The Smiley Smile Message Board

It's almost like Carl wrote these songs as farewell letters to his children and to Brian (or Dennis). Did he already know he had a life-threatening disease when he wrote/recorded these two songs?

Justyn Wilson told me that he remembers attending B-L-W sessions as early as '92/'93.

Yeah, I know the project already started around 1993, but it still wasn't finished when Carl died, so those two songs could be from any time between 1993 and 1998.

The project - initially tagged 'Trio' -  was first officially announced in summer 1993 (although pre-production work on it began in February 1992), and was worked on sporadically up to two weeks before Carl's diagnosis was made public in spring 1997. Most of Carl's vocals are work vocals.

And yet, they sound so damn fine, as did just about everything the man ever sung.  Didn't somebody say he could sing the telephone book and make it sound great?  Honesty, "I Wish For You" just moves me to tears, and I'm sure it would even if Carl were still with us. 

I got the Beckley-Lamm-Wilson CD a few days ago and "I Wish For You" moved me to tears as well. And it happened just once before in my whole life that a song managed to do that.

What was the other song?

A Dutch song called "Het Dorp" by Wim Sonneveld. It describes how an old man who has lived in the same town for his whole life sees everything and everyone around him slowly changing or dissapearing and realizes that the town he grew up in is gone for good. Both my grandfathers died in the last few years and the song describes perfectly how I think they must have felt in the last years of their lives.

Several years ago I was told I had a life threatening condition that might possibly be reversed IF the treatment worked.

Around that time I was  listening to the BLW album and moved deeply by some of the songs.  I still find those songs very moving and it is almost like Carl was facing his own mortality with the songs.  Some he didn't write but he must have choosen them for a reason.

In particular I Wish For You but also the song Today.  That seemed a powerful statement of truly seeing and appreciating what you have right now......today. 

Glad some others have been moved as I have by this music. 

We used "I Wish For You" at the Sydney get together last Sunday for a short powerpoint display featuring Carl - brilliant song that a few there had never heard before - there were a few teary eyes around.

Off the top of my head he DID co-write 4 of the 5 songs he sings lead on.

I agree though. I Wish For You also moved me emotionally, I think that's Carl's best song he ever wrote. I remember someone saying (I think it was on this board) that his songs sounded insincere and I just thought to myself "WHAT??". No offence if that person reads this post as everyone is entitled to an opinion of course but that is one of Carl's most sincere and beautiful lead vocals he ever did in my opinion.

"I Wish For You" makes me cry every single time I listen to it. When was the song written? It sounds like it was written when Carl was already sick.

I think that the most amazing thing about "I Wish For You" is that it doesn't sound the least bit insincere, even though it does sound like it could've been the theme song for a Disney movie.