The Smiley Smile Message Board

Ok, as BB fans and fanatics all, does anyone else have a BB song - a well-loved, obviously great, highly-regarded BB song - that they don't like, and more to the point that they dare admit a disliking too on this site? With me it'd have to be 'Breakaway'. I know it's a good tune, but except for the brief 'found out it was in my head' interlude in the middle, it just really does nothing for me - i just don't get it! The verses are ok, the chorus leaves me cold, and then it just sort of fades out, very anti-climatic. I much prefer it's B-side - now THAT is a fade!!
I'm not posting this link so everyone can get into a big slanging match ('You don't like Breakaway? You sub-BB fan! What a LOSER!' etc). It'd just be interesting to see what BB songs people actually don't like, away from obvious crap like 'Student Demo Time', and why it is they don't like 'em! Who knows, maybe theirs even a fan somewhere who doesn't rate 'Good Vibrations' or 'God Only Knows'...? 

You don't like Breakaway? You sub-BB fan! What a LOSER!


 ;D


The "great" BB song (well... it was a hit) that I don't like is Barbara Ann. I like all their other great songs!

Another vote for "Barbara -fucking-Ann". I hate this song with a passion that sometimes scares me.

And in the realm of original material, "Don't Worry, Baby" doesn't send me into raptures either.

I don't know if some of these are considered "great" or not.....but here's my thoughts

"Be Still" -  I would be very ashamed if anyone caught me listening to this. Maybe it was "groovy", and "far out" back in 68'....but that doesnt make sense to me, becuase this song gets even worse when you're high. On the other hand, I guess it could be used to lull a person off to sleep, it does seem to have that quality. I guess there's something to be said about that.

"Wendy"  -  annoyingly chipper



huh.....I can't think of anything else right now...

I don't like the fan-favorites "Feel Flows", "All This Is That" & "The Night Was So Young".

All this is that?! I'm shocked!


Really?! I'm shocked, Andrew.In all our convos, you've never given me any indication of that!

You folks all know how I feel about "In the Back of My Mind". "409" gets on my nerves, too, as does "Don't Hurt My Little Sister".

There's just something... cloying about it that sets my teeth on edge, like when my mom used to sing along to hymns on the TV of a Sunday evening.

You don't like 'Don't Worry Baby'? You sub-BB fan! What a LOSER!  :lol

I've never actually been keen on 'Good Vibrations' personally, I don't think it's as interesting as any of the other songs on Pet Sounds or Smile, I suppose you had to be there...! ::)

1. Wild Honey - strained vocal, song drags; the live version with Blondie on lead rocks though

2. Take A Load Off Your Feet - terrible lyrics, tinny vocal, starts and stops, ugh...

3. Melt Away - shouted vocal ruins everything; this song sounds contrived, as if Brian was trying (too hard) to copy a Dennis POB song, with the fade and lyric, but comes up short

"HELP ME RHONDA". The only redeeming factor I han hear is the fact that if I end up old and senile I won't have any problems remembering the lyrics to that song.

I don't consider it "great," but it's a hit: BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL.  I'd like to never hear it again, & it's embarrassing to me that it's included on SOUNDS OF SUMMER & other 'best of' collections.

I agree ! I can't stand that song, although Carl's guitar solo in Sacramento '64 rocks and overall I think it's a pretty interesting production.

Thankfully, having lurked here for a while, I know this isn't going to be too sacriligious - "Forever" is just... aargh! That's not to say that it isn't a pleasant, melodic little ditty, but that the surving members (except for maybe Al Jardine - I know he's cited Pacific Ocean Blue as a "masterpiece" or words to that effect in several interviews) continue to perpetuate the myth that Dennis Wilson's songwriting career began and ended with this cringingly plainspoken love song is absurd.

I can actually think of my least favorite "popular" BB song...Don't Back Down.

I can't stand...
You're So Good To Me...nails on chalkboard..I hate that wimpy chorused guitar and the whole vocal arrangement.

