{{more citations needed|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox song | name = Lady Lynda | cover = Lady_Lynda_artwork.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = the Beach Boys | album = L.A. (Light Album) | B-side = Full Sail | released = June 1979 | recorded = July–November 1978 | studio = | genre = * Pop<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: B|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70|access-date=September 17, 2023}}</ref> * symphonic rock | length = 3:58 | label = Brother/Caribou/CBS | writer = Al Jardine<br>Ron Altbach | producer = Bruce Johnston<br>The Beach Boys<br>James William Guercio | prev_title = Good Timin' | prev_year = 1979 | next_title = It's a Beautiful Day | next_year = 1979 | misc = }} '''"Lady Lynda"''' is a song written by vocalist/guitarist Al Jardine and touring keyboardist Ron Altbach for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on the band's 1979 album ''L.A. (Light Album)''. Its melody is based on "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by J. S. Bach.
The opening harpsichord is played by Sterling Smith. The lyrics to the song refer to Jardine's then-wife, Lynda Jardine. After the two divorced, the song was rewritten as "Lady Liberty", a tribute to the Statue of Liberty. It was released as the B-side to the group's 1986 single of "California Dreamin'".
''Record World'' said it has "a big production sound and liberal synthesizer/string textures."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=August 25, 1979|accessdate=2023-02-11|title=Single Picks|page=16|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/79/RW-1979-08-25.pdf}}</ref>
The song peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 19th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London| isbn= 1-904994-10-5| page= 48}}</ref> It also reached No. 39 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart.<ref>{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=29}}</ref> The song was edited for single release with the single version dropping the harpsichord introduction present on the album version.
==Personnel== Credits from Craig Slowinski<ref name="Slowinski2015">{{cite magazine |last=Slowinski|first=Craig |date=Spring 2015 |title=THE BEACH BOYS' - L.A. (Light Album)|issue=109|volume=|magazine=Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine |location=Charlotte, North Carolina|editor-first=David|editor-last=Beard}}</ref>
===Lady Lynda===
'''The Beach Boys''' *Al Jardine – lead and backing vocals, 12-string guitar *Bruce Johnston - backing vocals; possible Fender Rhodes *Mike Love - backing vocals *Brian Wilson - possible backing vocals *Carl Wilson - backing vocals *Dennis Wilson – co-arrangement<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,22884.25.html|title=Lady Lynda: A Masterpiece|website=smileysmile.net}}</ref>
'''Additional musicians''' {{div col}} *Murray Adler - violin *Arnold Belnick - violin *Samuel Boghossian - viola *Jimmy Bond - double bass *Verlye Mills Brilhart - harp *Ed Carter - guitar, bass guitar *Isabelle Daskoff - violin *Jim Decker - French horn *Harold Dicterow - violin *Jesse Ehrlich - cello *Henry Ferber - violin *Bobby Figueroa – drums, tambourine, tubular bells *Richard Folsom - violin *James Getzoff - violin *Harris Goldman - violin *Dick Hyde - trombones and bass trombone *Raymond Kelley - cello *Jerome Kessler - cello *William Kurasch - violin *Marvin Limonick - violin *Charles Loper - French horn *Arthur Maebe - French horn *Jay Migliori - flutes *Ray Pizzi - bassoons *Jack Redmond - French horn *William Reichenbach - French horn *Lyle Ritz - double bass *Jay Rosen - violin *David Schwartz - viola *Bobby Shew - trumpets *Harry Shlutz - cello *Sterling Smith - harpsichord; possible Fender Rhodes *Linn Subotnick - viola *Herschel Wise - viola *Tibor Zelig - violin {{div col end}}
===Full Sail===
'''The Beach Boys''' *Bruce Johnston - backing vocals *Mike Love - backing vocals *Carl Wilson - lead and backing vocals, Fender Rhodes
'''Additional musicians''' {{div col}} *Murray Adler - violin *Arnold Belnick - violin *Samuel Boghossian - viola *Jimmy Bond - double bass *Verlye Mills Brilhart - harp *Geoffrey Cushing-Murray - backing vocals *Isabelle Daskoff - violin *Jim Decker - French horn *Harold Dicterow - violin *Jesse Ehrlich - cello *Henry Ferber - violin *Bobby Figueroa – backing vocals *Richard Folsom - violin *Steve Forman - percussion *James Getzoff - violin *Harris Goldman - violin *Jim Guercio - bass guitar *Raymond Kelley - cello *Jerome Kessler - cello *William Kurasch - violin *Marvin Limonick - violin *Charles Loper - French horn *Arthur Maebe - French horn *Gary Mallaber - drums, timpani *Jack Redmond - French horn *William Reichenbach - French horn *Lyle Ritz - double bass *Jay Rosen - violin *David Schwartz - viola *Harry Shlutz - cello *Linn Subotnick - viola *Herschel Wise - viola *Tibor Zelig - violin {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{The Beach Boys}} {{The Beach Boys singles}} {{Chamber music, Orchestral works and Transcriptions by Johann Sebastian Bach}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1979 singles Category:The Beach Boys songs Category:Songs written by Al Jardine Category:Song recordings produced by James William Guercio Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Johnston Category:Popular songs based on classical music
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