God Speed, Brian Wilson

God Speed, Brian Wilson.

The Beach Boys have always been part of the soundtrack of my life: playlists on my iPod, CD mixes or mix tapes (yeah, I am that old), the Beach Boys have been there. But I've been listening to their music way more than usual since the passing of Brian Wilson. After reading the outpouring of tributes from artists as diverse as Sting to Dolly Parton and all genres in-between, I've really gone through their catalogue and listened again, hearing many things for the first time -- and these are songs I have been listening to for 45+ years. 

A word always used when people talk about Brian Wilson is "genius." And that's exactly what he was. The music that Wilson channeled into notes was (and is) rivaled by very few. His music was complex, yet emotional. He certainly did not follow any rules of music theory, which is what made him unpredictably wonderful. 

The Beach Boys music (which is to say, Brian Wilson's music) was my first real obsession when I was growing up. That might surprise some people who know me, because the assumption is my first love was the Beatles. But I didn't really discover the Beatles until I was in college. 

I was exposed to the Beach Boys from a cassette in the house called Endless Summer which was a Beach Boys greatest hits compilation (Endless Summer was released in the summer of 1974, so I was at least five years old). I don't know whose tape it was or how it got there or even what Beach Boys were. I do remember the tape had a disturbing cover with some pedophile-looking types staring out of green ferns (I will never know how the Beach Boys signed off on that cover because it was not exactly flattering or pleasing to the eye). But, like they say, it's what's on the the inside that counts. 

Some homeless guys on the cover of a great album!

I loved the music on that cassette and my mother allowed it in the house because she loved the harmonies (plus my older brothers listened to the Beach Boys, so she was certainly familiar with the group). I remember playing that tape over and over and over again. Somehow, my young ears knew that these songs were not only impeccably written, but also very important to the music world. I don't know how I knew that, but I did.

Later, when I joined Columbia House Music Club (I think every kid my age had an account with Columbia House, and we all still owe them money), one of the first tapes I bought was Beach Boys Concert, which was recorded in 1964. 

Along with all their hits, the concert featured some great (and some delightfully oddball) cover songs like "Long Tall Texan," (by the Four Flickers), "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," (by the Rivingtons), "Let's Go Trippin," (by the inventor of surf music, Dick Dale), and the wonderful "Graduation Day" (by the Four Freshman). The album has fantastic energy and captures the band at their peak. I still listen to this album from time to time. It is a little rough around the edges, but I am okay with that; they clearly didn't doctor anything in post production. Live music isn't meant to be perfect. But those harmonies... man, they are perfect.

A terrific live album

It might be impossible to come up with a top ten list of my favorite Brian Wilson songs, but I will try. And one must keep in mind he wrote other hits not recorded by the Beach Boys ("Surf City" by Jan and Dean, for example). A top ten list will always leave something off that should be there, but here is my humble attempt, in no particular order:

• "'Til I Die" (from the album Surf's Up, 1971. An incredibly emotional and poignant song, even more so when one realizes that Wilson wrote this "when I was depressed and preoccupied with death." The lyrics are simple but haunting, with the end of each verse echoing unanswerable questions such as "How deep is the ocean?" and "How long will the wind blow?" Bandmate Bruce Johnston called this "Brian's heaviest song.")
• "The Warmth of the Sun" (from the album Shut Down Vol. 2, 1964. This was already my favorite Brian Wilson song when I learned, years later, that he wrote it on the evening of November 22, 1963. Wilson said he wrote the song in a half an hour as "a personal response" to the Kennedy assassination. Loss, grief, and ultimately, hope. To me, this is more than a song; it is a spiritual experience. Oddly, it was released as a B side to "Dance, Dance, Dance," in what could be the most bipolar 45 single release in music history!) 
• "In My Room" (from the album Surfer Girl, 1963. According the Wilson, the song was written in just one hour and it features the three Wilson brothers in perfect harmony. "We sounded just like we did in our bedroom all those nights" long before fame.)
• "Kiss Me, Baby" (from the album The Beach Boys Today!, 1965. Another of my personal all-time favorites. The verses are intentionally sparse, then the chorus explodes into so many complementary parts, it makes one's head swim. I've always loved the lyric, "Then I wondered as it got light/Were you still awake like me?") 
• "God Only Knows" (from the album Pet Sounds, 1966. Paul McCartney has famously said this is his favorite song ever written, which is high praise, indeed. Ironically, Wilson said he wrote the song after listening to the Beatles' Rubber Soul album for the first time: "It inspired me to do my own thing, so the next morning I went to the piano and wrote 'God Only Knows'." The song is listed number 11 of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time," according to Rolling Stone magazine.)

If you don't think this is a masterpiece, you need to listen again.

• "Caroline, No" (from the album Pet Sounds, 1966. A beautiful song about the loss innocence. It was initially called "Carol, I Know," but Wilson changed the title to "Caroline, No" because it matched the song's mood of despair. This song closes the Pet Sounds album and is a complete 180 degree turn from the album's optimistic opener, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," a song that wishes "we were older." Now that innocence is gone. Another gorgeous two minute Brian Wilson masterpiece from an album universally regarded as a masterpiece. Fun fact: the percussion on this song is an empty water cooler jug played in an echo chamber. The Beatles weren't the only experimental ones in the '60s!) 
• "Wendy" (from the album All Summer Long, 1964. This song always appealed to me. I suppose it is just another "break up" song, but it is so beautiful, with that lone E minor in the chord progression ramming home the sadness of the protagonist. It was never released as a single, but the melody never left my brain after I heard it for the first time. Almost five decades later, it is still there!)
• "Don't Worry Baby" (from the album Shut Down Vol. 2, 1964. Wilson said this song was one of the Beach Boys "finest records." It was inspired by the Ronettes "Be My Baby," and Wilson said he even offered the song to the Ronettes, but producer Phil Spector -- a world class asshole -- rejected it because "Phil didn't write it." The genius of this song is the two separate voices, the man's [verse] and the woman's [chorus], and the song quietly modulates to a different key to represent the change in voice at each chorus. It was released as a B side to "I Get Around," which was the Beach Boys first number one hit. No word if Phil Spector regretted his decision.)
• "Girls on the Beach" (from the album All Summer Long, 1964. Title track of the film The Girls on the Beach. It is a hidden gem, not well known among casual fans. Definitely a cousin of "Surfer Girl," but a much more complex arrangement. Wilson called this his "last real surf-type song."
• "Hawaii" (from the album Surfer Girl, 1963. Never released as a single in the US, but this is another hidden gem that I've always loved. The repeating falsetto of the chorus is infectious. No matter how bad your day has been, "Hawaii" will put a smile on your face. A perfect little song in under two minutes.)

There are so many more songs I could talk about. This list could go on forever, just like the genius of Brian Wilson will continue to the end of days. We should all make such a mark in the world.