Downer Wife/Girlfriend Hubby/Boyfriend Comments

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I have found that most people (men or women) are not into music. They are into it for social reasons. They connect with people because it is the current hit. That is the only reason I can think of that everyone at clubs gets excited when a crappy song comes on. It also wouldn't surprise me if people like certain songs because they heard it in a movie. Like Kokamo, or Billy Joel's daughter like Don't Worry Baby because it reminds them of a certain scene or something. When I ask people what their favorite band is or what kind of music they like, 90% of them say they like all kinds of music and they like a lot of bands. Which probably means they just listen to top 40 on the radio and don't know the artists names half the time.

[thatjacob]

I'm friends with one girl that's been trying to convince me to be her boyfriend, despite me not being attracted to her as more than a friend.
She showed up at my house and before we headed out to go get food she handed me a used vinyl copy of TLOS that she had picked up as a thank you gesture for helping her out with putting a music playlist together for her job.

The fact that she puts up with my Beach Boys obsession and supports it is almost enough to win me over at times.

[Autotune]

I'm friends with one girl that's been trying to convince me to be her boyfriend, despite me not being attracted to her as more than a friend.
She showed up at my house and before we headed out to go get food she handed me a used vinyl copy of TLOS that she had picked up as a thank you gesture for helping her out with putting a music playlist together for her job.

The fact that she puts up with my Beach Boys obsession and supports it is almost enough to win me over at times.

You should marry her, really.

[RBennett123]

Just a few months ago I put my Love You CD in as I was driving in my ex-girlfriend's convertible. After about 30 seconds into Roller Skating Child she ejected it and threw it out of the car. She said it creeped her out. I never forgave her for that.

I'm glad you said "ex-girlfriend" because aside from being rude she had no respect for your personal property.

Did you say "ex-girlfriend" because she didn't survive the incident?

Nahh. She likes Pet Sounds, Smile, Wild Honey, she just really hated that album. It's probably my favorite BB album so I like to play either the LP or a CD I have a lot. She asked me to put something on while driving one day and I put LY on knowing full well that she hated it, just to get a rise. Well, she one upped me and tossed it out. However, on a brighter note, we will both be attending the Eugene OR show together on July 14th. (We are still great friends).

[TheLazenby]

The day I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I made the mistake of putting it on in the car.... my parents ACTUALLY turned it off, because "You Still Believe In Me" 'sucked' to  them.

Who the F**K turns off Pet Sounds?!

[SG7]

The day I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I made the mistake of putting it on in the car.... my parents ACTUALLY turned it off, because "You Still Believe In Me" 'sucked' to  them.

Who the F**K turns off Pet Sounds?!

My boyfriend finds Pet Sounds boring 

Guess what band I'm going to play every time he's out of the house?

[EgoHanger1966]

The day I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I made the mistake of putting it on in the car.... my parents ACTUALLY turned it off, because "You Still Believe In Me" 'sucked' to  them.

Who the F**K turns off Pet Sounds?!

It's funny how people who are turned on to Pet Sounds can't understand how others aren't (not a put-down, I'm like this too). Sometimes I have to step out of myself and realise that not everyone is going to relate to PS as much as I do. The first time I played my father Pet Sounds, he said "this sounds just like a normal Beach Boys album, I don't get the hype".  I realised that I was in a point in my life where the lyrics and mood hit me in the right spot, but for my dad, he was past that, didn't need it....I can come to grips with that.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Just a few months ago I put my Love You CD in as I was driving in my ex-girlfriend's convertible. After about 30 seconds into Roller Skating Child she ejected it and threw it out of the car. She said it creeped her out. I never forgave her for that.

I'm glad you said "ex-girlfriend" because aside from being rude she had no respect for your personal property.

Did you say "ex-girlfriend" because she didn't survive the incident?

Nahh. She likes Pet Sounds, Smile, Wild Honey, she just really hated that album. It's probably my favorite BB album so I like to play either the LP or a CD I have a lot. She asked me to put something on while driving one day and I put LY on knowing full well that she hated it, just to get a rise. Well, she one upped me and tossed it out. However, on a brighter note, we will both be attending the Eugene OR show together on July 14th. (We are still great friends).

Hope they'll do a special setlist for that show and play Love You from start to finish.

[RBennett123]

Just a few months ago I put my Love You CD in as I was driving in my ex-girlfriend's convertible. After about 30 seconds into Roller Skating Child she ejected it and threw it out of the car. She said it creeped her out. I never forgave her for that.