On the other hand Don't Worry Baby still send chills and the background vocals are some of the most beautifully dramatic in the BB's canon... IMO. AGD's description of DWB reminded me of how much I cringe whenever someone talks about how wonderful You're So Good To Me is. This is a highly personal thread...its like talking politics or religion. To pick which classic you hate is definitely going to step on someone else's taste.

Love Carl but hate "I Was Made To Love Her".

Kokomo-overcommercialized tripe, it's only saving grace is Carl, Al and Bruce's vocals
Student Demonstration time-horrendous, a waste of perfectly good acetate
Carly

Cuddle Up, Cabinessence and Do You Wanna Dance.  :P 

This was a hit of sorts, don't know if it's beloved, but I've loathed "Rock and Roll Music" since the first time I heard it. To me, Mike's vocal sounds so phoney and the synths so cheesey that it hurts.  And don't get me started on the BV arrangements......

You're So Good To Me, I'm So Young, Let Him Run Wild...

Ha! Knew that'd get a good reaction! Good debate though, although i'd say some have missed the point somewhat - 'Student Demo Time', 'Take A Load off Your Feet', are these really considered BB classics? Anyway, very surprised by some of the tunes people don't like! Don't Worry Baby and Wendy are two of my very favourite early BB tracks, but then again i gotta admit i'm not overly keen on 'Surfer Girl'.. It's, well, average really, isn't it? 'When you wish upon a starrr...'
Oh, and here's a slightly unrelated point, but if Brian really rates 'Love You' as much as he constantly claims, even going so far as to say it's his fave BB album, why no tracks from it on self-picked compilations such as 'Beach Boys Classics' and 'Warmth of the Sun'? In fact, forgot classic BB songs you don't like - let's here it for classic BB albums you don't like either. Can i quite proudly start by stating that the aforementioned 'Love You' is utterly, totally, absolutely, ridiculously over-rated!

Oh yeh, and can i agree with 'Be True To Your School' being crap...? Thanks.

I like all Beach Boys songs. Even "Summer of Love" or "She Believes in Love Again".

never been a fan of the smiley vegetables...that same bass line over and over just bugs me, it never goes anywhere....and it's funny what brian did with wind chimes, i love the smiley version, but when it gets real loud, kinda ruins it...and then the opening parts of gettin hungry so loud in my ear when i'm trying to listen to "whispering wind" vocals before it....never dug that.

Call me old fashioned, but I can't stand A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TREE and TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION . Although the T.M. SONG was no better. I would of liked to hear a few more cover songs on 15 BIG ONES. If that was Brian's " comeback " album, it sure missed a lot of good stuff that probably were little gems we never heard of.

Ted  :smokin

I know its annoying, but you have to look at it as "Brian humor".  On that level I think its pretty cool, although I always make sure I turn my stereo down before Gettin' Hungry starts so I don't get blasted.

Great topic!!!

I have to echo someone else's comments and cast my vote for "Wild Honey".  Carl strains horribly out of his range, the organ solo is well played but it sounds like its coming from a toy keyboard, the siren-like organ-imitation-theremin-thingy at the beginning is annoying as heck.  Its my least favorite track off of my least favorite 1960's Beach Boys album. 

a classic I don't "like"....

old classics: California Girls (sorry, but it get's boring when it's being played as the opening-track during concerts for over 20 years), Barbara Ann, Darlin' (not bad at all, but heard it too much...)
new classics: Wipe Out (Fat Boys version), Kokomo

Had this question been asked of me five or six years ago, I could be more controversial, as in those days I truly disliked Good Vibrations, Don't Worry Baby, Surfer Girl -- in fact, if you had started with GV and gone back in time, but skipping Pet Sounds, you could pretty much name every tune and I'd have disliked it. I was just not a fan of anything pre-1967.

But times have changed me, and now these are the "best" I have to offer.

Kokomo. Is that too obvious?

California Girls. I am not the biggest fan of the original recording. Sometimes I like live versions more, but the original is just a tad too slow for me. Still brilliant, though. Obviously, as if anyone needs me to confirm it.

