Throw Me A Cool BBs Line

[Jay]

In my opinion, Surf's Up is one of the greatest examples of lyric composition ever, in the history of the 1960's, or any point in the history of song writing. It's second only to Dylan.

Second to Dylan? Hell no!! Surf's Up is a better song than Bob Dylan ever wrote! Brian oughta donate his ear to the Smithsonian!

So, SU would win against....Desolation Row, for example?

[Mikie]

Oh, hell yeah! You kiddin' me?? Desolation Row, Blowing in the Wind, Times They Are a Changing, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, It Ain't Me Babe, Tamborine Man, Like A Rollin' Stone, Rainy Day Women, All Along The Watchtower, all of 'em can't hold a candle to Surf's Up!

[summerinparadise.flac]

"Its automatic when I talk with old friends..."

[Runaways]

For the I just wasn't made for these times bit, I never read the lyrics anywhere but always clearly heard it as "Can't Find Nothin', To Put My Heart and Soul Into" .

You've got to realize too there's 3 or 4 people singing right there, it may be that one of them is saying something different, so it makes it a little cloudy.  It would be really easy to have one guy go "Can't find the right thing" and one guy go "Can't find Nothin'" and one guy go "Can't find anything" .  

i've always heard "can't find the right thing", and listening again now, that's all i hear, it doesn't sound muddled to me at all. 

[The Heartical Don]

In my opinion, Surf's Up is one of the greatest examples of lyric composition ever, in the history of the 1960's, or any point in the history of song writing. It's second only to Dylan.

I agree, although I won't compare it with Dylan. The poetry of SU is of a different kind. About innocence, loss of innocence, innocence reinstated, found again in children... and that's half of the story. The other half is decadence, fall of civilization, towers crumbling... and hope that a renaissance is possible. The two mingle of course: every individual experiences the loss of youth, and the hard fact that mortality is there for all of us, no one excepted. For me the song means that our children carry the personalities of their creators into the future in some way; but we ourselves may through our beliefs be immortal in a spiritual way.

I wouldn't know what atheists, or agnostics, make of the above.

[Jay]

In my opinion, Surf's Up is one of the greatest examples of lyric composition ever, in the history of the 1960's, or any point in the history of song writing. It's second only to Dylan.

I agree, although I won't compare it with Dylan. The poetry of SU is of a different kind. About innocence, loss of innocence, innocence reinstated, found again in children... and that's half of the story. The other half is decadence, fall of civilization, towers crumbling... and hope that a renaissance is possible. The two mingle of course: every individual experiences the loss of youth, and the hard fact that mortality is there for all of us, no one excepted. For me the song means that our children carry the personalities of their creators into the future in some way; but we ourselves may through our beliefs be immortal in a spiritual way.

I wouldn't know what atheists, or agnostics, make of the above.

And this is why The Don is my favorite poster on this messageboard.  VDP himself could not have said it better.

[The Heartical Don]

In my opinion, Surf's Up is one of the greatest examples of lyric composition ever, in the history of the 1960's, or any point in the history of song writing. It's second only to Dylan.

I agree, although I won't compare it with Dylan. The poetry of SU is of a different kind. About innocence, loss of innocence, innocence reinstated, found again in children... and that's half of the story. The other half is decadence, fall of civilization, towers crumbling... and hope that a renaissance is possible. The two mingle of course: every individual experiences the loss of youth, and the hard fact that mortality is there for all of us, no one excepted. For me the song means that our children carry the personalities of their creators into the future in some way; but we ourselves may through our beliefs be immortal in a spiritual way.

I wouldn't know what atheists, or agnostics, make of the above.

And this is why The Don is my favorite poster on this messageboard.  VDP himself could not have said it better.

I am blushing... really. You just made my day, Jay. Often, in the middle of the night, when I can't really sleep, I try to make sense of my favourite pieces of art, and to find the right words why I love them so dearly. Thanks for the sweet words.

[JimC1702]

"Could I ever find in you again,
things that made me love you so much then?"

"Oh what she does to me
when she makes love to me."

[Fall Breaks]

"I feel so high and so far within yooooooou"

[b00ts]

Sherry, don't her guts just 'cause she took me away/
and maybe you wanna make friends with her someday

Somewhat awkward.

