The Smiley Smile Message Board

Is it safe to assume that this excellent song was written about Brian's wife's sister Diane?
Has Brian ever spoken specifically about this song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7WFwRFid0

Odd that this one, "It's Over Now" and "Still I Dream Of It" are all basically from the same pool of songs. "My Diane" is indeed assumed to be about Diane. "It's Over Now" details a breakup and features Marilyn singing the bridge, what, a year within their divorce? How was that proposed? "Still I Dream Of It" seems to point to the two having separated, too.

Wasn't "Marilyn Rovell" from around this time, too? Sheesh.

'My Diane' is such a heartbreaking song.

I think by the Adult Child sessions, Brian was bleeding on tape, many of the songs from this period are about Brian's fracturing relationship with Marilyn and the complications with Diane and all. Must've been a very hard period for all of them.

I concur.

No assumption required.

"My Diane" is about Diane Rovell. AGD asked her - as per: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12172.msg244041.html#msg244041 (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12172.msg244041.html#msg244041)

Yeah. And "Let's put our hearts together", although pre-dates those songs is also interesting in its subject matter adn that it features a shared lead. In that case, when asked, Brian explained his choice of including Marilyn on his own inability to hit those notes.

I thought of that one after the post, too. I don't think it predates them by much, the piano demos include three of those songs. Brian could hit those notes - see his parts after the verses on "Aiplane", and one wonders why he wouldn't have someone else do the part. Strangeness all around.

Consider "The Night Was So Young" was about yet another person. Imagine being in such a situation.

Yeah, and can I add - I'll Bet He's Nice - which I think draws on these same lyrical theme pool of love, loss, regret and self-doubt, generated from the scenario of stumbling through a deteriorating marriage while juggling time with an additional 2 lovers.

The Brian Loves You (maybe that's what the title means) cut really kicks when he hits the middle eight (as appreciated by those in the room at the time)

Another one from Brian to Stevie Nicks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV0FqR6a2Q8

& this is from Christine McVie to Dennis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VwG0Dm4VBA

I think "Matchpoint of Our Love" has to be about Marilyn.

I think Brian wrote Love is a Woman just so he could get lade  ;)

My Diane, Stevie, Only Over You, all incredible songs.

Stevie with a Carl verse vocal and a group chorus vocal would have been great.

That link gave me my first listen of "Stevie," and I love it. I think it is easily among the best of the second-half-of-the-70s Brian compositions, if not the best.

Did Brian even have a hand in those lyrics? I mean it could've been a Pet Sounds-esque Brian dictates feelings, lyricist translates feelings into lyrics, but I can't see Brian being behind the tennis metaphors.

"Man... Marilyn and I... I just can't believe it... she wants me to sign the papers next week, I just can't do it. It's like..."
"... like a tennis game, and this is the matchpoint of your love, cousin Brian?"
"Uh... yeah, I guess."
"HEH HEH HEH... (Genius!)"

 :lol

That's what makes Brian/Mike collaborations so beautiful.

I cringe at the 'vibrations' part in the first verse. Simply do due to my immediate associationg with GV, and I am an ardent hater of refering to older songs (obviously this is hardly that, but I still think of it!).

My personal opinion, and I could be full of sh*t, is that Brian wrote it about Marilyn (of course) even though he was close to Diane, but at the last minute changed it to "My Diane" just to avoid putting something so intimate on record.

that "EVERYTHING IS WRONNNNG MAN, NOTHING IS RIGHTTT... I WANT YOU BACK WITH ALL OF MY MIGHTTTT"

is one of the most intimate things he ever wrote.


....except it's about his sister in law.  So it must just be a song, eh? 

Interesting opinion, but I think you have to take it at face value - around that time Brian was seemingly compelled to put the most intimate (raw) shi* he could come up with on record, rather than avoiding or watering down subject matter.

But, yeah, incredible and gutsy lyrics, and more than just a song - either way.

I might be looking too much into it as well but I kind of see it as maybe Brian knowing he was done with Marilyn was looking to the next best thing, her sister.  Realizing that could never be as well, he had to accept that it was all really over.

Brian and Diane were known to be very close, though. Probably closer than we'll ever be made aware of. Replacing one person's name with her sister's doesn't add up - not only would it be needlessly confusing, but if you're gonna do that, why not just replace the name with someone who's not your wife or wife's sister/your, uh, girlfriend of sorts. I'm really thinking it's about Diane.

