My Top Ten Beach Boys Songs

I wonder how many plays of Beach Boys songs have happened since Brian Wilson's death. If my listening is any indicator then I would wager A LOT. I thought it would be fun to present a list of my ten favorites, but first some thoughts on The Beatles-Beach Boys comparisons and "competition." It is common to note that the unprecedented Beach Boys/Brian Wilson masterpiece Pet Sounds inspired the Beatles/Paul McCartney to up their game and produce the ambitious, audacious Sergeant Pepper's. Both are milestones in post-War popular music. So while this part of the narrative is true, what is not true is the notion that The Beach Boys were the US "answer" to the Beatles and that the two competed for the title of best band around. Put simply, the achievement of The Beach Boys was nowhere as great as that of the Beatles. And I say that as someone who loves The Beach Boys. 

In essence, The Beach Boys' output is not anywhere near as varied, and ultimately, their contribution to music is not as profound. Now, I won't say Brian was a one trick pony. No, nothing like that. But he had a singular, unified aesthetic vision that he essentially worked through countless variations and iterations, the apotheosis of which is Pet Sounds. Wilson took the complex vocal sounds of groups like the Four Freshman, the aural world of Phil Spector, the legacy of doo wop music, a tinge of psychedelia, and the innocent spirit of certain strands of early rock and roll and presented to the world a very particular sound that was extraordinary in it's sonic depth and sophistication. But every song in his repertoire fits this same mold. With the Beatles you had three songwriters who took the music in unexpected directions every time out of the chute. Plus they were accomplished instrumentalists who together brought so many new sounds into rock music and created the magic we know collectively as the Beatles. Also, their lyrics became quite ambitious as time went by, running strong with the Dylan influence, believing songs should be able to say anything at all. But if I say that The Beach Boys can't equal the Beatles, that is no put down, because no one ever has. Now to my Beach Boys favorites!

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1. "Surfer Girl" -- Wilson says this is his first original composition, and it is quite the keeper: maybe my favorite Beach Boys song. With its rising stair-step arpeggios, the song is elemental in structure. Yet instead of sounding basic or simplistic, it sounds like a pure distillation of stately dignity in song. The bridge or B section provides a perfect contrast to the verses.

2. "In My Room" -- I like the more meditative, slower cuts, which bring out the harmonies and textures of the vocal arrangements and place an emphasis on melody. If Springsteen's subject is the New Jersey working class, Wilson's early subject was the teen experience; and nothing's more important to a teen than "their room."

3. "The Warmth of the Sun" -- You've got to admit it, The Beach Boys vocals were extraordinary. Another meditative early cut that shows off the beauty and drama of their sound.

4. "California Girls" -- I thought I should include one of the earlier "fun" songs, too. I chose this one because of the inventiveness of the 30 second intro as well as the overall indelible 60s-ness of the sound. I almost went with "Help Me Rhonda" or "I Get Around."

5. "Don't Worry, Baby" -- Okay, it's between this and "Good Vibrations" for best Beach Boys songs, as well as best songs of the 60s. The greatest melody of all Brian Wilson melodies, and that's saying something. If I had to choose only one song I could listen to for the rest of my life I'd be tempted to choose this. 

6. "Please Let Me Wonder" --  I usually just listen to Pet Sounds as well as a selection of other favorite cuts. Somehow I landed on this cut on from 1965's The Beach Boys Today. It sounds like the bridge to 1966's Pet Sounds, with the instrumental arrangement gaining new power and gravitas. A total keeper.

7. "Darlin'" -- This is from Wild Honey, which came out a year after Pet Sounds. One of the purest doo hop inspired melodies I've heard, which is deeply satisfying, and Carl Wilson's lead vocal is some of the best rock and roll singing ever.

8. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" -- I could have chosen every Pet Sounds track for my list, but thought I would just include a couple. This is the opening song, announced by a snare drum thwack; a pure blast of technicolor optimism, this is one to put on your playlist when you do some of that psychedelic therapy that's in vogue now. No bad trip possible.

9. "Caroline, No." -- My other Pet Sounds choice, but I was at first leaning toward "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." Soaring, poignant, and almost unbearably beautiful.*

10. "Good Vibrations" -- Nothing else like it in popular music. I can still remember how I felt when it came on our tinny A.M radio in the 60s. The structure is of course fascinating and unprecedented, but it's the overall aura of the sound that blows me away, even today.

* Okay I was just watching Rick Beato explain the genius of "God Only Knows" and he's got me convinced I should have chosen that one, lol.

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