The Smiley Smile Message Board

There are a lot of terrific candidates, which would you guys select? In terms of songs on which they're the only two with writing credits.

Good Vibrations and I Get Around have to be way up there.

Side two of Today and Summer Days both have a ton of great stuff.

Post-Smile, I love Let The Wind Blow, Do It Again, All I Wanna Do, Cool Cool Water, That Same Song, Let Us Go On This Way, Goin On.

What are your favorites?

My favorite is The Warmth of the Sun.

Well obviously it's Good Vibrations.

This gives me the chance to mention an early?? pressing of GV I once saw for sale without Mike Love listed on the composer credit. We're there many of these?

Off the top of my head:

Please Let Me Wonder
She Knows Me Too Well
Catch a Wave
Be True to Your School
Let the Wind Blow
Aren't You Glad
California Girls
It's OK
Do It Again
The Warmth of the Sun

Oh, holy freakazoid, everyone knows it's "Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson."  :3d

For an actual singing collaboration (instead of however one attempts to classify the above...), it's "Devoted to You."

"The Warmth of the Sun." For the melody and for Mike's lyrics, which turn a tragedy into something positive.

GV and the Wild Honey LP

Yes!!!!

I've got to go with Good Vibrations and The Warmth of the Sun. The lyrics to Good Vibrations are poetry, and the lyrics to The Warmth of the Sun so perfectly fit the sorrowful, reflective melody.

Matchpoint of Our Love

Endless amounts but you do have to say 'good vibrations'

Wild Honey LP my vote.

"Love is still the only game in town" is totally stating the obvious, it's plain to see that Mike is the one who was and will always be pre-ordained to have the god-given right to cowrite all the songs with Brian Wilson, he's the only game in town after guys like Van have been rightly chased away

To be serious for a moment, horrible lyrics aside, this song is utterly great in every way. I'm absolutely convinced if it had decent lyrics written by somebody else, it would be known as a minor BBs classic. It somehow bridges both yacht rock and disco in a brilliant way.

I can stomach the bad lyrics and it's still a classic in my book, but I just mean with non embarrassing lyrics this song would have some public respect because musically and vocally it's absolutely outtasight.

I am not native in English, which is propably the reason I've always LOVED this tune. I don't mind the lyrics, I see why a lot of people find them horrible, but I listen more the music and everything about this tune just is so classic to me (though obviosluy not the lyrics, they are just OK to me). Brian sings so damn well on it, the production is great clean late 70s style and the melody is so beautiful.

Agreed completely

I know I'll probably get flack for this but "When Girls Get Together" is probably my favorite colab between Mike and Cousin Brian. I love the circle of life nature of the lyrics and the music is so joyous.

The question was "greatest" not your favourite - so you deserve what you get.

California Girls - a masterpiece
Kiss Me Baby - another masterpiece that highlights the contrast between Brian's and Mike's voices. Terrific bass vocal and lyrics.
Warmth Of The Sun - brilliant.
Aren't You Glad - The studio version is a favorite, the Live In London version is one of the best live tracks the band ever released.

What makes something great can be subjective. For me if something is my favorite, it's great. So there.  :P

I’m with you. Frankly put I usually couldn’t give two shits about lyrics if the music’s good , as long as it’s not spouting Megan Thee Stallion trash, Toby Keith  right wing bullshit, or overly pretentious “look at how intelligent I am , you plebes “ circle jerk nonsense. I can’t relate to The Beach Boys early material lyrically; I live in Houston and the closest beach here is disgusting , and summer is my least favorite time of year (I hate hot weather)….but it’s the music, the vocals, just the overall sound that moves me. It’s what I vibe with. To quote Martin Gore…words are meaningless/and forgettable. People lie with words. Chords don’t bullshit; the mixolydian scale will not lead you astray for instance.  So for this, I don’t care what Brian’s singing about; he sounds really good and I dig the melody. That’s enough for me.

Appreciate what you're saying, but even the instrumental track of that stinker makes me gag.

No offense to anyone who loves it.

This will be a minority opinion, but what the heck....one of my favorite collaborations is Little St. Nick.  Mike's lyrics are as cool as anything he ever wrote.  I have too many others to list, just wanted to throw that out there.

if Greatest == liked by most people, critics and their biggest hit, then Good Vibrations obviously.

And i do remember in the "what are mike loves best lyrics?" thread or posts ive read everyone says Good Vibrations...He really did do a great job with that...It was prior to his constant callbacks of their previous hits...it wasnt "im picking up good vibrations, shes giving me california girls..." or some crap

Everyone can have a different opinion, obviously, but i agree with the other poster who said its obviously Good Vibrations. Just going by what the chart success, sales and critical opinion. on Rolling Stones greatest songs on all time its listed, i think, (too lazy to google) at number 2 after Like a rolling stone.

Gettin’ Hungry

I am with you on this one. This song gives me goosebumps every time! It has that genuine BW sincerity to it. I love the vocal. I love the production. I never understand why this song gets bashed so much. This one and "Somewhere Near Japan" to me are the hidden gems of the '80s/'90s Beach Boys output (scarce as it is). (And I do realize this song dates from much earlier). So underappreciated.