The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've read that the song title and lyrics for Hang on to Your Ego were eventually changed to I Know There's an Answer on account of an alleged drug reference in the former song and title.  Maybe I'm just a little naive, but I've listened to Hang on to Your Ego and didn't notice anything suggestive...what am I missing?

I could be wrong because I'm not too keen on drug 'terminology', but I think it refers to the 'ego death' one experiences on LSD.

"They trip through the day..."?

I'm relatively keen on drug terminology...

Ah yes, and then there is the word 'trip'. Don't know why I didn't think about that one as well!

Yep. Timothy Leary and  other endorsers of LSD said that the drug was supposed to desrtoy your ego, in the Freudian definition of the word (not the more comon one).  This was supposed to allow one's Id (primal, child-like) urges to dominatate their personality.

I doubt this was the reason for the change since the lyric is still in the song. The allusion here is to "daytripper", the term used to describe someone who is not commtted to a cause, relationship or scene (which the Beatles used to good effect in the song of the same title). The term "trip" could also mean "stumble", of course, which fits the EGO song concept as well. "Trip" could be a cloaked reference to an "acid trip" as well, but apparently Mike had no problem leaving that lyric in.

I think Melissalyn and Robmac are correct.

For Brian, that seems to have been the case, doesn't it?

This is the worst trip I've ever been on...

I always thought the 'ego' was refering to Mike.

Not according to Freud's definition.

That's more or less my experience,  Also worth adding that my bedroom was a spaceship made out of jelly, and the jackets in my wardrobe were performing an attractive 'Busby-Berkeley'-style song and dance routine for what seemed like 5 hours, but was probably about 4 minutes.

Thank God this title was aborted.

I actually prefer the original lyrics.

Thank God for variety too.  :)

Same here, ascrodin. Although I love both versions,  I prefer 'Ego'.

Awesome! :3d

I prefer "Ego" as well, I dont know why but every time the song gets stuck in my head I end up singing the Ego lyrics instead...

So, being that this song was to be called "HANG ON to your ego", would that make it an anti-drug song? 


Frankly, I think this is the weakest track on Pet Sounds... I usually skip over it.

Yeah, its always seemed kinda ambiguous to me.... Can't tell if its pro-drug or anti-drug. :lol

But what about the line... "Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight"

This reminds of something: didn't Mike Love once refer to "Pet Sounds" as Brian's "ego music"? If true, this quote would suggest that Mike at one time thought this material was a little too self-important and pompous. Could it be that the "Hang On To Your Ego" chorus lyric was  changed because Mike thought it was too personal a statement concerning Brian and not because of its supposed drug reference?

"Hang onto your ego, hang on but I know that you're going to lose the fight".

I dunno if it's anti-drug or even pro-drug myself.  One recent thought I had about Brian during this period (and this extends to the SMiLE-era as well) is that Brian might have been both fascinated by and terrified of the drug culture and what that represented to his development.  It's been said many times that Brian was always caught between growing as an artist and the role that was placed upon him as the leader of thefamily busimess known as the Beach Boys.  He also wanted to grow (and grow up) but he felt absolutely  terrified at the thought of  leaving behind  the people that meant the most to him.  Letting go of "the ego" might have symbolized leaving behind his famly responsiblities  and following his muse. Complete freedom. But as others have found out complete freedom  can mean complete isolation. So taking all this in, that lyric was probably one of the sadly revealing lyrics from the Pet Sounds-era.

I'd always assumed it'd been the case that Mike, having rather an enormous ego himself, would've objected to a song mocking that which he had in such considerable supply. The big-headed git!

(No, 'I Know There's An Answer' is better than 'Ego'. Nothing to do with the lyrics, just a much better, fuller vocal performance. Actually I really like this track a lot, probably one of my P Sounds favourites in fact. It's 'That's Not Me' that I don't get! It's the only song on the album I don't particuarly like.. I just can't find the hook.)

I agree with you there thomasogg.. I love I Know There's An Answer better than Ego too.. and I agree with Thats Not Me aswell.. It sort of just goes nowhere.