The Smiley Smile Message Board

You know the one where the lyrics were written by Tony Asher ('I bet I know what she's like' lyrics).
I don't know I like the lyrics better. They're so sweet and the harmonies are way better. Plus the bass solo near the end is just amazing!!

I don't prefer it----I like both versions. If the 45 version is spiritual, this one is most definitely terrestrial. Love the weird break at 2:35!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2SabvaOjQ

I like both versions musically, but definitely not Asher's lyrics. They sound like placeholders for the then-unwritten final lyrics.

I don't hate Mike's lyrics, but all that "Excitations" sh*t is pointless. Even Brian said that he didn't want those lyrics on the record but Mike insisted.

I preferred the original version from the first time I heard it, it has a much more organic sound that just sits better with me.

I hate Mike's lyrics ...

I love the "hum-be-dum" section.  Shoulda kept it.

The 2004 BWPS version is a nice hybrid.

The released single is perfection! But I do like the early version. It adds emotion. But it's like comparing Pet Sounds with Wild Honey! The latter adds soul while losing some perfection. I prefer the perfection, but like the soulful versions too.

I've usually found Tony Asher's lyrical work with the Beach Boys more poetic than Mike Love's more down-to-earth approach, sure.  But then, every so often, Love would pen something so simple and so very 'right' ("All I Wanna Do," anyone?), that I'd be reminded of Michael's genuine (if what I find to be sadly underused) ability for more elegant expression.

I'm glad every time an early version of any published work is made available.  I nearly always find them fascinating (and GV is by no means an exception, there) and often end up enjoying them even more than their better-known counterparts.  But in the case of "Good Vibrations" -- while I certainly have an appreciation for Asher's efforts -- it is Love's lyrical contribution which wins out for me.


Now, if we're speaking strictly on the merits of the music?  It's no contest.  As others have already stated, the 45 is, quite simply, perfection.

Here's to another fifty years!

I prefer the hit 45 as released in 1966. No question. I dont prefer the hum-de-do addition, although it is interesting. From start to finish the 45 is sonic perfection. One of the few songs I can listen to in constant loop for a long time.

I hadn't heard that before - do you happen to know the source for that?

Never cared for the early version.  The lyrics strike me as a bit awkward and the vocal is pretty rough.  I think it's perfect the way it was released (and apparently so did the record buying public).

Very interesting version, never heard it till now.