Pet Sounds: A Love Story

Social media and the music industry has been buzzing this week with reminders that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys amazing album, Pet Sounds. On September 13th of this year Marilyn, Will, my original Beach Boy buddy Steve Semmler and I (and perhaps a few players to be named later!) are going to see Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and their band perform the entire album (and many other BB classics) live in St. Petersburg, FL. My love for this album is very personal and very intense, and to join in the celebration today I re-post my thoughts from January of 2014 on the artistic masterpiece that is Pet Sounds. Enjoy.

On May 16, 1966, the world of music changed forever. The Beach Boys, known for their breezy anthems about California girls, surfing and hot rods, released an album that no one was quite prepared for or would ever forget. Pet Sounds was a whole new type of popular music. Brian Wilson had written rich orchestrations using instruments no one had heard in a pop song before, and his new collaborator Tony Asher wrote lyrics that captured the hearts of young people everywhere. The album is in the top 5 of most every "greatest albums of all-time" list ever made, and produced several songs that teenagers in 2014 still know today. The Beatles were often quick to point out that there would have been a very different Sgt. Pepper without the influences of and the creative gauntlet thrown down by Pet Sounds. Paul McCartney said this in a 1990 interview:

"It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. First of all, it was Brian's writing. I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life---I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs. I’ve often played Pet Sounds and cried. It's that kind of an album for me."

I first heard the album years after its release when I started collecting Beach Boys vinyls in the mid 1970s. I too was simply stunned at the majesty of the music and the passion of the lyrics. It was immediately one of those rare albums that I could never listen to just a few songs at a time. The album was ONE masterpiece that told ONE story, and needed to be heard as such. Time passed and I replaced the vinyl with a CD. And then more time passed and the CD was borrowed and never returned. The Beach Boys box set contains a number of the songs, but not the entire project, and I had been missing Pet Sounds and longing to listen to it with my now 18 year old son Will. This Christmas, Santa delivered a new copy. And I have been listening over and over and over. It takes me back, not just musically, but to so many lost relationships and moments of heartbreak and discovery. No matter who you are or what era you have grown up in, Pet Sounds is the soundtrack of young love. Many of you know Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows (called by McCartney the greatest song ever written). but those are far from the only gems on the album. Here's the song list and a few of my thoughts with selected lyrics:

* Wouldn't It Be Nice ~ This song totally captures that feeling that you have when you are young and in love that everything would be better if you could go ahead and be together forever. "You know it seems the more we talk about it, it only makes it worse to live without it...but let's talk about it...wouldn't it be nice?" Reality can sometimes bite, but hope springs eternal!
* You Still Believe In Me ~ An unbelievably beautiful melody and lyrics that remind us that true love always seeks to be unconditional. "And after all I've done to you how can it it be that you still believe in me?"
* That's Not Me ~ A song about striking out on your own seeking to make it big only to discover "I could try to be big in the eyes of the world but what matters to me is what I could be to just one girl..." Who hasn't felt that way? When you are young (or old!) and in love there is often nothing else that seems to matter.
* Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) ~ Another ultimate expression of young, passionate love that knows nothing of struggle or issues... "I can hear so much in your sighs, and I can see so much in your eyes. There are words we both could say...but don't talk, put your head on my shoulder. Don't talk close your eyes and be still. Don't talk, take my hand and listen to my heart beat..." Wow. Just wow.
* I'm Waiting For the Day ~ The girl he loves has been hurt, and is not ready to move into a new relationship. But the songwriter will wait. Just as we all did at some point in time. "He hurt you then but that's all gone, I guess I'm saying you're the only one. I'm waiting for the day when you can love again."
* Let's Go Away For Awhile ~ A beautiful instrumental piece.
* Sloop John B ~ Brian's arrangement of an old Caribbean folk song is pure genius. While lyrically a bit out of step with rest of the album (which is not a surprise as it was a single done months before the rest of the project) the orchestrations and harmonies set the bar very high for the rest of the songs that followed. I own an album called Stack ' O ' Tracks that contained Beach Boys songs without the vocals. This song was the highlight- unbelievably complex and strikingly beautiful.
* God Only Knows ~ The first non-religious song ever played on the radio with "God" in the title, it is the essence of young love. "I may not always love you, but as long as there are stars above you, you'll never need to need to doubt it. I'll  make you so sure about it... If you should ever leave me, though life would still go on, believe me. The world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I'd be without you." I have felt those lyrics so many times in my life...
* I Know There's An Answer ~ A song about discovering truth and dealing with know-it-alls. Originally titled Hang On To Your Ego.
* Here Today ~ One of my very favorites among an album of favorites! It captures the excitement and drama of new young love - "It starts with just a little glance now, right way you're thinking 'bout romance now...you know you ought to take it slower, but you just can't wait to get to know her.  A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing" - but with this very practical reminder- "but if you're not careful think of all the pain it can bring. It makes your heart feel sad, it makes you feel so bad, it makes your days go wrong, it makes your nights so long, you've got to keep in mind love is here today and it's gone tomorrow. It's here and gone so fast."
* I Just Wasn't Made For These Times ~ One of the hardest parts of being a teenager- whether in the 1960s or today- is fitting in. Who among us hasn't felt like we just weren't made for the times we live in? "Sometimes I feel very sad..."
* Pet Sounds ~ Brian at his instrumental best.
* Caroline No ~ "Where did your long hair go? Where is the girl I used to know? How could you lose that happy glow? Oh Caroline, no." The album ends with young love dying. Because so often that's what young love does, leaving one party -or both- hurt and longing with unanswerable questions- "Break my heart, I want to go and cry. It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die. Oh Caroline, why?" And wondering if you'll ever be able to feel that way again.

Although at age 56 it is often hard to remember, I was once a teenager and a young adult. I also spent 28 years of my life working with teenagers as a youth pastor. There are few things that impact the lives of that age group more than the search for acceptance and love, and the heartbreak that often accompanies that search. If you've "forgotten" what it was like to feel the agony and the ecstasy of those days and those relationships, Pet Sounds can take you there. Over and over again. And that is a memory that will never go out of style.

