TommyPlural
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« on: June 04, 2013, 08:46:13 AM » |
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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?
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STE
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« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2013, 10:24:53 AM » |
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With his old guitar he makes up songs to sing.
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ontor pertawst
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L♡VE ALWAYS WINS
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« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2013, 10:29:20 AM » |
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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.
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Melt Away
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« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2013, 10:39:28 AM » |
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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.
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TimmyC
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« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2013, 10:44:00 AM » |
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I for one think it's an interesting question for which I have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever... anyone? Bueller?? Bueller??
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Mike's Beard
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« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2013, 10:48:02 AM » |
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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".
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I'd rather be forced to sleep with Caitlyn Jenner then ever have to listen to NPP again.
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SenorPotatoHead
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« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2013, 12:11:56 PM » |
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He starts with "Well" and it all flows from there.
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Lowbacca
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please let me wonder
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« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2013, 12:17:37 PM » |
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He uses something that is called a "kesha": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsZ8nGkPUM - similar to what Melt Away envisioned.
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Mendota Heights
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« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2013, 01:03:26 PM » |
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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.
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I have been dubbed Mr. Pet Sounds and Mr. Country Love by polite and honored board member Smile Brian. I hope I live up to those esteemed titles.
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Pretty Funky
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« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2013, 03:04:06 PM » |
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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.
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TommyPlural
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« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2013, 03:08:05 PM » |
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Sounds like it's safe to say that many of Mike's mental processes are a complete mystery.
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ontor pertawst
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« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2013, 03:17:00 PM » |
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As Mike Love above, so below.
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c-man
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« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2013, 03:49:26 PM » |
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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.
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SummerInParadise23
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« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2013, 03:50:28 PM » |
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Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.
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Mr. Cohen
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« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2013, 03:59:51 PM » |
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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...
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Mendota Heights
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« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2013, 05:21:18 PM » |
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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.
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« Last Edit: June 05, 2013, 12:48:03 AM by Swedish Frog »
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I have been dubbed Mr. Pet Sounds and Mr. Country Love by polite and honored board member Smile Brian. I hope I live up to those esteemed titles.
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bossaroo
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« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2013, 08:13:36 PM » |
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Mike is the Executive Producer of all his songs. and don't you forget it.
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Melt Away
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« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2013, 09:41:04 PM » |
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Can anyone answer his question in a mature respectful way? I'm interested to know as well.
Why don't you tell us....MIKE?!?!?!?!?!?
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Phoenix
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« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2013, 10:31:26 PM » |
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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?
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Micha
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« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2013, 12:16:47 AM » |
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He starts with "Well" and it all flows from there. ...and ends on "now"!
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Ceterum censeo SMiLEBrianum OSDumque esse excludendos banno.
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SurfRiderHawaii
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« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2013, 01:05:30 AM » |
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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.
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"Brian is The Beach Boys. He is the band. We're his f***ing messengers. He is all of it. Period. We're nothing. He's everything" - Dennis Wilson
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Rocker
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« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2013, 04:52:56 AM » |
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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
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a diseased bunch of mo'fos if there ever was one… their beauty is so awesome that listening to them at their best is like being in some vast dream cathedral decorated with a thousand gleaming American pop culture icons.- Lester Bangs on The Beach Boys PRO SHOT BEACH BOYS CONCERTS - LISTTo sum it up, they blew it, they blew it consistently, they continue to blow it, it is tragic and this pathological problem caused The Beach Boys' greatest music to be so underrated by the general public.- Jack Rieley
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TommyPlural
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« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2013, 08:43:51 AM » |
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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.
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Mr. Cohen
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« Reply #23 on: June 05, 2013, 09:34:10 AM » |
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I hate to say it, but I don't think anyone asks Mike Love about his songwriting process.
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Shady
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« Reply #24 on: June 05, 2013, 10:45:54 AM » |
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He makes a long list of words that rhyme with Sun, Fun and vibrations and takes it from there.
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According to someone who would know.
Seriously, there was a Beach Boys Love You condom?! Amazing.
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