Forever. Sure, like anyone else, I love the Stamos version, but..I KID, I KID! But really, I don't dislike Forever either. I just rank it as a middle-of-the-road BBs song. Dennis and the others have done better.

Be True to Your School.

Do it Again. I like some live versions, but the studio one just leaves me flat.

I love a good John Stamos joke....

I would say SDT, but the thread is called Great BB songs....and well SDT is crap.

...and Then I Kissed Her, even though  it is just a cover.

Not to digress, but I have nothing against Stamos. I mean, that cover sucked terribly, but as far as I can tell, that man just took advantage of some good circumstances. If I were given a chance to associate myself with the Beach Boys, I'd have done it, too. Oh, and that whole marrying Rebecca Romijn...I think I'd have been OK with that, too.

Never cared for 4th of July.The song, not the holiday, although parades bore me. Carl's voice sounds sickly sweet on this, and it annoys me. And as much as I loved Carl's voice, it sounds terrible on The Night was So Young. I like the song itself, but he sounds like he was drunk and/or strung out.

No thanks.

I'm not sure if it's considered "great," but I've heard people praise it: Girl Don't Tell Me.  It sounds like a Beatles rip off, which is kind of what it is. And I know Carl was young when he sang it, but if I only ever heard sing that one song, I'd think Brian gave it to him out of pity. His vocal is...eh.

Wild Honey- I just don't get a lot of soul from it, like I guess you're supposed to.

As for Forever, I do like it. I just think it's kind of overrated. It's not Dennis's best song.

What an interesting topic!

My strongest dislikes: Kokomo (heard it too many times...), the entire Summer in Paradise album, Transcendental Meditation, Student Demonstration Time, At My Window, Here Comes the Night (disco), Forever (Stamos remake only...I love the original), A Day in the Life of a Tree.

Mild dislikes: Wendy, Disney Girls, Barbara Ann, 90% of the whole MIU album, Louie Louie, Vegetables (Smiley Smile version), Bluebirds Over the Mountain (depends on my mood...sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't), The Shift, Farmer's Daughter, The Night was So Young.

There are very few songs that I just downright can't stand at all. When I say 'mild dislike', that means I'll probably listen to it, I just won't put it on repeat like I do most Beach Boys albums.

The BB catalog is ripe with sub-par material; however, "great" songs I don't care for include "Help Me Rhonda/Ronda" either version.  It just plain sucks and I've heard it at every live show, best of album, you name it.  I'll second "Barbara Ann" as well, yuck.  Plus, growing up in the late 60s & 70s many of my friends considered these songs to be totally representative of the BBs and they couldn't understand what I saw in the band.

I am going with Good Vibrations first..I mean wonderful song, excellent experimentation in music, but for me I have heard it too much over the years, it just drags on for me now.  Never a fan of Heroes and Villains the Smiley version, I much preferred it live.  Also You Need a Mess of Help and Marcella, they just don't sound like the Beach Boys to me and the lyrics are not good in my opinion. It sounds like The Beach Boys trying too hard to copy someone else's style.  The instrumentals in Pet Sounds too, especially Pet Sounds. They just don't fit for me and I have always skipped over them.

Love You is pretty bad, Spirit of America is my least favorite "classic" song. Not big on Betsy either. Love songs to a car are too much for my head.

I know, and I agree....I'm sure he is just another BB fan like us.....I have nothing against him....I just like a good John Stamos joke. It's hard to explain.

Breakaway....I love the demo version on Endless Harmony, but the version put out is over produced, anti-climatic and I HATE the back up vox..."Break Break Break Break Break----away..." 

Denny's Drums  ::)
Transcendental Meditation
TM Song

Nothing like a mass debate! Off topic i know, in fact not overly related to the Beach Boys at all really, but has anyone here sat through R Kelly's unintentionally hilarious hip h-opera 'Trapped In The Closet', and if so can they please tell me why you Americans don't have any sense of irony..? I mean, really....