I'm glad you said "ex-girlfriend" because aside from being rude she had no respect for your personal property.

Did you say "ex-girlfriend" because she didn't survive the incident?

Nahh. She likes Pet Sounds, Smile, Wild Honey, she just really hated that album. It's probably my favorite BB album so I like to play either the LP or a CD I have a lot. She asked me to put something on while driving one day and I put LY on knowing full well that she hated it, just to get a rise. Well, she one upped me and tossed it out. However, on a brighter note, we will both be attending the Eugene OR show together on July 14th. (We are still great friends).

Hope they'll do a special setlist for that show and play Love You from start to finish.

HAHAHA I've thought about this.

[Dunderhead]

You need to listen to Pet Sounds on headphones honestly. It's a really challenging album to appreciate, it takes a while listening to the backing tracks and vocals separately until you're able to pick apart all the sounds.

[Amanda Hart]

Love You is an album that can only be appreciated by males.
Women do not like/understand/relate-to the Love You album.
Discuss.

I obviously don't think this is true at all. It does take a certain something to get into Love You, but I don't think it has anything to do with gender. I was inspired recently to write an essay or something exploring why I like Love You. If I can ever capture some free time again I would really like to pursue that.

[EgoHanger1966]

Love You is an album that can only be appreciated by males.
Women do not like/understand/relate-to the Love You album.
Discuss.

I obviously don't think this is true at all. It does take a certain something to get into Love You, but I don't think it has anything to do with gender. I was inspired recently to write an essay or something exploring why I like Love You. If I can ever capture some free time again I would really like to pursue that.

Love You is an album that can only be appreciated by males Brian Wilson fanatics.
There, that's bettah.

[Heysaboda]

The day I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I made the mistake of putting it on in the car.... my parents ACTUALLY turned it off, because "You Still Believe In Me" 'sucked' to  them.

Who the F**K turns off Pet Sounds?!

Indeed!  Your parents are probably very nice people, but wow they have really questionable musical tastes!

[Heysaboda]

I throw myself on the mercy of the forum. I've never heard alot of their later stuff. like Love You.  I spend too much time listening to Carl and the passions and Smiley Smile (true "chick" albums!).    Someone was saying earlier that Love You was a "stranger"  album?  Is this the one with Roller Scating Girl on it?
I must go hear that song.
I do love the story of the girl in a convertable hearing it, then whipping it out of the car.  She has a right to do that in my eyes because she owns a convertable.   [ not really!]

It took me about a year or two to get "into" Love You, but now, sweet jesus, I honestly think that album is one of the best albums of all time, by anybody.  Yeah that's what I said.

It's raw; it's emotional; it's right on the razor's edge.  There's one or two tunes there that leave me weeping every time.  And yeah it has a couple of funny tunes too.

Genius!

[absinthe_boy]

I think you need to stop dating shallow women mate.

Yep there are plenty of women who are seriously into music, and I bet some of them are BB fans.

[absinthe_boy]

I have found that most people (men or women) are not into music. They are into it for social reasons. They connect with people because it is the current hit. That is the only reason I can think of that everyone at clubs gets excited when a crappy song comes on. It also wouldn't surprise me if people like certain songs because they heard it in a movie. Like Kokamo, or Billy Joel's daughter like Don't Worry Baby because it reminds them of a certain scene or something. When I ask people what their favorite band is or what kind of music they like, 90% of them say they like all kinds of music and they like a lot of bands. Which probably means they just listen to top 40 on the radio and don't know the artists names half the time.

I'd buy that. Certainly I think the average man or woman on the Clapham omnibus isn't passionate about any genre of music or any musical artist.

Those of us who do passionately follow certain bands/artists probably have a deep emotional connection with them. But many people never form that deep a bond with music.

[petsite]

I like that the music is a lightening rod. You either like it or you don't. I think that tells you the intense artistry that is inherit within it.

[BB Universe]

I pretty much like "all things Beach Boys/Brian Wilson" but have never felt any love towards Love You. Over the years I've tried several times to change my feelings about it but it is today the same as when it was initially released. Maybe its the underproduction; maybe Brian's rough voice; maybe the lack of consistent harmonies - just does little for me. The least played album/CD by them in my collection. To all those who like it - sorry about that but I really did try...

[Wirestone]

I fully recognize how great Pet Sounds is. But there are many objectively worse BB albums that I enjoy listening to more.

