SMiLE Song Titles

[BiNNS]

Here's a few questions that Ive always wondered about.

1) Who came up with the original SMiLE song titles? Brian or Van Dyke?
2) Is there a particular reason why Cabin Essence is listed as "Cabinessence" on the 20/20 album? Yet on the Friends-20/20 twofer, Brian calls is Cabin Essence.
3) Why were Do You Like Worms, I Love To Say Da Da, Holidays and Look Changed for BWPS? Were "Worms" and "Da Da" considered to be "too weird" by Brian's management?

[brianc]

3) Why were Do You Like Worms, I Love To Say Da Da, Holidays and Look Changed for BWPS? Were "Worms" and "Da Da" considered to be "too weird" by Brian's management?

Who knows? Probably. It's bummer to lose the "Worms" and "Da-Da" titles, because they were downright groovy.

[John]

I'd imagine that the introduction (or re-introduction) of lyrics were partly responsible in changing the titles...

[37!ws]

Ever think that maybe those were just placeholder/working titles? And we can't say that "Do You Like Worms" was necessarily a definite title just because it was on the (not final) track list on the cover because 1) that wasn't the final track list, obviously, and 2) Brian had to refer to the music as something.

It's nothing unusual -- Brian used other alternate titles such as "We Don't Know," "I Hate Rock'n'Roll," "Even Steven," "I Don't Have A Title," and my personal favorite, "You're Grass And I'm A Power Mower."

[Bill Barnyard]

VDP has of course stated that 'Roll Plymouth Rock' was always that song's title and never 'DYLW', although that's what's written on the original tape box. Bruce Johnston has stated previously that this track was at one point considered for inclusion on the LA Album and that he knew it then ('78/79') as 'Roll Plymouth Rock'.
 
Brian came up with the title to 'Heroes & Villains',  (confirmed by VDP). Cabinessence was the title used on the 20/20 version, probably in error.  From memory I think that Frank Holmes's booklet for 'SMiLE' notes the name as 'Cabin Essence'. I suspect that VDP came up with most of the titles for the 'SMiLE' songs that he was directly involved with.

[brianc]

Ecuse me, but wasn't "Do You Like Worms" the title that was listed on the back of the 1966 album cover?

[Bill Barnyard]

Yep 'DYLW' was on the sleeve and on the tape box but VDP is adamant that it was never called that (by him). Where the 'Worms' title came from no one knows or remembers.

 

[Sheriff John Stone]

Here's a few questions that Ive always wondered about.

3) Why were Do You Like Worms, I Love To Say Da Da, Holidays and Look Changed for BWPS? Were "Worms" and "Da Da" considered to be "too weird" by Brian's management?

Don't get me started!

[BiNNS]

NO, i WANT to get you started. Ha.

[Chris Brown]

I've always been bummed that he changed those titles for BWPS..."Roll Plymouth Rock" is so dull compared to "Do You Like Worms".  One of the main things that attracted me to Smile in the first place was those titles.  You see a song title like "Love to Say Da-Da" and curiosity makes you want to hear it.  They're just cool song titles, and I'm not really a fan of the new ones on BWPS.  Obviously they correspond with some of the new lyrics and make more sense that way, but I really wish they had kept the titles intact.

[Aegir]

VDP has of course stated that 'Roll Plymouth Rock' was always that song's title and never 'DYLW', although that's what's written on the original tape box. Bruce Johnston has stated previously that this track was at one point considered for inclusion on the LA Album and that he knew it then ('78/79') as 'Roll Plymouth Rock'.

Didn't it say Do You Like Worms on Brian's teleprompter during the Smile shows?

[Bicyclerider]

And the lyrics Frank Holmes got from Van Dyke included the title Do You Like Worms - there's worms in his illustration as well.  I suspect the title was Brian's and Van Dyke's memory about never knowing it by that name is faulty.

Surf's Up, Cabin Essence, Wonderful, I'm in Great Shape, Child is Father - Van Dyke's titles.

Good Vibrations, Worms, Heroes, The Elements/Mrs. O'Leary's Cow/Dada, Vegetables - Brian

Old Master Painter/Sunshine - traditional, chosen by Brian

Wind Chimes - ? Brian, although since Van Dyke wrote the lyrics it may be Van Dyke's title - but if Brian came up with the idea of a song about wind chimes, and that's the title, I'd give the credit to him.

[wgolly]

didn't it have something to do with when you flip a rock over, there's usually worms underneath?

[brianc]

Dude, "Wind Chimes" is like "Solar System" or that song about the cigarette in the toilet making a pssst sound. It's a total Brian Wilson slice-of-life song. "Hanging down from my window, those are my wind chimes..."

