goes to #1

"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'.

"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'. Written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love and Terry Melcher, the song was released as a single in July 1988 by Elektra Records and became a number-one hit in the US and Australia. It was the band's first original top-20 single in 20 years, their first number-one hit in 22 years and their final top-40 hit. The lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a fictional place called Kokomo. Not much about it is described except for its location off the Florida Keys and comparisons to other real destinations in the Caribbean islands such as Aruba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Martinique and Montserrat, as well as Key Largo, Florida, and the North Atlantic island of Bermuda.

Historical Significance

"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'.

Events Before

  1. 60 bodies are recovered from the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico

    60 bodies are recovered from the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico

  2. Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    Aretha Louise Franklin ( ə-REE-thə; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist.

  3. Astronomers at the University of California witness the first observation of the birth of a galaxy

    Astronomers at the University of California witness the first observation of the birth of a galaxy

  4. Opera impresario Sir Rudolf Bing (85) weds Carroll Douglass (45); annulled in September, 1989

    Opera impresario Sir Rudolf Bing (85) weds Carroll Douglass (45); annulled in September, 1989

  5. Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, sparki

    Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, sparking debate about the boundaries of journalism

Events After

  1. Fall of the Berlin Wall

    The Berlin Wall falls as East Germany opens its borders, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the beginning of German reunification.

  2. Year of the Young Reader begins

    Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S.

  3. British comedy sketch series "A Bit of Fry and Laurie", starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, debuts on BBC1

    A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between…

  4. Poland's communist government begins "Round Table" talks with the Solidarity trade union and its leader Lech Wałęsa in a

    Poland's communist government begins "Round Table" talks with the Solidarity trade union and its leader Lech Wałęsa in an attempt to ease growing social unrest

  5. NBA power forward Charles Barkley (26) weds legal aide Maureen Blumhardt in Elkton, Maryland

    NBA power forward Charles Barkley (26) weds legal aide Maureen Blumhardt in Elkton, Maryland

More from the 1980s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 5, 1988?
"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'. Written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love and Terry Melcher, the song was released as a single in July 1988 by Elektra Records and became a number-one hit in the US and Australia. It was the band's first original top-20 single in 20 years, their first number-one hit in 22 years and their final top-40 hit.
Why is "Kokomo" single by The Beach Boys from the film "Cocktail" goes to #1 significant?
"Kokomo" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Cruisin'.

Explore More