Love & Mercy,

My Beach Boys Countdown: 11-1

We have reached both the end of July and the finish line of the countdown of my 55 favorite Beach Boys songs of all-time. I hope some of you have enjoyed this as much as I have, but in any case- I HAVE! To check out last weeks post and discover links to other things I have written about the band, click the Beach Boys tab at the top of this blog.

Our final featured album of this countdown is the 1971 classic Surf's Up. In addition to the two tracks featured in the list below, Surf's Up (#19 on this countdown), #38 Disney Girls (1957) and Feel Flows were incredible pieces of music. You can also learn about taking care of your feet, about the dangers of water pollution and about reasons to hide during a riot. It's quite an eclectic work. Carl Wilson did much of the production work on the album, but the entire band contributed to some extent. The title track was pulled from the SMile tapes and given some new lyrics and a different ending. The album is creative and unique, and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #154 on its list of the top 500 albums of all-time. It was also featured in the musical reference book 101 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. And now on with the final countdown...

11)  Sail On, Sailor (1973) - From the album Holland. This song was a late addition to the album because the record company thought it could be hit single. It was a minor hit twice, once in 1973 and again in 1975, when I heard it on the local rock station one day during high school study hall. It was one of the few Beach Boys songs with Blondie Chaplin as the lead vocalist. Favorite Lyric: "Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail, bought like a crust of bread but oh do I wail."
10)  Do It Again (1968) - From the album 20/20. A bit of "pre-nostalgia," as only 3 years removed from California Girls the guys wistfully revisited their surf music past. They returned to the original formula, with Mike writing lyrics and Brian writing music, and Mike once again provided the lead vocal. Brian once called it their best collaboration- and that's saying something!  Favorite Lyric: "Suntanned bodies and waves of sunshine, the California girls and a beautiful coastline, warmed up weather let's get together and do it again!"
 9)  I Get Around (1964) - From the album All Summer Long. When normal people are asked to pick their favorite song by The Beach Boys, this is nearly always in the top 3. It was their first #1 single and remains a classic, constantly featured in films and TV shows even now. Favorite Lyric: "My buddies and me are getting real well known, yeah the bad guys know us and they leave us alone!"
 8)  Wouldn't It Be Nice? (1966) - From the album Pet Sounds. The opening track on one of the greatest albums ever, this song captures like few others the joys and frustrations of young love. The vocals are classic. And the orchestrations behind them...just wow. In fact, you can watch the clip below and listen to the music without the vocals- Stack 'O' Tracks style!  Favorite Lyric: "You know it seems the more we talk about it, it only makes it worse to live without it...but let's talk about it...wouldn't it be nice."

7)  'Til I Die (1971) - From the album Surf's Up. Along with In My Room (#13) this is considered to be the penultimate Brian Wilson autobiographical song. Brian wrote it all, and got it on the album against the wishes of his band mates. It is emotional and shows Brian's depression at the time. It is featured during a very moving montage of flashbacks near the end of the movie Love & Mercy.  Favorite Lyric: "I'm a cork on the ocean, floating over the raging sea. How deep is the ocean? I lost my way..."
 6)  The Little Girl I Once Knew (1968) - From the album Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 3. I confess that until I started these posts I had no idea that this incredible song never appeared on a regular BB album. I knew it from the compilation Spirit of America, but it was released as a single in 1968. It's considered by many music scholars to be a masterpiece of writing and arranging. The totally silent pause before the chorus was the first time that had ever been done in a pop song played on AM radio, and they actually cause DJs not to play it because the dead stops made them uncomfortable. You may recognize it from the film The Devil Wears Prada. Favorite Lyric: "How could I ever have known that she'd be what she is today? Look at how her boyfriend holds her, I'll be moving in one day...'split man!'"
 5)  Long Promised Road (1971) - From the album Surf's Up. This is the late, great Carl Wilson's magnum opus as a singer/songwriter. He also produced it and played all the instruments. It was never a hit, at least in part because it came at a time when The Beach Boys were "out of fashion." It's also very complex, with tempo changes and deeply reflective lyrics. And to me, it's very nearly perfect.  Favorite Lyric: "But I hit hard at the battle that's confronting me, yeah. Knock down all the roadblocks a-stumbling me, throw off all the shackles that are binding me down."
 4)  Good Vibrations (1967) - From the album Smiley Smile. Originally released as single meant to precede its inclusion as the closing track of SMiLE, this was their biggest seller and arguably most famous song. It was referred to by the great Leonard Bernstein as Brian's pocket symphony. It is one of the most complex recordings in music history, especially considering the technology of the time. And you can't help but smile when you hear it.  Favorite Lyric: "Close my eyes, she's somehow closer now, softly smile, I know she must be kind."
 3)  Marcella (1973) - From the album The Beach Boys in Concert. Perhaps the biggest surprise on the list, this song was originally featured on the 1972 album Carl and the Passions: So Tough. It didn't really find an audience until the great 1973 double live album. I fell in love with it immediately and it remains one of the most listened to songs on my iPod. It might not make any other Beach Boys fan's top 100- but it's #3 on mine! Favorite Lyric: "One arm over my shoulder, sandals dance at my feet. Eyes that knock you right over, Ooo Marcella's so sweet."

2)  California Girls (1965) - From the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!). When I first started listening to the Endless Summer double album I would often play one side and then listen to California Girls, then play another side and listen to it again. It seemed like the perfect mix of amazing music and fodder for daydreams. If you were to surprise me and say "Name a Beach Boys song!" this would likely be the first thing out of my mouth. And it still holds up so well.  Favorite Lyric: "The west coast has the sunshine and the girls all get so tanned. I dig a french bikini on Hawaiian island dolls by a palm tree in the sand."
1)  God Only Knows (1966) - From the album Pet Sounds. After all of the thinking and writing and listing, #1 was a pretty simple choice. My favorite song on my favorite album. It's an amazing love song. Paul McCartney called it the best song ever written. Who am I to argue with Sir Paul?  Favorite Lyric: "If you should ever leave me, though life would still go on, believe me. The world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I'd be without you."

