"That's Why God Made the Radio" lyric video (full official song on Youtube)

[buddhahat]

Nice to hear it all at last. It's a pretty song. I guess if I was to compare it to their other material I'd put it on a par with my favourite stuff from MIU/LA/KTSA period - kind of guilty pleasure stuff I guess rather than classic Beach Boys, but I was expecting much worse to be honest.

I really cannot hear Mike which is a shame, but I do not have the 'dog ears' of some here. Mike higher in the mix would have been a bonus. Lovely to hear bruce so clearly though.

Christ, couldn't they have done a better lyric video though!?

[Runaways]

Really good tune!  I like the production, they sound great, good hook too. I expect more from the wilson originals, but this is a fine single

[Summertime Blooz]

As what will (I presume) be their last ever single it's a far, far better way to go out than we had any right to expect given the horrors that came out in the 80s and 90s, but it is a shame the song that was so hyped up by everyone turned out to be so mediocre.

If this record is mediocre, then I hope and pray that the entire new album is mediocre too! I'll be blasting this in my car this afternoon.

[desmondo]

Well its very nice - not GVs but I have to say the choruses and that vocals section from 2:23 onwards is simply amazing - it even has that PS fender bass in it

[Wirestone]

I really cannot hear Mike which is a shame, but I do not have the 'dog ears' of some here. Mike higher in the mix would have been a bonus. Lovely to hear bruce so clearly though.

For goodness' sake, really? He sings lead on part of the song (first part of the a capella section)!

[Aegir]

I can only hear Mike from that point on.

[hypehat]

There are parts I don't quite like - Cavernous 80's drum breaks, a LOT of Foskett in the mid-range, a lot of the BB's themselves aren't clear due to doubling with others (if that fakedup recording session is any indication, Dave and Mike sing low parts together, which as my dog-ears aren't attuned to David is confusing), but there's a lot here which is cool! The song is lovely (not sure about that middle eight), Brian sounds amazing, as do Al, and Bruce! I might warm up to it. But it's too slick a production. Curse you, Joe Thomas.

[Wirestone]

There are parts I don't quite like - Cavernous 80's drum breaks, a LOT of Foskett in the mid-range, a lot of the BB's themselves aren't clear due to doubling with others (if that fakedup recording session is any indication, Dave and Mike sing low parts together, which as my dog-ears aren't attuned to David is confusing), but there's a lot here which is cool! The song is lovely (not sure about that middle eight), Brian sounds amazing, as do Al, and Bruce! I might warm up to it. But it's too slick a production. Curse you, Joe Thomas.

Except that it looks like Joe Thomas didn't produce it. According to the new Capitol press release, that is.

[Aegir]

The only thing I don't like all too much production-wise is the bass.

I think the lyrics are terrible. I hope Brian wrote them, if this is the work of a so-called behind the scenes "professional" whoever it is should be fired.

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

[Wirestone]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

[Eireannach]

I like it.  There are certain sections of the song that really pop.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

[hypehat]

There are parts I don't quite like - Cavernous 80's drum breaks, a LOT of Foskett in the mid-range, a lot of the BB's themselves aren't clear due to doubling with others (if that fakedup recording session is any indication, Dave and Mike sing low parts together, which as my dog-ears aren't attuned to David is confusing), but there's a lot here which is cool! The song is lovely (not sure about that middle eight), Brian sounds amazing, as do Al, and Bruce! I might warm up to it. But it's too slick a production. Curse you, Joe Thomas.

Except that it looks like Joe Thomas didn't produce it. According to the new Capitol press release, that is.

It damn well sounds like it, though.

[ontor pertawst]

I like how they are deleting comments about the poor quality of the video. It's really shameful that a professional company would produce that -- I wonder what they billed Capitol for that?

The song's not bad. I thought I didn't like it and yet here I am playing it all morning. A bit maudlin and syrupy, but um... it IS The Beach Boys, right?

[Paulos]

I really don't care what everyone else thinks as I love it, brought a tear to my eye, thank you Beach Boys.

[Aegir]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

[hypehat]

I like how they are deleting comments about the poor quality of the video. It's really shameful that a professional company would produce that -- I wonder what they billed Capitol for that?

The song's not bad. I thought I didn't like it and yet here I am playing it all morning. A bit maudlin and syrupy, but um... it IS The Beach Boys, right?

The concept of the 'lyric video' is to gauge interest for the record company, in case they want to make a full proper one.

But yeah, it's like a ten year old made it in Flash yesterday afternoon.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

Would "You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star" sound better?

[Loaf]

there are far more than five voices for most of this, and usually Foskett's the only one singing multiple different lines. It's actually very cleverly arranged and mixed, with band members swapping mid-word at times, presumably to allow them all to sing in the strongest ranges they have left.

I agree, and I think most of it sounds nothing like the BBs, and it seems to me that the whole point of using a recognisable BB voice to sing a certain line or half-line is to distract from this. I'd rather have a rougher harmony mix of the 5 BBs singing than a wall of smoothed-out Fosketts.

[Runaways]

There are parts I don't quite like - Cavernous 80's drum breaks, a LOT of Foskett in the mid-range, a lot of the BB's themselves aren't clear due to doubling with others (if that fakedup recording session is any indication, Dave and Mike sing low parts together, which as my dog-ears aren't attuned to David is confusing), but there's a lot here which is cool! The song is lovely (not sure about that middle eight), Brian sounds amazing, as do Al, and Bruce! I might warm up to it. But it's too slick a production. Curse you, Joe Thomas.

Except that it looks like Joe Thomas didn't produce it. According to the new Capitol press release, that is.

It damn well sounds like it, though.

I'll disagree with that, it doesn't sound like imagination at aaaaall

[Aegir]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

Would "You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star" sound better?

Why is that at all a sentiment that needs to be conveyed?

[Chocolate Shake Man]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

Would "You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star" sound better?

Why is that at all a sentiment that needs to be conveyed?

Because people do that?

[Lowbacca]

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

Would "You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star" sound better?

Besides, it's a purposefully poetic way of phrasing it. And the purpose wasn't just to shorten the statement. Upon hearing the line for the first time I had to think of a guy hanging around in his car under the starry night sky, just sitting there and turning on his radio. While the song plays, he's looking at the stars, or at a particular one. He's "tuning in the latest star", twofold. By thus ambiguously phrasing the line there might be all kinds of meanings to "tuning in the latest star". "Star" might also, in a less abstract way, refer not to the artist but a certain tune. Something you can connect to on an emotional level, yearning for something, just like looking at the stars. "Please Let Me Wonder" comes to (my) mind.

But I'm rambling....   Just wanted to advocate that particular line.

[EgoHanger1966]

Some parts of it (the bass for example) do sound reminiscent of the sound on Imagination. IMO

Some of the lyrics are wonderful - "receiving your signal like a prayer" sounds like something 1966 Brian and Van Dyke would have come up with.

[lance]

I like it. Yeah, it's imagination-esque, but my main problems with that album(covering classics for no reason, that nylon guitar) are not here