Top Five Favorite Beach Boy Tunes

[drbeachboy]

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. Darlin'
3. California Girls
4. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
5. Long Promised Road

[hideyotsuburaya]

little girl I once knew
all this is that
all dressed up for school
Marcella (the same only different)
she knows me too well

[NateRuvin]

All I Wanna Do
Here Today
Big Sur
Fun, Fun, Fun
Lady Lynda

[dcowboys107]

First way to tackle this:  Going to select out of the various BB "phases" since it's not fair to put up a '62 tune against a '66.

Car Song:
"Little Deuce Coupe" - Love rolling bass line, the shuffle tempo, the drumming, and singing.  Always energizes me.

Surf Song:
"Catch a Wave" - The backing track always gets me going and the vocals shoot to the stratosphere. 

Transition Phase Song:
"Help Me, Rhonda"  - Awesome everything. Al never sounded better.  Kick ass backing track and again I love the shuffle tempo.

Brian at his Peak Phase:
"You Still Believe in Me" - I downloaded the 40th Anniversary version of Pet Sounds on iTunes and listened to it instantly. I was pleasantly surprised but that was about it.  I put the CD on in the car later that day on the way to a movie. When "YSBIM" came on with the counterpoint vocals, the harpsichords, the bass, etc I was blown away.  My fandom began on that December 2008 night and I finally "got it." From then on the BBs became the soundtrack to my life.

Post-Brian:
"Feel Flows" - Probably Carl's best song.  I love the engineering, the background vocals, the atmosphere, etc.  Such a cerebral song.  This song I normally play for people who've never listened to the BBs and they tend to like it.

Second Way: Pay no regard to time period.  In no particular order I must add but I've tried.

1. "Don't Worry Baby" - The background vocals are soothing to me and relax me when I'm feeling tense or stressed.
2. "Help Me, Rhonda" - I love singing at the top of my lungs whether I'm in a bad mood, sad, depressed, elated.
3. "Good Vibrations" - Probably the happiest song I know. Mike's lyrics ROCK and we all know it.
4. "Please Let Me Wonder" - Words can't describe this song to me.  I love Brian's vocal in the register.  Not very often that we hear him sing in this range. 
5. "God Only Knows"/"Forever" - No need to explain. I always have considered "Forever" as the double A side to "GOK."

Other Favorites that are a mixed bag:

1. "Make it Good" - When I first heard this I almost cried. This song is like the meaning of life/love.  The violin swells and Dennis's vocals are all it take. 
2. "You Need a Mess..." - I love Carl's vocal and how hard it rocks
3. "Marcella" - I love the fade out. I love hearing Brian's scratchy voice repeating "Hey Marcella" in the left channel.
4.  "Surfer Girl" - Makes me want to cry sometimes too. Especially the first time I heard it.
5. "In My Room" - This song hits close to home to me. I remember hearing it in high school and it really spoke to me.
6. "Keep an Eye on Summer" - Great bridge
7. "And Your Dream Comes True" - Makes me think of my ex and how much I miss her.  I would listen to it for the months that we wouldn't see each other and it created a bittersweet feeling.

I could go on and on but I think this is a representative list.

[petsoundsnola]

1.  Let Him Run Wild
2.  California Feelin
3.  Surf's Up
4.  God Only Knows
5.  That's Not Me

Yay!  Another Let Him Run Wild fan!

[Tord]

In no particular order:

I Get Around
California Girls
Heroes and Villains
God Only Knows
The Warmth of the Sun

[Bicyclerider]

Good Vibrations
Surf's Up
Slip On Through
Time to Get Alone
Vegetables (Smile stereo assembly on TSS)

Favorite Covers:

Never Learn Not to Love
Hushabye
Cotton Fields (album version)
Surfin USA
I Can Hear Music

[RangeRoverA1]

1. At My Window
2. You Still Believe in Me (been listening to this lately & it's still my favorite after 5 yrs. beautiful backing track; unlike others I don't find the coda impressive; it's all about verses)
3. Sloop John B
4. Wind Chimes (Smiley Smile)
5. Surfin' USA

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Just impossible to pick just 5 cause after 1 and 2 the list is huge:

1. Surf's Up (greatest song ever)
2. Busy Doing Nothing
3. Pet Sounds
4. Steamboat
5. The Trader tied with California Saga: California

[KDS]

Surf's Up

The Warmth of the Sun

Kiss Me Baby

All I Wanna Do

Surfer Girl

....but if you ask me tomorrow, it might be a different list.  However, the top 2 are always there. 