So that's it. All done after 55 (technically 57) songs, plus 5 "almost songs," selected from 30 different albums spread out over 50 years. I hope you may have learned a few things you didn't know and discovered some new songs you can love at least half as much as I do. We'll close with one more Almost Song of the Week. It's time to Catch A Wave! What better way to close out this tribute to The Beach Boys than with one final surfin' song, right? Enjoy one last ride...

My Beach Boys Countdown: 22-12

We have arrived at the final 2 days of my month long countdown of my favorite songs from the great USAmerican band, The Beach Boys! Today features numbers 22-12; tomorrow we wrap it all up with a special Friday edition. To see where we've already been you can click the Beach Boys tab at the top of this blog or the Beach Boys label at the bottom of this post. You may be surprised at what you see, both in previous posts and today! Here we go...

The featured album of the day is the first live album the band ever released, simply called Beach Boys Concert (later re-released with the title Wow! Great Concert!). It hit stores in 1964, shortly before Brian Wilson quit touring with the band to stay home and begin work on what would become Pet Sounds. It is the only live album featuring only the 5 original band members and was their first #1 album in the U.S. Most of the project was recorded live in Sacramento, CA. It featured a few classic BB tunes, like I Get Around, Hawaii, Little Deuce Coupe and In My Room. It also had some wonderfully energetic covers of great songs such as Graduation Day, The Little Old Lady From Pasadena and Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow- and a fabulous Denny Wilson rendition of The Wanderer. It had two really fun novelty songs, Long Tall Texan and The Monster Mash. And finally it has thousands of really loud screaming girls. It's still a great listen. No songs made my list from this album, but Graduation Day was a last minute cut and Long Tall Texan was a serious "blow their minds" temptation. But anyway- on with the songs that DID make my countdown!

22)  Only With You (1973) - From the album Holland. In my humble opinion one of the greatest love songs ever written- and almost no one has ever heard of it. Judge for yourself by listening below. And just try not to be moved...  Favorite Lyric: "I know one thing for sure I wanna' do- I want to spend this life with you. Only with you."

21)  Keepin' the Summer Alive (1980) - From the album of the same name. From the first line- "When it's ice cream weather get the gang back together, roll down your windows and drive!"- you know it's a classic Beach Boys song. Even if it rocks a little harder than most.  Favorite Lyric: "Lay down in the sun and watch the clouds roll by, and be with the one you love in the summer time..."
20)  Surf's Up (1971) - From the album of the same name. Few songs endured the journey this one did before finally landing on an album. Originally intended to be part of the legendary SMiLE album, the complex song took on a particular mystique after Brian was heard singing it on a documentary about the new music revolution of the late 60s. His solo recording of the song on the SMiLE Sessions is simply gorgeous. The record company wanted Brian to add it to an album called Landlocked, which after some hesitation he did. Landlocked became Surf's Up. The title is meant to be ironic- the days of surf music for this band were indeed "up."  Favorite Lyrics: "A choke of grief, heart hardened I, beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry."
19)  Little Deuce Coupe (1963) - From the album of the same name. In my humble opinion this is the greatest 60s hot rod song and a national treasure. It also gets bonus points for spawning the Christmas classic, Little Saint Nick. In the early years this was the song used to introduce the band to the audience in concerts.  Favorite Lyric: "And if that ain;t enough to make you flip your lid, there's one more thing- I got the pink slip, daddy!"
18)  Fun, Fun, Fun (1964) - From the album Shut Down Vol. 2.  This song taught an entire generation that losing your car for bad behavior was not the worst thing that could happen. So live it up! The "immoral" tone of the song led to conflict between the band and Murry Wilson and eventually to his dismissal as their manager. For many years this was the song that closed their concerts.  Favorite Lyric: "Well the girls can't stand her 'cause she walks, looks and drives line ace now..."
17)  Help Me Rhonda (1965) - From the album Beach Boys Today! This long-time favorite of fans was the second #1 song for the band and the first single to feature a lead vocal by Al Jardine. Little known fact- the original version was called Help Me, Ronda, and was reworked by Brian into the version we know now when it was decided to release it as a single.  Favorite Lyric: "Well Rhonda you look so fine, and I know it wouldn't take much time for you to help me Rhonda, help me get her out of my heart."
16)  Heroes and Villains (1967) - From the album Smiley Smile.  Few songs in the history of pop music have as many versions available as this one, including the one from Smiley Smile that reached #12 on the Billboard charts. But having recently heard on the SMiLE Sessions the original vision of Brian and Van Dyke Parks, I can tell you that we missed out on a true masterpiece. And don't miss the video for this one!  Favorite Lyric: "My children were raised you know the suddenly rise, they started slow long ago, head to toe, healthy, wealthy and wise."
15)  Winds of Change (1978) - From the M.I.U. Album. From an album almost no one liked but that I still love, this song is at once thoughtful, introspective and hopeful. It holds special meaning to me because I used as the closing song for the soundtrack to the 1983 Quaker Lake Camp slideshow.  Favorite Lyric: "Winds of change are here at last, the clouds have lifted the storm has passed. Nights we known are on the run and there's a bright and shining sun for everyone to see."
15b)  Our Sweet Love (1970) - From the album Sunflower. Ok, so I'm cheating again- but there was no way I was leaving this song off the list! Another gorgeous love song sung by Carl Wilson, it is yet another high point on one of the best albums of all-time. Soooo sweet it makes my diabetes flare up!  Favorite Lyric: "Lord knows I love her so, I feel it down inside my soul. A precious love like this can flower, there's nothing in this world like our sweet love."
14)  Surfer Girl (1963) - From the album Surfer Girl. One of the first songs to show off Brian's skill as a composer, not just a write or during songs. He paints an image with lyric and melody that made us all we we could find our Surfer Girl. If I were writing on a different day this could easily have been Top 5...  Favorite Lyric: "We could ride the surf together while our love would grow, In my woodie I would take you everywhere I go."
13)  In My Room (1963) - From the album Surfer Girl  The song that warned the world what Brian Wilson was capable of as a songwriter. Childlike but yet exceptionally deep, the song captures so many feelings of the teen years when your room in indeed a fortress of solitude. The number of classic rock stars who list this among the songs that influenced them is simply staggering. Favorite Lyric: "In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears, In my room...In my room."
12)  Add Some Music To Your Day (1970) - From the album Sunflower. A stunning song with complex vocal harmonies and the simplest of messages- music makes the world a better place. The performance of this song on the live recording from the 50th anniversary tour just blew me away. Favorite Lyric: "Music, when you're alone, is like a companion for your lonely soul."

