The very worst Beach Boys related 'song' ever released

[Sheriff John Stone]

"Happy Endings" is so bad and the video makes you wonder if it wasn't a drug induced dream.  Carl's vocal is truly a low point, over-emoting worthy of "American Idol."  Carl, Carl... *sigh*

"Happy Endings" always perplexed me. For many years, The Beach Boys credited Little Richard as an influence, along with Chuck Berry and The Four Freshmen. One would assume that the influential Little Richard songs would've been "Good Golly Miss Molly", "Lucille", and "Tutti Frutti". So, when the opportunity finally came for The Beach Boys to team up with Little Richard on a great rocker, they (or somebody) chose a ballad! Only in the world of the Beach Boys....

[MBE]

Only Jerry Lee Lewis can get away with naming songs after himself.

[lance]

And naming a song after yourself?  WTF?

Does Everyone's In Love With You count? Not as bad as naming albums after yourself. [cough, cough, Country Love, First Love, Looking Back with Love, Unleash the Love etc...etc...etc...]

Back on topic, the album version of Rock n Roll Music is my least favourite BB song. Strangely, the single mix, which isn't vastly different, is miles better.

Actually, there are few artists who haven't named albums after themselves!!

[phirnis]

Worse song from each...

Brian- South America
Dennis- He's a Bum
Carl- Hold Me
Mike- Still Cruisin
Al- Island Girl
Bruce- I Write the Songs

While I really don't mind both Island Girl and Still Cruisin', I have to agree on Carl's song. When I first heard it in that short CW solo segment of An American Band, it really made me cringe. But what's not to like about He's A Bum?

[TdHabib]

Only Jerry Lee Lewis can get away with naming songs after himself.

Bo Diddley too

[carl r]

Day in the Life of a Tree has an faster-tempo bastard offspring, "Wednesday Week" by the Undertones.  I only wish that it hadn't stopped there. "Day in the Life of a Lamppost" "Day in the Life of a Draincover" or "Day in the Life of a Sun Lounger" - which could have been a steamy Mike Love vocal.

Seriously, I'm often amazed how resilient trees like Brian actually are.

A Day in The Life of a Tree - Skipped every time

:| holy hades. Really? Of everything out there under the Beach Boys name, "A Day in the Life of a Tree"?

Although I do wish a take with Brian doing the lead was around somewhere, and I think Dennis could have done great for the "real thing". Ah well, I still really like this song - it took a damn long while for it to hit me, though.

"Wonderful" from Smiley Smile.  What an abortion of a beautiful song. 

Bah. I love the Smiley Smile version. Not as much as the original, but it's still a good song, even in this setting.

[Smilin Ed H]

Hold Me?  The whole of Youngblood is worse than that!   

[Sheriff John Stone]

Hold Me?  The whole of Youngblood is worse than that!   

Noooooo! Youngblood is a good album.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Worse song from each...

Brian- South America
Dennis- He's a Bum
Carl- Hold Me
Mike- Still Cruisin
Al- Island Girl
Bruce- I Write the Songs

While I really don't mind both Island Girl and Still Cruisin', I have to agree on Carl's song. When I first heard it in that short CW solo segment of An American Band, it really made me cringe. But what's not to like about He's A Bum?

I don't like the lyrics and Dennis' voice is at an all time low. Although, I must say that if Mike Love had written and sang that, it would be one of his better songs!

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Hold Me?  The whole of Youngblood is worse than that!   

Well, maybe. . I think I have both of his albums on vynal but don't have a record player, so I haven't listened to it but once maybe and I don't remember. Hold Me, just stuck out to me. The same with I Write the Songs by Bruce. I am sure there are worse songs, but that is the first thing that came to mind.

[adamghost]

It's been a while since I've listened to either of those records, but I remember "Hurry Love" as being a real yawner.  I thought YOUNGBLOOD was a more interesting record than CARL WILSON, which was short and sounded like it was recorded in a hurry all at one go -- everything sounded fairly samey and sterile.  I

 remember liking "The Right Lane" a lot, and "Whatcha Gonna Do About Me" had that cool part that reprised the KTSA riff.  On YOUNGBLOOD I thought "What You Do To Me" was ace and "Of The Times" was a pretty good power ballad.  Everything else kinda went by me.  So that's my two cents.

Some of the stuff on the Wilson-Beckley-Lamm record is really good, though.  I wish they hadn't gone for that semi-AOR late '80s production sound, but the songs are pretty strong.

[MBE]

Only Jerry Lee Lewis can get away with naming songs after himself.

Bo Diddley too

True!

[punkinhead]

I always thought Passing Friend was the worst offender!

[phirnis]

I always thought Passing Friend was the worst offender!

If we're talking BB85, I actually find the Stevie Wonder song to be much worse than Passing Friend.

[TdHabib]

Some assorted thoughts...A few that I really couldn't stand are "Passing Friend," "I Do Love You," "Chasin the Sky (just very bland to me)," Crack at Your Love," "Wipe Out," "Happy Endings (possibly my least favorite of the 80s)," "Still Cruisin (just always grated on me, I know some like it)," "Island Girl (surely Mr. Jardine's worst set of lyrics)," from SIP "Island Fever," "Still Surfin'," "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand," "Under the Boardwalk" is really lame and "Forever" has a horrible production (the album's production is weak overall, but this one is particularly offensive) undercutting the decent vocals.