[John]

didn't it have something to do with when you flip a rock over, there's usually worms underneath?

I just thought it started out on a play on "dig" both as in "use a spade or shovel" and as in "like". "Do You Dig Worms?" in the garden, kinda makes sense, and from there it's a short jump to "dig = like".

[Bicyclerider]

Dude, "Wind Chimes" is like "Solar System" or that song about the cigarette in the toilet making a pssst sound. It's a total Brian Wilson slice-of-life song. "Hanging down from my window, those are my wind chimes..."

When it came out on Smiley Smile it was credited only to Brian Wilson, but Van Dyke has said he wrote the lyrics and Brian has given him 50/50 writer's credit on BWPS.  I agree it certainly seems like something Brian could have written on his own, and there are no "Van Dykisms" that stand out to identify it as Parksian, but Brian and Van Dyke seem to be standing by Van writing the lyrics.

Van Dyke could write "simple" lyrics when he wanted to, like "Vegetables" - although I believe Brian rewrote the song to take out the Parksian "squished the stalk green" and "cornucopia" original lyrics.

[Roger Ryan]

didn't it have something to do with when you flip a rock over, there's usually worms underneath?

I just thought it started out on a play on "dig" both as in "use a spade or shovel" and as in "like". "Do You Dig Worms?" in the garden, kinda makes sense, and from there it's a short jump to "dig = like".

"Do You Dig Worms?" is a great song title; "Do You Like Worms?" notsomuch. All of these early titles are fine for the unfinished original tracks (and should be labeled as such if a SMiLE box set is ever issued), but I think it was a wise idea to alter the titles once the songs took on new lyrical content. The lyrics to "In Blue Hawaii" would simply clash with a title like "I Love To Say Dada".

[shelter]

but Van Dyke has said he wrote the lyrics and Brian has given him 50/50 writer's credit on BWPS. 

Didn't they have a Lennon/McCartney type of agreement that everything they'd work on would get a 50/50 credit, no matter who did how much?

[37!ws]

Yeah, but here's a little-known secret: VDP's name originally came first, then after a year they switched 'em. 35 years later, VDP was criticized for asking the names to be reversed on the songs again. 

[brianc]

The lyrics to "In Blue Hawaii" would simply clash with a title like "I Love To Say Dada".

I think it would have been cool.

[wgolly]

didn't it have something to do with when you flip a rock over, there's usually worms underneath?

I just thought it started out on a play on "dig" both as in "use a spade or shovel" and as in "like". "Do You Dig Worms?" in the garden, kinda makes sense, and from there it's a short jump to "dig = like".

forgot about that other title.   that's probably right.  I think those all those titles were brian's along with the windchime lyrics. 

[TdHabib]

VDP has of course stated that 'Roll Plymouth Rock' was always that song's title and never 'DYLW', although that's what's written on the original tape box. Bruce Johnston has stated previously that this track was at one point considered for inclusion on the LA Album and that he knew it then ('78/79') as 'Roll Plymouth Rock'.

Didn't it say Do You Like Worms on Brian's teleprompter during the Smile shows?

I don't know, but it did say in bold and italics right after "In Blue Hawaii", SING SLOWLY, which always tickled me. I saw that in Beautiful Dreamer.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't know, but it did say in bold and italics right after "In Blue Hawaii", SING SLOWLY, which always tickled me. I saw that in Beautiful Dreamer.

I found that somewhat disconcerting. Lyrical prompts I can understand, but needing to be reminded how to sing a song ?

[Mr. Cohen]

I just thought it started out on a play on "dig" both as in "use a spade or shovel" and as in "like". "Do You Dig Worms?" in the garden, kinda makes sense, and from there it's a short jump to "dig = like".

"Do You Dig Worms?" could also be interpreted as posing a question to the worms. How do they feel about Plymouth rock "rolling over" and disturbing their way of life? Do they dig it? White man's expansion was disturbing the pristine quality of America's natural bounties, spreading disease and leading to deforestation, along with numerous other harmful effects.

[37!ws]

I found that somewhat disconcerting. Lyrical prompts I can understand, but needing to be reminded how to sing a song ?

I wouldn't be surprised...he might have had a habit of singing it too quickly...he has at least one habit that drives me a little bit nuts...the way he sings "God Only Knows" -- "God only knows whaddeyed be without you..." Every concert, filmed performance, whatever, that I've seen or heard, from ANY year, that has Brian singing GOK, he sings it like that instead of the triplet way (which is one reason I'm extremely confident that it's CARL, not Brian, singing the lead on the "disc 5" version).

From what I understand, the prompters also had (notice past tense -- he hasn't been using them lately) stage directions, like "exit to the left," "talk," etc.