So we head down the home stretch and into the last eleven. Any predictions for #1? I can promise I still have a surprise or two up my sleeve. And speaking of surprises, here's today's Almost Song. You're So Good To Me- how come you are?  Enjoy, and we'll see you tomorrow!

My Beach Boys Page of Lists

Over the past month you have been given an overload of music from The Beach Boys on this blog. In addition to the ongoing countdown (finishing up tomorrow & Friday) of my 55 favorite songs, there have been mentions of countless others. There are more than 300 songs Beach Boys songs currently on my iPod, plus I have a number of others still on CD. Fortunately for you, I cannot tell you about all of them. Fortunately for me, I can tell you about a few more here today. So without further delay, here is My Beach Boys Page of Lists!  All of these lists are composed of songs that failed to make the top 55 - but that doesn't mean I love them any less!

5 Weird Songs

1. She's Goin' Bald from the album Smiley Smile
2. Take a Load Off Your Feet from the album Surf's Up
3. "Cassius" Love vs."Sonny" Wilson from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
4. Amusement Park U.S.A. from the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)
5. Here Comes the Night (10+ minute disco version) from L.A. (Light Album)

More Favorite Car Songs

1. 409 from the album Little Deuce Coupe
2. This Car of Mine from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
3. Shut Down from the album Little Deuce Coupe
4. Little Honda from the album All Summer Long
5. Spirit of America from the album Little Deuce Coupe

More Favorite Surfing Songs

1. Catch a Wave from the album Surfer Girl
2. Girls On the Beach from the album All Summer Long
3. Surfin' from the album Surfin' Safari
4. Don't Back Down from the album All Summer Long
5. Hawaii from the album Surfer Girl

Instrumental Classics

1. The Nearest Faraway Place (from the album 20/20)
2. Pet Sounds (from the album of the same name)
3. Carl's Big Chance (from the album All Summer Long)
4. Summer Means New Love (from the album Summer Days & Summer Nights!)
5. Let's Go Away For Awhile (from the album Pet Sounds

More Favorite Love Songs

1. Hushabye from the album All Summer Long
2. Caroline, No from the album Pet Sounds
3. Livin' With a Heartache from the album Keepin' the Summer Alive
4. Deirdre from the album Sunflower
5. Aren't You Glad from the album Wild Honey
6. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) from the album Pet Sounds
7. Baby Blue from the L.A. (Light Album)
8. Wild Honey from the album of he same name
9. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
10. The Night Was So Young from the album Love You

More Great Songs from the Early Days

1. Girl Don't Tell Me from the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)
2. Drive-In from the album All Summer Long
3. Be True To Your School from the album Little Deuce Coupe
4. When I Grow Up To Be a Man from the album The Beach Boys Today!
5. Dance, Dance, Dance from the album Beach Boys Today!

5 Great Songs from 1985 - Present

1. Kokomo from the Cocktail movie soundtrack
2. That's Why God Made the Radio from the album of the same name
3. Still Crusin' from the (currently out of print) album of the same name
4. Getcha' Back from the album The Beach Boys
5. Beaches In Mind from the album That's Why God Made the Radio

My Favorite Solo Songs by Beach Boys

1. What You Do To Me by Carl Wilson from the album Youngblood
2. Love & Mercy by Brian Wilson from the album Brian Wilson
3. One Kind of Love by Brian Wilson from the album No Pier Pressure
4. Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson from the album of the same name
5. Sail Away by Brian Wilson from the album No Pier Pressure

7 Obscure Delights!

1. The Trader from the album Holland
2. Vegetables from the album Smiley Smile
3. Let the Wind Blow from the album Wild Honey
4. Everyone's In Love With You from the album 15 Big Ones
5. Time To Get Alone from the album 20/20
6. We've Got Love from the album Beach Boys in Concert
7. Mountain of Love from the album Beach Boys Party!

So there you have it- a plethora of bonus tunes to get you warmed up and ready for the final two days of my countdown. I'm still taking guesses on what will be #1? Anyone? Anyone?

My Beach Boys Countdown: 33-23

The countdown of my 55 (that's one for each year of my life!) favorite songs from The Beach Boys enters its third week, and we've still got 33 great songs to go! You can check out previous posts by clicking the Beach Boys tab here or at the top of this blog or by clicking the Beach Boys label at the bottom of the post. Now on with the show!

Our featured album this week is the 1980 gem (and their 29th studio album) Keepin' the Summer Alive. This was the their last album with Dennis, who would drown in 1983. Another outstanding album that was initially greeted with a lukewarm response from both fans and critics, it nonetheless quickly became one of my favorites. The title cut just ROCKS, aided by some guest guitar work from the great Joe Walsh. Both it and another of my favorites, Livin' With a Heartache, were co-written by Carl and Randy Bachman of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Mike and Brian wrote a several new songs for the project. Oh Darlin' and Sunshine are sweet songs with a classic sound, and Goin' On and Some of Your Love appear in today's countdown list. Another beautiful piece is the Brian/Al composition, Santa Ana Winds. A little trivia for you- this album was recorded at the studio of a long-time keyboardist in The Beach Boys touring band, Daryl Dragon. You may know him better as The Captain. As in The Captain and Tennille. Now on with our countdown - and remember, every song title is also a link to a YouTube video of the song!