From the solo bits, I gave Carl's two LPs a listen a little while ago with a help from a friend and nothing really stood out aside from "The Right Lane," "The Grammy," "Heaven" and "What You Do to Me," the rest was a boring affair with only Carl's vocals to lift them. On LBWL, the title track has a decent melody and I like the remake of "On and On and On," but THATS IT. Brian's lowest points include "Brian (Thank You)," "Hotter," "Country Feelin," Imagination's "Sunshine" (couldn't STAND that one at all), "Dream Angel," "The Waltz (possibly the worst track BW ever cut since 1980)," the remakes of "Make a Wish," "Rainbow Eyes" and "Don't Let Her Know" sabotage perfectly decent songs.

A few notes overall:
"Lady Liberty" stinks but it IS the "Lady Lynda" melody, thus 50% a good song. But MAN do those lyrics smell something fierce!
"Happy Endings" just always made me sick to my stomach, as did "Wipe Out" (I confess I never have made it all the way through "Wipe Out")
From the 85 album, I like "Maybe I Don't Know" for what it is, but I could see why some would hate it. Personally, I think it's Carl's attempt at AOR, completely and utterly. And most of the backgrounds sound like he did them himself. And I always thought "She Believes in Love Again" was one of Bruce's better cuts, perfect for his style.
I almost put "I'm So Lonely" on my list, but it's that middle bit in falsetto ("I wish...) that saves the tune. Otherwise, it's crap. And I can't really see how anyone can hate "It's Just a Matter of Time," it has a great atmosphere although Mike's vocals are so-so.
I'm in the minority on this, but I thought about 45% of Sweet Insanity was something special. Songs like "Someone to Love," "Water Builds Up," "Rainbow Eyes," and especially "Don't Let Her Know" (that second version) are cool to me. The rest varies from decent to horrible, but to me it kicks LBWL, GIOMH, Carl's two albums and Country Love; those are closer to the worst BB solo title to me. But hey I'm kooky. I really liked "South American," really and truly; and I thought "Smart Girls" was hilarious. I mean WHO could take that seriously.

[punkinhead]

speaking of Lady Liberty, on the ol mp3 player today, i listened to Happy Birthday America (yeah it was on shuffle)...was that written by the beach boys at all? Very 80s tune....


also, I actually liked Chasin the sky, sounded good for a soundtrack, wasn't it on a movie?
And I do Love You, I 'kind' of like it...i guess i have something for sentimental stevie wonder tunes

[Aegir]

Happy Birthday America was written by Gary Griffin.

Worse song from each...

Brian- South America
Dennis- He's a Bum
Carl- Hold Me
Mike- Still Cruisin
Al- Island Girl
Bruce- I Write the Songs

Wow, I really like most of those songs. Especially South America.

[MBE]

If I had to pick the dozen worst albums
Going Public
Country Love
Disco Celebration
Looking Back With Love
Rock and Roll City
Beach Boys 85
Still Cruisin'
Sweet Insanity
Summer In Paradice
Orange Crate Art (sorry but I cannot stand this one for many reasons namely the strained vocals, the MOR production and melodies, and the self conscious lyrics)
Stars and Stripes
Nascar

From these ten, The group albums  have one or two good ones a piece. The solo ones maybe one or two period

I don't love the 76-80 group albums but they are far far better then anything above. Carl's solo aren't great either but again I defer to the list above. I'm not big on Imagination and half of GIOMH is bad but yet once again I defer to the list above.

[Loaf]

It's a shame 'Happy Endings' wasn't a sequel to 'Marcella'. Would have made for a more interesting listen.

I do have a soft spot for Happy Endings and Problem Child, even if they are awful.

[TonyW]

Personally, I'd be much happier taking a rusty metal hmmer with serrated edges and smashing my genitalia to a bloody pulp than ever having to listen to Sumahama again.

... I just realised that actually being able to spell Sumahama makes me physically ill ...

[Smilin Ed H]

I can't bear Youngblood - the AOR production, the turgid power ballads the trivial songs...  However, there's a lot of worse stuff - Santa's Goin' to Kokomo, the ML/Adrian Baker stuff, some stuff off LBWL or GIOMH or SIP...

[Jeff]

I'd say Bugged at My Old Man, Take a Load Off Your Feet and Student Demonstration Time in a 3-way tie. 

I have no doubt that there's plenty of stuff from the late 70s forward that is worse in a strict comparison.  But in '65 and '71, when the above songs came out, the band was capable of so much more--in fact, they had much better songs in the can--yet chose to pollute the Summer Days and Surf's Up albums with utter tripe. 

[punkinhead]

haha, Happy Endings from Marcella  , i like that 

[Mahalo]

I Love most of the Sweet Insanity tunes...

can't stand SDT

Diamond Head is over rated, imo

Can't stand Bluebirds over the Mountain

[punkinhead]

diamond head is just a relaxer