EVERYTHING IS WRRROOONNNGGG, MAAAAAN.

is that line "man"? I thought it was "and".

Yer not wrong.

Ummm... think you'll find that Brian & Diane were, and for quite a long period of time. Documented in several books.

But it'd be funnier if it were "man". EVERYTHING IS WRONG, MAAAAN

"Everything is wrong and nothing is right" is pretty funny. I mean, if everything is wrong than to say nothing is right is redundant.

I just spit my soy milk on my keyboard.  :lol

( :'()

I've always felt that that line, and the somewhat inane melody it's set to, rather badly deflate a song that otherwise seemed so loaded with impassioned promise.  (The verses are great, though.)

Guess I'm simple minded, but to me the song is perfect.  One of the greatest heartbreak songs ever written.  When you are in that place, a lot of fancy words don't do the trick.  And the performance captures all of  it.  One of the few songs not on the GV box that I felt really needed to be on it.

The composition itself is fantastic, but I dislike Dennis' gravely vocal. Imagine this with a sweet voiced Brian. It would be like Pet Sounds.

Nah, you need that rough voice. It's very emotive.

Gotta say I agree with Aegir and co. on this one. Dennis sounds like Diane ended things with him, and Brian's backing vocals sound equally as pained.

Still, a Pet Sounds-esque vocal out of Brian probably would have been fairly effective as well.

I think Dennis's vocal is the best part of it.  The roughness of his voice complements the song.

Agreed 100%.

Jesus. Imagine a Monet painting perfectly in focus...then it would be like a photograph.

r u maken fun of uz

it not funny

I can only imagine how awkward it must have been for Brian to present this song to the other guys -- or for Dennis to sing it. And yet it somehow seems appropriate (or appropriately f***ed-up) that he got his brother to sing this song about his sister-in-law -- though Brian's [?] vocal contributions (high harmonies, doubling Dennis on "Everything is wrong.." bit, the "I love you Diane!" bit) only add to the pathos. I think in not singing the verses himself, Brian made an already pretty emotional song at least more so... well, and weirder too.

Brian absolutely chose the right voice for that song. the song would be so much lessened if any other Beach Boy sang it, in my opinion. The singng is awesome on that one..

Perfectly summarized.

Always thought it was kind of amusing that people would get upset about lines that are technically redundant. It was likely obvious to the writers of stuff like this that it's redundant, but they're using it to drive the point home. "Everything is wrong, nothing is right - hey, that's redundant, just like my God damn life :'("

"Upset" is a strong word.  On a scale from "ravaged with crippling dismay" through to "sufficiently diverted that I might be drawn to comment on it on a Beach Boys themed discussion forum", it's probably towards the latter end of the spectrum.

(Yes, five days.  I've been away.)

My Diane is THE best Brian song with Denny on vocals, period

I don't know about that. "In The Back Of My Mind"? "Mona"? I'd definitely take both of those over "My Diane". All three are great though.

I like My Diane better than Mona. But maybe not better than Baseball. Good Timin' with the Dennis vocal is pretty awesome too. I WANNA PICK YOU UP!

Hell, they're all great. I love this band.

GUESS U HERD ABOUT IT
PISSED OFF AND MAD ABOUT IT
SO LET ME SCREAM AND SHOUT IT
PISSED OFF AND MAD THE FUCK ABOUTI T

Yo man, I TOTALLY agree with you about this. calling someone "upset" for commenting on something on a messageboard is just a way of demeaning other viewpoints that aren't your own. screw those guys.

Yeah, I agree.  I like it the way it is, I think the simplicity of the chorus if you can call it a chorus fits the theme.  It's Brian being a 5 year old, like usual.  He has a side of him that's very childish, so to write a song that's very childish is a very intimate way to write.  The most you can expect out of a great songwriter is to write something that's REAL to them, and that's about the realest I've ever heard Brian write. 

Brian didn't write The Wanderer and Do You Wanna Dance. But I'm sure you know that and are quite familiar with the classic original versions.

Song woulda been better if Bruce sang it through a vocoder.
Fact.

I wouldn't call them definitive. Especially as The Beach Boys' The Wanderer doesn't even begin to approach the greatness of Dion's.

YES

And then with the "I love you Diane, I miss you Diane" part have the harmonies put through a phaser like the sound at the beginning and end of It's Over Now.