33)  Honkin' Down the Highway (1977) - From the album Love You. One of the great on-the-road songs you'll find anywhere from the drum opening right through the infectious chorus. Just try to stay under the speed limit when this song is playing...  Favorite Lyric: "Who cares if I gotta spend my money, even if if I have to act funny to go and steal her heart away."
32)  Then I Kissed Her (1965) - From the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!). This song was a cover of an old Crystal's tune called Then He Kissed Me, but the guys definitely made it their own. It was released as a single and was a huge hit pretty much everywhere in the world- except the U.S., where it was never even released. From the album that paved the way for Pet Sounds, you can hear it below.  Favorite Lyric: "When we danced I held her tight, and then I walked her home that night. And all the stars were shining bright, and then I kissed her." 

31)  You Still Believe In Me (1966) - From the album Pet Sounds.  Another classic from the greatest album ever recorded- but I first discovered it on the 1972 live album The Beach Boys In Concert. The sweet lyrics and the touching melody remind us all that we need people who accept us for who we are.  Favorite Lyric: "And after all I've done to you, how can it be? You still believe in me."
30)  Goin' On (1980) - From the album Keepin' the Summer Alive. An electric opening, soaring vocals by Carl and a truly awesome bridge make this one of my most listened to songs on the old iPod.  Favorite Lyric: "I know what is missing, 'cause since you've been gone, My mind keeps on reelin' and my heart keeps on feelin', why is my love goin' on?"
29)  Surfin' U.S.A. (1963) - From the album of the same name. A friend of Brian's gave him a list of the hot surfing spots, Dennis helped him with lingo like "baggies," "huarache sandals" and "bushy bushy blonde hairdos" (Brian didn't surf) and when the oldest Wilson added in the music from Chuck Berry's classic Sweet Little Sixteen history was made. The #2 song of 1963.  Favorite Lyric: "We'll all be gone for the summer, we're on surfari to stay, just tell the teacher we're surfin', surfin' U.S.A."
28)  Some of Your Love (1980) - From the album Keepin' the Summer Alive. Another "later" song by the boys that recaptures much of the early magic. The do-wop "Some-some-some of your love" opening feeds into an upbeat love song, and features some amazing piano work in the backing tracks. Just try to sit still when you hear this one!  Favorite Lyric: "There's nothing like a-romancin' in the stands. walking down the hallway holding hands, punching up our jukebox favorite band, cuddling up in summer moonlight in the sand- kiss me, baby!"
27)  Don't Worry Baby (1964) - From the album Shut Down Vol. 2. This amazing ballad was an early harbinger of the complexity that was ready to show up in Brian's songwriting. Tender, yet a bit dark, it was a huge hit and is listed by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 176th greatest song of all-time.  Favorite Lyric: "Well it's been building up inside of me for oh I don't know how long, and I don't know why but I keep thinking something's bound to go wrong. But she looks in my eyes and makes me realize...don't worry baby."
26)  Sloop John B (1966) - From the album Pet Sounds.  This traditional folk song from the West Indies was suggest by Al and then given new life and spirit by Brian while working on Pet Sounds. It was released as a single 2 months before the album dropped and went as high as #3- the best selling single off the greatest album ever made, despite being the one song that really didn't quite "fit in" with that concept album. Life is funny.  Favorite Lyric: "The first mate he got drunk and broke in Cap'n's trunk, the constable had to come and take him away."  Bonus: Click here to see a promo video for this song- basically The Beach Boys first music video!!!
25)  Break Away (1969) - From the album Spirit of America. Although it didn't appear on an album until the 1975 compilation noted above, the single was released around Christmas of 1969 and hit the Top 40. Two interesting notes- the lyrics were partially credited to Reggie Dunbar, who in fact was Murry Wilson (father to Brian, Denny & Carl). And secondly, Brian has said that The Monkees inspired him to write this song.  Favorite Lyric: "When I laid down in my bed I heard the voices in my head tellin' me now, hey, it's only a dream."
24)  Funky Pretty (1973) - From the album Holland.  Another great song from the album actually recorded in the Netherlands, Funky Pretty has the unusual distinction of having 5 different lead vocalists listed- on the same song! Another eclectic song that was never a hit except among the hardcore fans- but Steve and I both love it!  Favorite Lyric: "She values flowers more than gold, thinks of her men as knights of olde, she's very spiritual I'm told, Whoa."
23)  I Can Hear Music (1969) - From the album 20/20. Originally recorded by The Ronettes in 1966, this song marks a change in the leadership of the band. With this cover Carl took over both the mic and the studio. His vocal is brilliant and the arrangement- especially the acapella section- is stunning. A hit around the world!  Favorite Lyric: "I never had a love of my own, maybe that's why when we're all alone...I can hear music."

Words cannot express how much fun this is for me- and you have no idea how hard it is to limit both the number of songs and the number of words! I'll be back next Thursday and I trust you will be too. In the meantime, here's one of the songs I had to leave off my list- our Almost Song of the Week. It's one of the great car songs I hated to omit. Check out the link to "my 4 speed dual quad posi-traction 409!" See you next Thursday AND Friday as we finish up the countdown!!!

My Beach Boys Countdown: 44-34

Happy Birthday, Will Jones!!!

The countdown of my 55 favorite songs by The Beach Boys arrives at week 2 with lots of goodies featured in today's 11 songs. In response to some whining after last week's post each song title is now also a link to a YouTube clip featuring the song to allow you guys to more easily explore some new tunes. Just click a song title and go!  To check out 55-45 (which now also all have links!) click here! 

My featured album for this week's post is the 1970 classic Sunflower. By the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, The Beach Boys had survived a great deal of turmoil and change, both in the band and in the world. Sunflower was a new coming of age effort for the band as a whole. Carl handled much of the production work, while everyone contributed songs. Among my favorite tracks are Slip on Through and Got To Know the Woman (both with Dennis on lead vocals); Deirdre and Tears In the Morning, two especially sweet songs from Bruce Johnston; and Cool, Cool Water from Mike and Brian, sections of which were pulled from the SMiLE tapes. You can find four songs from Sunflower- Add Some Music To Your Day, This Whole World, Our Sweet Love and Forever- in various places on this countdown. If Pet Sounds is Brian's masterpiece with little help from the band, then this is the band's masterpiece without Brian in charge. Now on with this week's list!