I said G*** V******. BARFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF EDIT2013

Don't worry, I said it on Page 1, I know what you mean. I don't get any emotional connection to it myself, I know it was an innovative record but it feels contrived to me - probably because it was very much so! :-D

Let the wind blow still does nothing for me  :-\

I may as well join the fray....
"Don't Worry Baby" & "Help me Rhonda" are my least favorite BB song's.Don't really know why? but they just are....

Big Bri

Fun Fun Fun, nice when they rock it up a bit live but not too keen on this song

I'll have to second You're So Good To Me and Wild Honey, as well.  I am not a big fan of Carl's strained vocals on the latter.  Actually, his vocals on the verses of Darlin' kind of grate on me, too, but I can overlook the vocals because that is just such a great song.  

In addition to "Barbara Ann" and "Help Me Rhonda", I'll toss in "I Get Around".  I think I've just heard it too many times  and it irritates me now.  It's one of the few BB songs that did not get added to my mp3 player.

"you Americans"?

Please, don't tar any population with one brush for the whole lot. Would it work for your country?

409, Little Deuce Coupe, Don't Worry Baby, Help Me Rhonda, Darlin, Forever

On the other hand, here are a few underated songs IMO

Coo Coo Clock, Rocking Surfer, In the Back of My Mind, At My Window, A Day in the Life of a Tree

Sorry to say it but the worst GREAT BB song for me is Good Vibrations. I feel like its too short and doesn't take advantage of some really cool things. That being said, a re-edit of Good Vibrations to make it more structurally similar to the BWPS version pushes it out of my worst category.

Probably, ye. Especially if u were saying 'why are you all so witty, charming, and attractive? With big cocks.'

"And vulgar."  :P

...unless he refers to a rooster (mail chicken)....le coq....but that would probably be insulting for the French amongst us... (or not, Sloop JB?  :-D )

I think we should keep this discussion to where it started with: great BB-songs you don't like.

What? Everyone? Even the women? Ew...

Good lord... Good Vibrations? Really?

I suggest a warning for everyone who mentions GV here and a permanent ban in case anyone would dare to say God Only Knows...  8)

God Only Knows....I mean, give me a break. If I have to hear this song one more time I'm going to throw up. Pure Sap. The lyrics are boring, my dog could've came up with the melody, and the french horn is WAAAYYYY too high in the mix. The tag is nothing but a ridiculous children's round. The ba ba baaaa-  ba ba ba baaaa part in the middle should be reason enough to hate this song. Again, this shouldn't even be included because the title of the thread is "Great BB songs...". Obviously this song falls well short of "greatness". just kidding, I love this song.

OK, I'll play.   I will keep it to the "classics", as I think the subject was intended.

1) California Girls.  Used to like it, I mean it's a great song.  It just hasn't worn well over time for me.

2) Let Him Run Wild. Sorry, but like Brian I just hate the vocal on this one.

Here Comes The Night - Bruce's Disco version.  Suitable for skeet or discus practice.
Decades later, the question remains: "Why Bruce, Why ?" ( see "Pipeline" on "Going
Public" for the answer: Disco sells.) I never heard the Smiley version the same again.

When I Grow Up to Be A Man - Pubescent schlock at it's pinnacle of misery. And I refer
to the audience rather than the performer's lamentations and wide - eyed wonder.

I'll Bet He's Nice - A landfill of musical refuse captured on magnetic tape, should have
never been unleashed on a gullible and starving fan base.

Honorable Mention: So many, the aforementioned have stuck in my craw lately.

Wow!  Just curious.....anything else on LOVE YOU that causes you such revulsion?

I know its solo, but everyone goes on about 'Lay down burden', I think its boring and bland.

From Love You, I understand that the CIA use "Love is a Woman" and "Airplane" to get confessions out of prisoners.

OTOH, to me "I'll Bet He's Nice", while a bit cheesey, does feature singing that conveys more of the emotion described in the lyrics than much of what has come to us from Brian-land since 1974.

OH FFS ::) the worst.............. :o :o

lay down burden on the live at the roxy album is so much better than the Imagination album cut....speaking of that album, i think the Keep and Eye on Summer sounds like a Nashville sounds outtake...but i doubt it is...i think more people would like the song had it been on a different album rather than SD vol. 2...it sounds dated on there...