[Justin]

"Love You" to me sounds like a completely different band doing their best Beach Boys impression.  It took me a while to warm up to it as well but once it settled in it was the third awakening in my fandom.  The first was"Pet Sounds:  "holy crap that was great!"  then SMiLE:  "What the hell was that??  I can't get enough!"  and then Love You: "I don't even know what the hell this is but it's so cool!."  And some people never want to get there..it's the weirdest-funnest-most-confusing-most-unBeach-Boys album but also at the same time: the most typical Beach Boys album ever made.  Yeah I don't know either!

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I'm not sure I can, as much as I want to date only a girl that likes the Beach Boys or tolerates them, I would be happy if any girl I'm attracted to likes me. Unfortunately I look like Mike Love (1967) without all the money!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

You need to listen to Pet Sounds on headphones honestly. It's a really challenging album to appreciate, it takes a while listening to the backing tracks and vocals separately until you're able to pick apart all the sounds.

Agreed, which is probably why I prefer it in stereo (except 'I'm waiting for the Day', which is far better in mono). Really, though, to me all music is better with quality headphones.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

When my wife & I first hooked up 15 years ago, she was into rap and 90s rock mainly.When I told her that the Beach Boys were my favorite band, she initially laughed and said 'I'm sorry'. Of course, the appearance on Home Improvement had recently aired, and she only knew of them from that, Full House, the Sunkist commercial (...), Problem Child (...), and the Crocodile Rock video (dammit). I then explained to her about why Brian's music was important to me (I'd had my own issues with severe depression, and she was my best friend for several years by that point, so she knew what I was going through). Upon learning that Billy Corgan, Sonic Youth, and Scott Weiland were huge fans, she asked me to play some of Brian's work apart from the BB. The only thing I had was an advance copy of the 'Your Imagination' single.She...hated it. 'Vocally, it's good, but the song itself kind of sucks, and the production is ass '. That was her reaction. Still remember that. Of course, she then *loved* the a capella mix , and 'Happy Days'. So, that was a start. One day, on the phone, I had Sunflower on my tape deck, and she asked what that was. 'It's about Time' was playing. She thought that was 'badass' (her exact words) and asked me to bring some of my favorite BB albums over next time I was at her place. First thing I played for her was 'Let Us Go On This Way'. Don't know what made me pick that, but there it was. She...loved it. 'This guy was doing New Wave before there was such a thing!' Long story not quite as long, she fell in love with all of the 66-77 stuff immediately. Her favorite material though (along with 'My Solution') turned out to be the Journals boot that had the Adult Child period stuff on it, along with the original 'My Diane' (which for years ended up being her favorite song by anybody).

These days, she's as much of a die-hard as I am.  It took some time for her to appreciate the older work, though, and to this day she really doesn't care for the first album (especially 'Cuckoo Clock'), but otherwise she loves it. She likes pretty much *everything* BB related, (even Looking Back With Love)..apart from Carl's two albums and Bruce's disc. As mentioned many, many times, we went to the 8 June Woodlands concert, and had a blast. So, the other day I had a mix CD on, and 'We'll Run Away' came on (which she had not heard).  Surprisingly, she immediately began taking the piss out of it. So, you never know...

[bossaroo]

I've had damn good luck over the years... at least with the ladies in my life liking the Beach Boys.

My ex-wife fell in love with Pet Sounds when I purchased it in the late 90s. We still split up a year or so later, but she's still a fan and so are our 2 kids.

My girlfriend from '99 to '03 became a huge fan thanks to me. We flew to New Hampshire for one of the Pet Sounds shows, and she always said it was the most spiritual night of music she ever witnessed. She ended up loving a lot of the more obscure stuff... Please Let Me Wonder, Time To Get Alone, Breakaway (Brian's demo was the only version she would listen to), Wild Honey, Friends, Love You... the list goes on. I'll always remember her humming Country Air in the car one of the last times we spent together.

After her I was with a very talented classically-trained musician. She already knew what was up with Brian Wilson when we hooked up.

My next serious girlfriend laughed when I told her the Beach Boys were my favorite band, but it didn't take long until "This Isn't Love" became her favorite love song of all-time.


My current gal has probably impressed me the most. Took it upon herself to start collecting the Beach Boys on vinyl after I turned her on to a few things. She scored us killer seats to the Atlanta show in April, and she is about halfway done cross-stitching me the cover of Love You! I'm not gonna let this one get away. I will post a pic of her work once it's finished.


on the downer side... I dunno. I played the Gershwin album for my mom thinking she would really like it, but she couldn't get past Brian's voice. Can't win em all i guess.

[bossaroo]

check it out!!!!!