When I'm With You

Album: Crazy For You (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • American lo-fi pop combo Best Coast is singer-guitarist Bethany Cosentino, whose father was a professional drummer. She is aided by multi instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Their bittersweet beach tunes were inspired by Cosentino's longing for California after she moved to New York City to attend Eugene Lang College.
  • This melancholic song was inspired by Cosentino's memories of growing up in Los Angeles. "I listen to a lot of '60s beach music," she explained to Spin Magazine: "It sounds happy and innocent, but it was made during a time that wasn't happy or innocent at all."
  • The song featured in promos for the UK E4 teen drama TV series Skins.
  • The song is a bonus track on the band's debut album, Crazy For You.
  • Cosentino has been criticized for her all-too-simple lyrics. She told About.com they are missing the point: "People just don't get it," she said. "I guess lots of people want to be able to sit down with a song, and come up with something really profound from its deep, inner meaning. But, for me, it's like, yeah, sometimes I listen to music where the lyrics are pretty intricate, too, but that's not the music I make. With Best Coast, the point is to be straightforward. If someone wants to say I'm a bad lyricist because of that, well, great for them. I could easily write weird, metaphorical things, I just choose not to. That's not the vibe I'm going for. I want simple melodies, simple lyrics, simple pop-songs."

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