Excluding some of the truly horrible songs the Beach Boys have recorded, I can't say that there is any good/great song by the group that I don't like.  I would say that there are a number of songs (mostly the bigger hits) that I've heard enough in my life that I tend to skip them when they shuffle on my iPod. 

     Another one the bugs me (but I don't think it's 'great') is "Drive In."  Lyrics just seem SO goofy to me -- & I wonder why Brian & band have been performing it lately??  I don't dig it!  (I like the alternate version of 'St. Nick' more...)

My number one least favorite, hands down.....Barbara Ann.  The concert album, as a concept, was actually pretty good.  But Barbara Ann, out of context, as a hit 45, that won't foda go away, that casual  fans seem to love, that even gets played at BW concerts, sends me running for the skip button.

Other non favorites

Love is a Woman
A Day in the Life of a Tree
Hey Little Tomboy
I Was Made to Love Her
T.M song
Good Time
Pitter Patter

I like, or can tolerate most of the old material, but  Louie Louie is a bit hard to take.

a little late, but here's my top 10 in no real order:

"Forever"
a good song overall, but the line "If every word I said could make you laugh I'd talk forever" is pretty bad.  So bad, it's funny... I mean who would want to talk FOREVER??? and what girl would want to laugh FOREVER?!?! Pure Dennis though.

"Add Some Music"
I'm really not crazy about some of the lyrics on this one either... just so unpoetic.
"Your doctor knows it keeps you calm"?!? Come on...

"Be True To Your School"
I think it's pretty obvious that this one makes a lot of us cringe, no matter how catchy.

"Do It Again"
I actually like this song a lot (esp the intro), but it makes me kind of sad.  It's the first really obvious rehash, and a desperate attempt at regaining past glory and sticking with "the formula"...

"I Can Hear Music"
I never have liked this cover tune.

"Do You Wanna Dance"
another cover, right?  doesn't do much for me.  "Dance Dance Dance" on the other hand kicks ASS!!!

"She Knows Me Too Well"
This is a great song indeed, but I much prefer the other tunes from side 2 of 'Today': "Please Let Me Wonder", "In the Back of My Mind", and "Kiss Me Baby"

"California Saga"
I like the song "California", but "Big Sur" and "Beaks" are totally unlistenable for me.

"Cool Cool Water"
could have been such a great song, but the released version is just so... "watered" down.  Same with "Loop de Loop"...

"Help Me Ronda"
Ronda not Rhonda.  I love the song, but the original production is so inferior and just BAD.  The harmonica, the volume swells... just terrible.  And you still hear the album version on the radio and various compilations.  It's embarassing.

Some BB song i just can't stand, in no order

Be True To Your School
Surfin' Safari
Rock And Roll Music ( i know it's a cover, but is it not one of the worst lead vocals ever)
Add Some Music To Your Day
Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)
A Day In The Life Of A Tree (why is this so liked, it's freakin boring, and i hate the vocals)

You guys who dislike A Day in the Life of a Tree are killing me...  :'(

Everyone used to RAVE about "Cry" off of the Imagination album...but I never, ever even remotely liked that song.

If I never heard "Be True To Your School" live again, I probably wouldn't miss it.

I feel the same about it as I do about Lay Down Burden (or several others on that album). If it were re-recorded with the current band--and the production sensibilities from the Christmas album, for example (or an earlier production style, such as from the mid-70s to early-70s), I think I'd like it a lot more.

I love Cry. The fadeout is great. I don't see everyone's problem with the production style on Imagination.

Maybe something to do with it all being so cringingly-'80s and so badly dated - come on, you don't hear that?

Agree. Of all the solo albums, maybe even including BWPS, Brian sounds most presentable vocally, somewhat relaxed, and less "shouty". I always felt that it wasn't the production of Imagination that was lacking, but the material.

