Mike Love's Songwriting Process

[TommyPlural]

There's an old thread about this that devolves into a debate about Ringo Starr and Charles Manson (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,647.0.html), but I've always been curious about how Mike Love writes songs (the 'sole credit' Mike Love songs like 'Everyone's in Love With You,' 'Sumahama,' 'Cool Head Warm Heart' etc). Has this ever been definitively addressed? Has Mike ever talked about this in an interview?

[STE]

With his old guitar he makes up songs to sing.

[ontor pertawst]

He stares into a haunted mirror that shows a younger version of himself silently mouthing the lyrics. Over the years he's gotten pretty good at lipreading and transcribing these visions from the haunted mirror, which results in so many of the compositions we enjoy today.

[Melt Away]

He flings poo at a piano and whatever keys it lands on is the song! That's how we got(or didn't get) UTL.

[TimmyC]

I for one think it's an interesting question for which I have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever... anyone? Bueller?? Bueller??

[Mike's Beard]

Mike is seen playing piano on the "Mike, Come Back to LA" footage. He can also play basic guitar. I imagine he is more than capable of writing bare boned chord progressions for his song ideas. As mentioned on the older thread he most likely sang/hummed melody ideas to someone who transcribed them. Daryll Dragon arranged "Everyone's in Love With You" and I'm guessing it was Ron Altbach who arranged "Suhamhama".

[SenorPotatoHead]

He starts with "Well" and it all flows from there. 

[Lowbacca]

He uses something that is called a "kesha": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsZ8nGkPUM - similar to what Melt Away envisioned.

[Mendota Heights]

I see there is a lot of speculation going on here.

Mike Love actually bases his chord progressions on smoke signals he found under a rock in an underwater above ground cave in south-north Arizona in 1327.

[Pretty Funky]

Most of the speculation is on music which is not Mikes bag. He's the lyric guy!

He has a spinning wheel with all hooks from the bands 60's hits, gives it a whirl, gets a phrase and builds a lyric around it.

[TommyPlural]

Sounds like it's safe to say that many of Mike's mental processes are a complete mystery.

[ontor pertawst]

As Mike Love above, so below.

[c-man]

Mike is seen playing piano on the "Mike, Come Back to LA" footage. He can also play basic guitar. I imagine he is more than capable of writing bare boned chord progressions for his song ideas. As mentioned on the older thread he most likely sang/hummed melody ideas to someone who transcribed them. Daryll Dragon arranged "Everyone's in Love With You" and I'm guessing it was Ron Altbach who arranged "Suhamhama".

The 15 Big Ones back slick credits Mike Love with the arrangement of "Everyone's In Love With You" and Daryl Dragon with the vocal arrangement.  Is more known about this?

As for "Sumahama", Bob Alcivar did the string and horn arrangements...my guess is Bruce did the vocal arrangement on the L.A. version.

[SummerInParadise23]

Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.

[Mr. Cohen]

His lyrics writing process nowadays, as gleaned from interviews and the finished materials, is to meditate about a topic and then scrawl cliched phrases with simplistic rhymes. For example, say someone told him to write about Malcom X. Mike would meditate on it by a window and then write this in 5 minutes.

Malcom X
Changed the world, yeah
Malcom X
For brothers and sisters, yeah

Malcom X, well he rocked the boat, now
He got their goat, now
With his autobiography
In fact, check out his bibliography
Critics said the pot called the kettle black
But he was just ahead of the pack

Malcom X
Changed the world, yeah
Malcom X
For brothers and sisters, yeah

And so on...

[Mendota Heights]

His lyrics writing process nowadays, as gleaned from interviews and the finished materials, is to meditate about a topic and then scrawl cliched phrases with simplistic rhymes. For example, say someone told him to write about Malcom X. Mike would meditate on it by a window and then write this in 5 minutes.

Malcom X
Changed the world, yeah
Malcom X
For brothers and sisters, yeah

Malcom X, well he rocked the boat, now
He got their goat, now
With his autobiography
In fact, check out his bibliography
Critics said the pot called the kettle black
But he was just ahead of the pack

Malcom X
Changed the world, yeah
Malcom X
For brothers and sisters, yeah

And so on...

Can you write a song about hedgehogs dancing on rainbows? Myke Luhv style.

[bossaroo]

Mike is the Executive Producer of all his songs. and don't you forget it.

[Melt Away]

Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.

Why don't you tell us....MIKE?!?!?!?!?!?

[Phoenix]

Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.

They already did!  Just a few posts above the one I quoted from you:

Mike is seen playing piano on the "Mike, Come Back to LA" footage. He can also play basic guitar. I imagine he is more than capable of writing bare boned chord progressions for his song ideas. As mentioned on the older thread he most likely sang/hummed melody ideas to someone who transcribed them.

Or do you need something more than that? 

[Micha]

He starts with "Well" and it all flows from there. 

...and ends on "now"!

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.

Why don't you tell us....MIKE?!?!?!?!?!?

No, Mike is SummerInParadise22.

[Rocker]

Mike is seen playing piano on the "Mike, Come Back to LA" footage. He can also play basic guitar. I imagine he is more than capable of writing bare boned chord progressions for his song ideas. As mentioned on the older thread he most likely sang/hummed melody ideas to someone who transcribed them.

Don't remember where I read it but that's the way Mike described his writing of a specific song. he hummed or sang his idea to Carl who wrote the music down for Mike

[TommyPlural]

Right, I could assume that he has at least enough knowledge of chord progressions and scale degrees on different instruments that he can write and arrange ideas. Mostly I was curious if he had specifically ever addressed his process of writing music in an interview (written, audio, or visual) at any point. Seems he wouldn't shy away from a chance to show that he doesn't need a Wilson to toss some chords off.

[Mr. Cohen]

I hate to say it, but I don't think anyone asks Mike Love about his songwriting process.

[Shady]

He makes a long list of words that rhyme with Sun, Fun and vibrations and takes it from there.