Look beyond the usual suspects credited as collaborators on the Weeknd’s new album “Dawn FM” — think Max Martin, think Calvin Harris, think Oneohtrix Point Never — and you’ll find a more unexpected name in the album’s liner notes: Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys, who’s listed as a writer and producer on the track “Here We Go… Again” along with Rex Kudo, known for his studio work with Post Malone and the late Juice WRLD.
A shimmering soft-rock ballad with lush choral vocals and a tender yet witty lyric about sliding into a new romance, the song is one of “Dawn FM’s” clear standouts. But how exactly did Johnston, who at 79 continues to perform regularly with Mike Love’s touring version of the Beach Boys, get involved?
I called him last week at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif., to find out.
Take me back to the beginning of this song.
Here’s how it rolled out. I was put together with Sonny Moore — Skrillex — a couple summers ago. I kind of knew who he was. As a guy over 20, I’m not going out and doing many gigs with DJs. But so I went down to Shangri-La Studios across from Zuma Beach, where I surf, and we just hit it off. I met a guy named Heavy Mellow — what a guitar player. And I met Rex Kudo, who’s become my new brother in the last two years.