I'm not as critical of Joe Thomas as most. While there are some things to criticize about Stars And Stripes, the production wasn't one of them. If you just focus on the Beach Boys' vocal contributions on the album, I feel it's one of their strongest album - harmony speaking - post 1966. It's even more evident on the documentary.

I can't believe I'm seeing people saying that they don't care for 'Good Vibrations', 'Help Me Rhonda', 'Don't Worry Baby' and other fucking great songs that you have to be a goshdarn mentally handicapped person not to love. The only Beach Boys songs that were nothing special were the filler tracks like 'A Day in the Life of a Tree' and 'Bull Session with Big Daddy' etc. The only time the Beach Boys had weak songs on an album was on the Light Album and Keepin' the Summer Alive; I'm not gonna even mention Summer In Paradise cuz without Brian it's not the real Beach Boys. So for everyone saying that songs like 'California Girls' leave you empty, I know that's your opinion but you're a fucking moron. Sorry but that needed to be said.
-Josh >:(

Maybe you need to open your mind and acknowledge that people's tastes vary. I'm sure any two reasonable people can compare their most-loved and most-hated lists and find they differ dramatically. Someone loves and someone hates Kind of Blue. Someone loves and someone hates 1999. Someone loves and someone hates Live at Folsom Prison. Someone loves and someone hates Fear of a Black Planet. Someone loves and someone hates Pet Sounds. Someone loves and someone hates Master of Puppets. Someone loves and someone hates Thriller. And it doesn't make any one of them "a blessed mentally handicapped person."

Get the picture?

And the world just keeps on spinning...

Well put, Luther.

Also, there are people who love "Day in the Life of a tree",too,although I'm not one of them! The point is, don't call someone a fucking moron just because their tastes differ from yours. If everyone liked the same sh*t, the world would be more boring than "Meet Joe Black". That's pretty damned boring, yo.

I love that song and you are all... um, ninnies for not liking it... (http://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/images/smilies/monk3.gif) ;)

I take it you love every song on Beach Boys '85 and Still Cruisin'?

I love LA and KTSA.

KTSA is a good album I think too. Its the last "real" BB album.. abd it has one of my all time BB faves: WHEN GIRLS GIT TO-GETHER!!!!

such a wonderful track for sure, pixletwin!

For me, there are few pleasures more guilty than "California Girls" which has dated so badly it is now only just on the right side between pleasure and torment.

Other tracks which have "turned" like a bucket of goats milk in the sun: Barbara Ann, I Get Around, about 85% of everything after 1976.

Petty prejudice time: "Disney Girls" was covered by Barry Manilow, so that must get a mention.

There was usually a couple of less great tracks on every album, even in the best days, but obviously these aren't considered Great as such.

Is there a middle way regarding "Love You" or does it have to be "Love/Hate You"..? A few of the tracks are good, but I can understand prolonged exposure could cause negative effects. Still, Barry Manilow steered clear... didn't he ?

The difference between, say "Still Cruisin'" and "I Get Around" is that I can still listen to the instrumental version of the older track without feeling a bit ill.

Never really liked Be True To Your School. Was always lukewarm toward Surfin' Safari (SUSA and Catch A Wave are far better as songs, to me and are stronger, more definitive statements).  And I actually like Barbara Ann in the context of Party (the longer edit on that album lets you know they're basically taking the piss out of the song).

 :thumbsup  KTSA is cool!

I agree KTSA is  the last album that seems like real Beach Boys music, but much of it is doesn't knock me out. I like the title track despite some silly lyrics, I really like Goin On, and Santa Ana Winds is great bar Mike's nasal line and Al's intro. I think Sunshine and Some Of Your Love are harmless cheese. Living With A Heartache is decent but very overlong.  The leaves the real duds. When Girls Get Togehter is the only track dating from the Sunflower era that I really dislike, very tacky. Oh Darlin is boring, Endless Harmony is really bad and should never have been used in the doc despite it being a nice title. School Days is just so souless and nerdy. Rock and Roll Music is Good Vibrations in comparison. So all in all it really misses Dennis touch and lacked enough good songs to call it a classic. Yet it is much more organic and enjoyable the three albums that followed.