That is putting it mildly, sir. I can't make any chocolate of it (Dutch expression).

My new one:

Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee
My name is Brian and I'm the man
I write hit songs with a wave of my hand
Songs of surf and sun and sand
I make great music with my band
Songs you dance to and songs of joy
I'm the original Beach Boy

Don, you forced me to put on Smart Girls again. Now I just need to be held for a while... (shudder)

[Mikie]

"I feel so high and so far within yooooooou"

What song is that from again?

[Fall Breaks]

Soulful Old Man Sunshine!

[Mikie]

Oh yeah!  Geez, what was I thinkin'! 

[summerinparadise.flac]

Vege-Red-table-tomatoe

[Ganz Allein]

The pine-scented air,
Smells so good in the snow,
In our toboggan we'll go,
Screaming down the mountainside

I've always loved this verse, too.  Some nice picturesque and romantic lines in TTGA. It's one of those songs that proves Brian can (or could) write a good lyric when he really tries. I wonder if he was trying to go for the complete opposite of the surf thing here with a lyric about winter sports.  I'll bet the "Bob got a job" type of lines that people often throw out as an example of Brian's poor lyric writing are really more of him being asked to help but just not giving a foda.

[Myk Luhv]

I always thought Brian was a fine lyricist. He writes pop music, and he is just a direct and more or less unvarnished fellow. Consider much of side two of Today! for examples of what are, I think, the most consistent example of Brian's lyric-writing abilities. "Please Let Me Wonder", "Kiss Me Baby", "She Knows Me Too Well", and "In The Back Of My Mind" are not poetic to be sure; these songs are, however, sentiments that most everyone has felt at some point and have, accordingly, expressed themselves with simple-but-direct lyrics -- the unmediated awkwardness, insecurity, and jealously of Brian Wilson.

[Jay]

Vege-Red-table-tomatoe

Huh? 

[Surfing Moose]

Everything is chrome, man, even my jack

[JimC1702]

"As the sun dips out of sight
couples on the beach at night"

[Ron]

"Oh what she does to me
when she makes love to me."

So... Brian was inspired to write this song of course after he heard the Ronnettes "Be My Baby", and by Ronnie herself; and then played it for Phil, who ended up marrying Ronnie. 

No wonder Phil didn't like the song, lol. 

[Sam_BFC]

I always thought Brian was a fine lyricist. He writes pop music, and he is just a direct and more or less unvarnished fellow. Consider much of side two of Today! for examples of what are, I think, the most consistent example of Brian's lyric-writing abilities. "Please Let Me Wonder", "Kiss Me Baby", "She Knows Me Too Well", and "In The Back Of My Mind"

Wasn't Mike responsible for much of these?

That said, I agree he has done some great lyrics...course we need not look any further than the immortal lyrics of Til I Die

[Mikie]

"Please Let Me Wonder" - Brian Wilson/Mike Love
"Kiss Me Baby" - Brian Wilson/Mike Love
"She Knows Me Too Well" - Brian Wilson/Mike Love
"In The Back Of My Mind" - Brian Wilson/Mike Love (credited to Mike after the '94 lawsuit)

So yeah, Mike did write very good lyrics for the "Today" album. 

[Myk Luhv]

Oh, I guess the surfer moon site didn't update its listings then. Those were awarded during the '94 lawsuit? Well, okay, Mike was a good lyricist at that time then if he did actually write 'em!

[Mikie]

The "Surfer Moon" web site is not a good source for correct information.  They haven't updated it in years.

[Paulos]

The "Surfer Moon" web site is not a good source for correct information.  They haven't updated it in years.

They have updated the album archive slightly to include That Lucky Old Sun, Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition and Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin but not A Postcard From California, poor Al! The track archive is also woefully incomplete as it's missing tracks from Endless Harmony, Hawthorne, Lost & Found (also missing from the album archive) and doesn't have separate entries for the SMiLE tracks released on the Good Vibrations Box. This has inspired me to do my own Super Ultra Complete And Comprehensive Beach Boys And Beach Boys Related Track Archive which is an ongoing project and somewhat a labour of love.