In 1962, The Beach Boys released a “huge disaster”. Al Jardine thought it was over

Al Jardine recalled that The Beach Boys feared their early momentum might end after “Ten Little Indians” failed as a single. The episode shows how a misjudged release threatened the young group’s prospects before “Surfin’ Safari” became their first nationwide hit.

Released in 1962 on the band’s debut album, “Ten Little Indians” drew on a nursery rhyme and repeatedly used a derogatory term for Native American women. The song barely registered on the US Billboard chart, though it charted in Sweden; the US Department of the Interior declared the term racist in 2021. Jardine later called the single a “huge disaster”, although he mixed up its release order: “Surfin’ Safari” came first.