[jiggy22]

My top five songs on 11/6/15 (changes every day every for the #1 spot)

1). Surf's Up
2). Big Sur 4/4
3). In My Room
4). Do You Like Worms?
5). My Solution

[Chocolate Shake Man]

1. God Only Knows
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice
3. Surf's Up
4. The Warmth of the Sun --> good to see a few picking this one
5. Good Vibrations

[JK]

3. Pet Sounds

Wonderful to see this joyous instrumental in a top five. It gets a lot of flak at times. I've never understood why...  

[Cool Cool Water]

Wonderful to see this joyous instrumental in a top five. It get a lot of flak at times. I've never understood why...   

Agree.

[Cool Cool Water]

5). My Solution

Great to see that obscure track in a top 5. 

[Hot Rod]

Hushabye
Surf's up
I get around
Surfer girl
God only knows

[Cool Cool Water]

Mine would be something like this:

1. Good Vibrations
2. Caroline, No
3. Surf's Up
4. I Get Around
5. Airplane  

[Lee Marshall]

1.  Add Some Music To Your Day
2.  Cabinessence
3.  God Only Knows
4.  Time To Get Alone
5.  Ballad Of Ole' Betsy

Honourable Mention to Good Vibrations which was my ALL TIME favourite song for decades...but I've just heard it too many times now and I need to put it up on the shelf for awhile.  BUT at THAT time [fall '66] there had NEVER/EVER been anything released anywhere near as GREAT as that song.

[Bicyclerider]

1. At My Window
2. You Still Believe in Me (been listening to this lately & it's still my favorite after 5 yrs. beautiful backing track; unlike others I don't find the coda impressive; it's all about verses)
3. Sloop John B
4. Wind Chimes (Smiley Smile)
5. Surfin' USA

You Still Believe in Me just missed my top 5!  I love that song - definitely a Pet Sounds underrated track (if there can be such a thing) - God Only Knows gets all the acclaim as a great love song, but Still Believe in Me tugs at my heartstrings every time I hear it - and that beautiful falsetto!

[shelter]

1. God Only Knows
2. Surf's Up
3. Time To Get Alone
4. This Whole World
5. Wouldn't It Be Nice

[Sangheon]

Wouldn't it be nice
Surf's Up
Sail On Sailor
Disney Girls
All Summer Long

[Ovi]

Girls on the Beach
Cuddle Up
Good Vibrations
Don't Worry, Baby
Kiss Me, Baby

[sockittome]

1. Good Vibrations
2. All I Wanna Do
3. Warmth of the Sun
4. God Only Knows
5. Time to Get Alone

Nearly all mellow stuff!

[Magic Transistor Radio]

1. Still Cruisin
2. Kona Coast
3. Wipe Out
4. TM Song
5. Summer in Paradise

Just kidding! My real top 5...

5. The Night Was So Young
4. Celebrate the News
3. Let the Wind Blow
2. Wind Chimes (Smile Sessions)
1. Til I Die (Desper mix)

This list could be different next week

[the captain]

Changes frequently, blah blah blah. But roughly speaking:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice?
2. Surf's Up
3. Heroes & Villains
4. Time to Get Alone
5. I Get Around

With these hanging right in there:

This Whole World
Don't Worry, Baby
Breakaway
Good Vibrations
Cabinessence
Wonderful
Sloop John B
I'll Bet He's Nice
The Night Was So Young
From There to Back Again