"Little Honda" was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys and originally appeared on their All Summer Long album, released in 1964. Producer/songwriter Gary Usher, who worked with the Beach Boys at various times, saw chart potential in this song and assembled a group of studio musicians to record it, calling them The Hondells. Their version of "Little Honda" reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
When the song became successful, a group of actual Hondells was recruited to tour behind the single and promote it. This included their appearance on the television show Shindig!, which is possibly one of my most favourite video clips ever.
The Hondells eventually produced two albums and released further singles into the 1960s, reaching the lower levels of the U.S. pop chart a couple of times. They also appeared in the movies Beach Blanket Bingo, Ski Party, and Beach Ball and recorded a commercial for Pepsi.
"Little Honda" has been covered a few times, including by Yo La Tengo in 1997. This version contains the best guitar solo in the world ever - why bother playing other notes when you've already found the right one?
Created January 17, 2026.