44)  Palisades Park/Susie Cincinnati (1976) - From the album 15 Big Ones. We're only to #44 and I'm already cheating, but I just can't separate these 2 songs. They were the first 2 songs on side 2 of the first album of new Beach Boys songs I ever purchased- and I still love them both! Favorite Lyric (from Palisades): "You never know how great a kiss can feel until you stop at the top of a ferris wheel..."  Favorite Lyric (from Susie): "Her looks aren't exactly a plus, but it doesn't matter to us 'cause she knows where it's at and she gets you there in seconds flat!"
43)  Wake the World (1969) - From the album Live In London '69. The song was first featured on the 1968 album Friends, but it's this live version that has always stuck with me. Mike tells the crowd that they usually begin it in total darkness, which given the lyrical content would be amazing. I cannot overstate what an amazing live band they became over the years.  Favorite Lyric: "One by one the stars appear, the sky grows brighter and we're in another sunrise- Wake the world with a brand new morning!"
42)  Forever (1970) - From the album Sunflower. This beautiful love song, the magnum opus of Dennis Wilson's career, should have been a much bigger hit that it was in 1970. Some 22 years later the song received renewed attention when John Stamos' band Jesse & the Rippers and a few of The Beach Boys performed the song on the sitcom Full House. Truly a beautiful song. Ashley, please forgive me for having this so far down my list...  Favorite Lyric: "If the song I sing to you could fill your heart with joy I'd sing forever."
41)  Cottonfields (The Cotton Song) (1969) - From the album 20/20. Originally recorded by the artist Lead Belly in 1940 and considered a folk music staple, this song is a classic example of the struggles the band had in the U.S. in the post Good Vibrations period. It barely charted here, but reached #2 in the UK. That happened often. A shame- it's a great song. Trivia alert- the single version of the song you can hear below is very different from the album version. The Boys did that quite often.  Favorite Lyric: "Don't care if them cotton balls get rotten, when I've got you baby who needs cotton."

40) Good Time (1977) - From the album Love You. Like Susie Cincinnati, this was another song from the 1970 Sunflower sessions that never made it to an album until Brian got back in the studio in the late 70s. Love You was full of simple, underproduced songs that showed Brian at his most playful, and Good Time fit right in. Another song from near the bottom of the vault to be sure, but it's clearly one of my favorites- it made the list!  Favorite Lyric: "Maybe it won't last but what do we care, my baby and I just want a good time."
39) It's Ok (1976) - From the album 15 Big Ones. While it was the hit single Rock and Roll Music that made this the Boys best selling album in over 10 years, this follow up also charted. going as high as #29. It's just another example of how they had the market cornered on great, fun summer tunes.  Favorite Lyric: "Lookin' good down the hood of a funky ride, on the way to the tide just to tan your hide..."
38)  Disney Girls (1957) (1971) - From the album Surf's Up. If every contributing member of the band has one song that is their major claim to fame, this one is Bruce Johnston's. It could easily have been on Pet Sounds with it's beautiful melody and soaring vocals. A true classic from the man who would eventually "write the songs that make the whole world sing." Seriously. Bruce wrote that.  Favorite Lyric: "All my life I spent the night with dreams of you, and the warmth I missed and for the things I wished, they're all coming true."
37)  This Whole World (1970) - From the album Sunflower. From the opening line sung by Brian- "I'm thinkin' 'bout this whole world!"- and straight into Carl's killer vocal for the rest of the song there is not one thing I don't love about this epic piece of music. Brian wrote the words and music, and it's one of his best. Which is REALLY saying something... Favorite Lyric: "Late at night I think about the love of this whole world, lots of different people everywhere. And when I go anywhere I see love, I see love, I see lo-uh-uh-ve."
36)  Barbara Ann (1965) - From the album Beach Boys' Party! The concept of the Party album was that we would all feel like we were in the living room hanging out with The Beach Boys and their friends. We weren't, of course- it was all very carefully recorded in a studio and the background noise was mixed in later- but it sure was fun. I love the entire strange little album. And it gave us their version of Barbara Ann. An instant classic, and in the early 1980s a favorite at Quaker Lake Camp, often nearly taking the roof off the old Lodge when I played it.  Favorite Lyric: "Went to a dance lookin' for romance, saw Barbara Ann so I thought I'd take a chance." 
35)  Lady Lynda (1978) - From the L.A. (Light Album). Remember how I said every member of the band has that one song? Ladies and gentlemen, Al Jardine! A moving song about his long-time wife Lynda that uses Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring to open and close the piece. A great song from another terribly underrated album.  Favorite Lyric: "Darlin' you know you make my heart sing, now won't you come along and sing a song. Sing the song of love"
34)  California Saga: California (1973) - From the album Holland.  The third part of an epic saga featuring poetry and spoken word set to somewhat subdued music, this song comes crashing in (if you listen to the entire saga its lead-in is a sweet, swirling flute) with all the life of a Beach Boys song from 1963, but with banjo- "On my way to sunny Californ-i-a, on my way to spend another sunny day!" A great moment from a great album. The vocals on the chorus blow me away every time!  Favorite Lyric: "Have you ever been down Salinas way where Steinbeck found the valley, and he wrote about it the way it was in his travelings with Charley?"

I warned you, dear readers, that we would be drilling deep into The Beach Boys massive catalogue of songs to find my favorite 55- I trust you are nodding in agreement after that list! Stay with me, because there are 33 great songs still to come before July is over. And here's a final cut for today, our Almost Song of the Week - one that almost made the countdown. Check out Rock and Roll Music, the old Chuck Berry classic that the Boys took to #5 back in 1976. See you next Thursday!

