The night before Ronald Reagan was sworn in for a second term as the 40th president of the United States, an inaugural ball was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 1985. Throughout the evening, the president and his wife, Nancy Reagan, enjoyed performances by the gala producer Frank Sinatra, who also sang his 1943 song “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” as Mikhail Baryshnikov danced. Additional appearances included comedian Rich Little, Mr. T, Reagan’s longtime friend actor Jimmy Stewart, and more before Ray Charles closed the night with his rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
During the ball, the Beach Boys also shared their a cappella version of “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring.” Written by the “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” songwriter Bobby Troup, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” became a favorite of the Beach Boys early on in their career.
Taking cues from the vocal arrangement on the Four Freshmen’s 1960 cover of the song, originally written by Bobby Troup, it became a favorite for the group before they became the Beach Boys, according to Love.
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Just two years after forming, the Beach Boys first recorded “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring”—with some revised lyrics by Mike Love—as a tribute to James Dean and called it “A Young Man is Gone.” It was released on the Beach Boys’ ’63 album Little Deuce Coupe, later as a live version on Live in London in 1969, and performed by the group throughout their career.
More than 20 years after their first recording, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” reemerged at Reagan’s inaugural ball.
Dressed in tuxedos, the Beach Boys, joined by Brian Wilson, who had been estranged from the group for several years, crowded around the microphones to deliver a vocally moving rendition of the old song.
“President Reagan and his lovely California girl Nancy, you’ve been an inspiration to all of us and it’s nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with boundaries or borders,” said Love before their performance. “This inspiration has to do with the obvious love and affection, the deep devotion they share. Their love is eternal. And their hearts will always be full of spring.”
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The Beach Boys and the Reagans connected two years earlier when the president and his wife sided with the band after they were banned by ex-Secretary of the Interior James Watt from performing at the July 4 concert on the Washington Mall. Watt said rock bands gave “the wrong element” and wanted a more ”wholesome” concert, featuring Wayne Newton. ”We’re not going to encourage drug abuse and alcoholism, as was done in the past,” said Watt.
Nancy Reagan later told Watt, who admitted that he never heard the band, that she was a big Beach Boys fan and they were invited back to perform. Unfortunately, they were already booked for another show. Watt was later forced to resign in October 1983 after using several derogatory terms to describe his advisory committee.
“Their Hearts Were Full of Spring,” Once More
Hours after it was revealed that Nancy Reagan died at age 94 in 2016, the Beach Boys paid tribute to the former first lady during their concert in Abilene, Texas. Love also shared that the band last saw Nancy when they performed at Ronald Reagan’s Centennial Birthday Celebration in 2011 on what would have been the former president’s 100th birthday.
As video screens on stage ran through images of Reagan, the Beach Boys performed “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” a cappella, once more for the Reagans.
There’s a story told of a very gentle boy
And the girl who wore his ring
Through the wintery snow
The world they knew was one
For their hearts were full of spring
As the days grew old
And the nights passed into time
And the weeks and years took wind
Gentle boy, tender girl
Their love remained still young
For their hearts were full of spring
Then one day they died
And their graves were side by side
On a hill where robins sing
And they say violets
Grow there the whole year round
For their hearts were full of spring
In 1990, the Beach Boys released another version of the song, recorded in 1967, as a bonus track on the reissue of their thirteenth album Wild Honey.
Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images
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