The song was recorded in 4/4 time for its first take . Immediately after , Brian rearranged the song after realizing that there were n't many waltzes on the radio . Brian Wilson once stated , " The cut ' Friends ' was , in my opinion , a good way to keep waltzes alive . Carl had sung ... before and now he spearheaded this cut with a heavy vocal performance . " As Peter Reum , a Beach Boys historian , stated " ' Friends ' is a waltz , and it 's been used at the Berklee College of Music to teach students how to write in 3/4 time . " Brian called the song his favorite from the '' Friends '' album . An a cappella mix was sold as a vinyl single backed with Al Jardine 's Beach Boys reunion song " Do n't Fight the Sea " for the charity of 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in April 2011
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Friends (The Beach Boys song)