My Beach Boys Countdown: 55-45

Welcome to the first installment of the countdown of my 55 favorite songs by The Beach Boys. To understand the WHY of this series you should check out my post Celebrating THE Great American Band. Let me just reiterate that we will be drilling deep into a huge catalogue of songs that span 50+ years, so as you encounter descriptions of songs you don't know please find ways to check them out. There are many YouTube videos available, and the vast majority of the music can be sampled on iTunes. Each week will feature at least one video here, and will also feature a brief description of one of my favorite albums. And finally, each post will feature a link to an Almost Song of the Week. That's a song that didn't quite make the top 55- but almost did! Remember- this is not intended to be a list of the BEST songs from The Beach Boys. It's a list of MY favorites.

The first of my favorite albums I'll mention is the classic 1964 release All Summer Long. It was their 6th studio album and the last one to focus on the elements of the California culture they had become famous for- beaches, surfing and cars. It featured their first #1 single, I Get Around. as well as other enduring classics like Little Honda, Don't Back Down, Wendy and the title track. I am personally a huge fan of Do You Remember? and think that Hushabye is simply gorgeous. Of their pre-Pet Sounds albums this is the one I most often listen to all the way through. The final track, Drive-In, sums up a now lost era in so many ways.

To jump start this 5 post series it seemed only natural to me to open with a prayer, Beach Boys style. This is the first track from the legendary SMiLE sessions and later appeared on the album 20/20. As with many other songs, I love it- just not quite enough for it to make my favorite 55. Listen and discover their vocal power and so many of the reasons their music will always move people's souls.

Amazing, huh? And now it's on with the countdown! EDIT: Now with links for every song! Just click the song title and head for YouTube to listen!

55)  All Summer Long (1964) - From the album of the same name. This song helped kickstart a renewed interest in the band when it was featured in the film American Graffiti in 1973.  Favorite Lyric: "Every now and then we hear our song...we've been having fun all summer long!"

54)  Isn't It Time (2012) - From the album That's Why God Made the Radio (which is also a great song). In what was very likely their final studio album as a band, they Boys sounded as good as ever, This song in particular captures a feeling of days gone by.  Favorite Lyric: "But good times never have to end, now is the time to let them happen again. We can have ourselves a blast, the good times they aren't only in the past."
53)  Friends (1968) - From the album of the same name. A wonderfully sweet song about the relationships in the band- and the old friends we all have and cherish. Favorite Lyric: "I talked your folks out of making you cut off you hair." 
52)  California Calling (1985) - From the album The Beach Boys. A song in their classic style written by Al Jardine and Brian Wilson, it appears on the first album the guys ever released on CD, and the first album they recorded after Dennis drowned. Ringo Starr also plays on this festive number!  Favorite Lyric: "Now there's a touch o' Californ-i-a, in everyone who's ever been this way..."
51)  The Warmth of the Sun (1964) - From the album Shut Down, Vol. 2. This emotional, layered and lush ballad was written by Mike & Brian and finished the day after JKF was assassinated. They wanted to say that bad things happen, but we always have the warmth of the sun.  Favorite Lyric: "I'll dream of her arms and though they're not real, just like she's still there the way that I feel."
50)  Surfin' Safari (1962) - From the album of the same name. Their first big hit from their first Capitol Records album, this song full of surfin' lingo started a national craze and introduced the world The Beach Boys sound.  Favorite Lyric: "Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learnin' how, come on the safari with me..."
49)  I'd Love Just Once To See You (1969) - From the album Wild Honey. This one's for the hardcore fans (Click the title to hear it on YouTube). It was never a single and never on a greatest hits compilation. It's a sweet little song about missing someone special. At least until the end, when it shows off the band's ever-present sense of humor.  Favorite Lyric: "I'd love just once to see you, I'd love just once to see you, I'd love just once to see you...in the nude."
48)  Here Today (1966) - From the album Pet Sounds. I have often said that this is my favorite song on my favorite album. Turns out that it's actually 5th- as you will see! But still, an amazing piece of music with great lyrics that have so much to say about teenage love.  Favorite Lyric: "A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing. But if you're not careful think about the pain it can bring."
47)  Good Timin' (1979) - From the L.A. (Light Album). One of many great latter-day songs that showed off the amazing voice of Carl Wilson, this is another often overlooked gem in the catalogue.  Favorite Lyric: "We're all goin' places, sharin' each other. A celebration of being together- I love good timin'..."
46)  Let Him Run Wild (1965) - From the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!). When we started listening to the compilation album Endless Summer back in 1974, there were a lot of songs we had heard before. This one was new to me- and it was a revelation! Such deep lyrics, so much orchestration and so many complex harmonies in a pop song; it simply blew me away. And still does.  Favorite Lyric: "All the dreams you shared with him you might as well forget. I know you need a truer love and that's what you'll get."
45)  Darlin' (1967) - From the album Wild Honey. It's confession time. For a long time after hearing this song on one of the "Greatest Hits" albums I didn't really like it very much. But over the years it grew on me, in part because I loved hearing it live. Very soulful. Favorite Lyric: "I love the way you soften my life with your love, your precious love uh huh oh."

So there we go, off to a flying start! See (or hear) anything you like? Join us next Thursday for the next installment, and have a great day! Oh..and here this week's Almost Song. It's Bluebirds Over the Mountain from the album 20/20. Enjoy!

Celebrating THE Great American Band

We are only two days away from the great USAmerican celebration of Independence Day, the 4th of July. The day means different things to different people. For some it is a celebration of Summer, with picnics by the river and cold beers under a clear night sky filled with fireworks. For some it is a day of flags and parades, a celebration of patriotism and history. And for some- like me- it is a day to celebrate the good things in life that are uniquely USAmerican. You know the list- baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, mud wrestling, Dairy Queen Blizzards...and The Beach Boys. You may not think of them as the greatest band our nation has ever produced, but they may be. And at the very least, they are the official band of summer!

