Brian Wilson, the legendary co-founder of the Beach Boys, passed away at the age of 82, as announced recently by his family on social media.

While the cause of his death was not disclosed, his passing marks the end of an era for one of the most influential figures in American music history.

Wilson’s legacy is deeply embedded in the fabric of 1960s pop and rock music, with his innovative approach to melody and harmony setting new standards for the genre.

 

Between 1962 and 1966, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys achieved remarkable success, with 13 singles reaching the top 10 charts, several of which climbed to the number one spot.

Their music captured the spirit of the times, blending surf rock with complex arrangements that showcased Wilson’s extraordinary talent.

Bob Dylan famously praised Wilson, noting his unmatched ear for melody and suggesting that Wilson’s work deserved a permanent place in the Smithsonian Institution.

 

Despite his musical achievements, Wilson faced significant personal challenges.

He struggled with mental illness, including depression, which was compounded by partial deafness in his right ear.

These difficulties were exacerbated by substance abuse, including alcohol and drugs, which took a toll on his health and career.

His battles with mental health were well-documented and often overshadowed his professional accomplishments during difficult periods.

 

Nevertheless, Brian Wilson experienced a notable resurgence starting in the 1990s.

During this time, he released new music that was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

This comeback demonstrated his enduring creativity and ability to connect with audiences across generations.

His later work reaffirmed his status as a pioneer in the music industry and introduced his genius to new fans.

 

Wilson’s influence extended beyond his own recordings.

As a songwriter and producer, he revolutionized the way pop music was created, incorporating sophisticated harmonies, innovative studio techniques, and introspective lyrics.

His work with the Beach Boys, particularly on albums like “Pet Sounds,” is often cited as a landmark in popular music, inspiring countless artists and shaping the evolution of rock and pop.

 

Brian Wilson’s death is a significant loss to the music world.

His contributions have left an indelible mark on the industry, and his story is one of both triumph and struggle.

As fans and musicians alike mourn his passing, his legacy lives on through the timeless music he created and the profound impact he had on generations of artists and listeners worldwide.

but now what about California Girls

california Girls the track was being

done by my cousin Brian at Studio 3 in

Western Studios with the Wrecking Crew

it was a great track that intro is

almost it’s like a prelude to some kind

of great piece of music

and the track was going on but he didn’t

have the words so I stepped out in the

hallway while they were still finishing

the track and wrote out “I want to give

the accolades to all the great girls

around the different parts of the US

east Coast girls are hip southern girls

way they talk Midwest farmers daughters

um you know northern girls the way they

kiss keep their boyfriends warm at

night.” So it was just a it’s kind of a

traalog of from a young guy’s fantasy

and then it talked about all girls

around the world and Hawaiian Island

dolls and by a palm tree in the sand and

then the chorus wish they all could be

California girls that’s Brian Wilson he

came up with the brilliant high parts

and did all the vocal arrangements and

stuff but I came up with all the lyrics

for that song and it’s it’s one of our

favorite songs it’s one of the favorite

songs of a lot of people yeah

fortunately tell me in brief if you will

how Good Vibrations came to be good

Vibrations was a monumental effort it

started uh months before the song came

out my cousin Brian went in with the

best studio musicians in LA they called

themselves the Wrecking Crew it’s so

funny how they got the term the Wrecking

Crew because all the more respected

musicians that played in symphonies and

various orchestras and big bands thought

that these guys would wreck the business

because they’re doing rock and roll so

they became the wrecking crew they’re

brilliant and great musicians and he

would go to Gold Star Recording where

Phil Spectre did his stuff to get a

certain sound and that when I say he I

mean Brian and he would go to Studio 3

at Western Recorders on Sunset Boulevard

and because it had other sounds and so

he did three or four or five studios and

we ultimately did the vocals for the the

single record but this took several

months because he did sections of the

track and experimented with the the the

different sections and different sounds

and different tempos so the composite

was finally put together and I was due

to write the lyrics and I put it off and

I’m pretty good at procrastinating and

so I wrote the the words i dictated a

poem while I was driving in the in our

Xke to the studio on the way to the the

session i and I dictated to my then wife

Suzanne who was pregnant with our

daughter Haley and I said “Take this

down i I love the colorful clothes she

wears and the way the sunlight plays

upon her hair.” This was 1966

the track was incredible it was so

unique mystical sounding with the

theramin going on nobody had ever used a

theramin in rock music but what is a

theramin theamin is a it’s

electrotheramin it was invented by a

Russian inventor and it has this weird

soundoo

you’ve only heard it in scary movies and

TV shows and stuff like that it was an

eerie sound but it was brilliant with

with good vibrations so I I came up with

the lyrics just on the way to the studio

and my cousin Carl sang it beautifully

so it was a real it it had the structure

of of all these this different studios

and different types of experimentation

but it had the spontaneity of the lyrics

that I wrote about a girl who was all

into peace and love and flower power it

was it was 1966 and the psychedelic era

of music was was going on in Southern

California i know it’s hard to choose

what’s your own personal favorite

there are so many favorites uh Dan

because it’s about your mood we did a

song the night of November 23rd was it

in 1963 my cousin Brian and I got

together and wrote this beautiful

haunting melody beautiful song great

harmonies and were awakened in the

morning to the news that President

Kennedy had been taken to the hospital

in Dallas so we all know what happened

there but it was a very sad melancholy

song and the lyrics were not changed to

conform to that event but it was about

the loss of someone you love but still

you had felt that that love at one time

and so even though it was not great how

it ended

there was still something good about it

and in a sense the same thing president

Kenny was not great how his life ended

by any stretch of the imagination but

there was a lot of idealism and

positivity in his messages and what he

represented to to the United States and

to the world picture

California 1960 mhm what’s going on out