Denny, Al, Carl, Mike & Brian

The Beach Boys began in the southern California town of Hawthorne back in 1961. Three brothers- Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson- along with their cousin Mike Love and a friend named Alan Jardine- began singing together and a new sound was born. This was not a boy band, as they played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. Brian played bass and wrote music and lyrics (and also produced almost all of the songs right up through 1968), Carl played lead guitar, Al was on rhythm guitar (replaced for a short time early on while he was taking college classes by another friend, David Marks), Dennis banged the drums and Mike wrote lyrics and was the lead vocalist. And everyone sang! When they walked into a local recording studio and recorded Surfin' and Surfin' Safari in 1962 they changed pop music forever and created a new cultural craze. The album Surfin' Safari came out in December of that year and before long kids in North Dakota and Utah thought they were surfers too! Hot rods, big waves and beautiful girls were all part of the California dream of the early 60s, and the Boys helped us all enjoy the fantasy. Other band members were added as time passed- people like Bruce Johnston, Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar- and the sound changed. But even in 2015, pretty much every USAmerican knows at least one of their songs. They still conjure up images of the perfect summer, and for many of us of a certain age, they were the "soundtrack to falling in love." 

Ahhhh- the 70s!

It's now 54 years later and it's still hard to find anyone who doesn't love some of their songs. They are used in movie soundtracks, in commercials and pretty much anyplace music is played. Brian Wilson's songwriting influenced everyone from The Beatles to Queen (listen to the opening to Bohemian Rhapsody again- that's classic BB vocals!) to U2 (check out the song Santa Barbara on their most recent album- it's practically a tribute to the Boys). The Beach Boys were labeled irrelevant on many occasions, but they always found a way to reinvent themselves and come back. When surf music seemed "done" all they did was record Pet Sounds, one of the greatest albums of all time. They followed that by giving us Good Vibrations, one of the greatest songs ever recorded. While The Beatles ruled the charts in this country, the Boys often outsold them in the UK. In fact, even as sales dropped in this country, the music critics fell in love with the new sound of The Beach Boys. They are perhaps the only band in history to have had 7 different lead singers perform songs that made the Billboard charts. In the late 60s and early 70s they focused on touring and became one of the world's great concert bands, selling our large venues around the world. They changed the way rock bands toured, inventing monster sound systems and taking extra musicians (3 keyboardists, 2 drummers, a 7-piece horn section) on the road so they could better replicate their songs for audiences. Despite lots of turmoil- having to fire Murry Wilson (father to the 3 brothers) as their manager; the death of Dennis in 1983; Brian's well documented psychological struggles and long absence from the studio; the death of Carl in 1998 and lots of internal fighting between Mike and pretty much everyone else- they kept making great music. And in various forms they are still making music today.

My own relationship with The Beach Boys began nearly 12 years after they became stars. In 1974 their former label, Capitol Records, released a compilation album of their early music called Endless Summer. My friend Steve and I discovered the double album and it seldom left our turntables. Another compilation of hits, Spirit of America, only served to increase our appreciation of the band. We began to explore some of their other albums and we liked what we heard, even though some of it seemed far different from those breezy songs about the beach, girls and cars. In 1975 we heard Sail On, Sailor on FM radio and could not believe it was the same band. In 1976 we were at Myrtle Beach when Steve told me he was pretty sure he had just heard a new Beach Boys song on Top 40 radio. That seemed nuts at the time. But he was right, and soon the "new" song, Rock and Roll Music, was a top 5 hit. Of course it was actually an old Chuck Berry song that The Beatles had also recorded, but we didn't know that at the time. It was new Beach Boys and we were psyched! From that point on, we listened to every album and read every magazine article, learning the history of the band and becoming serious fanboys. We discovered that some albums that never sold well in the U.S. were in fact absolute classics- projects like Wild Honey, Holland, 20/20, Surf's Up and Sunflower. There was the weirdness of Smiley Smile and the fun of 15 Big Ones and Love You. We saw them in concert on several occasions. This "washed up old band" had opening acts like Billy Joel and Chicago, and they blew the doors off the Greensboro Coliseum and the Carowinds Paladium. My interest waned a bit when I lost my record collection, but there were still times when their music (via the box set of CD's I got in mid 90s) was the only thing that could take me away from the struggles of the day. In 2005 I was one of the few who got to see Good Vibrations (the jukebox musical) on Broadway; we loved it but apparently few others did. It only ran for 3 months. Over the past couple of years my iPod has been loaded with many of my favorite BB albums & songs; in fact, there are more than 225 tunes currently on that playlist. With Brian's brilliant solo album No Pier Pressure (which, btw, might as well be the most recent Beach Boys album as it features vocals from Al, David and Blondie!), the new Love & Mercy film and my son Will growing to love them now as well, they are once again an obsession of mine. And that's not a bad thing. 

So what does all of this have to do with July 4th? I am going to spend Thursdays (and one Friday) in July celebrating what is in my humble opinion THE great USAmerican band. We're going to countdown my 55 (one for each year of my life!) favorite Beach Boys songs of all-time, with 11 each week for the next 5 weeks. This will not be your typical list; these are MY favorites. Some of you might think picking 55 would be simple, but ranking them might be tricky. Nothing about this is simple. I've been working on the list for over 2 weeks already, and I'm down to 62. I have no idea how to make the final cuts. We will be drilling deep into their catalogue. How deep, you ask? Even at the current 62 songs classics like Be True To Your School, Shut Down, Little Honda and 409 didn't make it. Surfin' Safari is in serious danger. And the song many of my younger readers may know best, Kokomo, is (to quote another great USAmerican band, The Eagles) "already gone." I'd love to hear which songs you expect to find on my list, but I make no promises. It's my list- an this is going to be fun, fun, fun! :)

One final thought. In 1983 The Beach Boys were set to play a free July 4th concert on the Mall in Washington, DC when then Secretary of the Interior James Watt refused to grant them access, saying they would bring a "bad element" to the city. There was a huge uproar, and First Lady Nancy Reagan personally invited them back for 1984. On July 4th of the following year, 1985, they played for over 1 million fans in Philadelphia in the afternoon and for over 750,000 fans in Washington that night. The Beach Boys are an American institution. And for the next month of Thursdays you can celebrate them with me!