Songs about The Beach Boys, individually or collectively

[hypehat]

Tbf, having a dog and another shot at fatherhood is probably good for Brian's psyche.


It's just the quantity that's rather alarming....

[pixletwin]

I remember hearing that a line in the Beatles "Happiness is a Warm Gun" about the "all American bullet-headed Saxon mother's son" was about Mike. Not sure if that is try though.

[Aegir]

actually, that line's from "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", which is about Richard Cooke whose mother was studying with the Maharishi at the same time the Beatles (and Mike) were in Rishikesh. he killed a tiger.

[pixletwin]

D'oh! Double wrongness. Why on earth did I write Happiness is a Warm Gun? 

The Richard Cooke thing is new to me though. Thanks!

[Aegir]

Here, I found a website (with properly attributed sources), with a longer, more detailed explanation if you're interested: http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/the-continuing-story-of-bungalow-bill/

[Myk Luhv]

Brian's Facebook posted this so it doesn't get more official than that... Rich Aucoin: "Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E." -- this just makes me wish even more that I wasn't having a bad trip during his (and Dan Deacon's) set at Evolve this year, haha.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Ten Feet High And Rising" - Alan Carvell

"Beach Boy" - Airwaves

And of course, "Drfit Away", Dobie Gray.

[ivy]

Brian's Facebook posted this so it doesn't get more official than that... Rich Aucoin: "Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E." -- this just makes me wish even more that I wasn't having a bad trip during his (and Dan Deacon's) set at Evolve this year, haha.

Ok, I cried a little. I'd love to hear this guy's reasoning for picking some of the moments that he chose and leaving out other more obvious ones. Little Darian looks like my best friend's lesbian sister. And I kind of wish he didn't kill him at the end.



Another song about/inspired by the Beach Boys by one of my favorite bands: American Music by the Violent Femmes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8KGHatrPWE

Drummer DeLorenzo, who arranged the song, has an especially interesting take on it, relating both to the backing vocals and the drug line. "It's a little love letter to Brian Wilson, saying, 'Get well soon,'" he says. "I moved it away from a thrash Johnny Thunders feel, which is how Gordon wrote it, and turned it into a shuffle. In fact, the 'drug' line is Gordon's own little homage to Johnny Thunders. Nobody's going to get that, but that's what we talked about. But a lot of American music for me comes down to the Beach Boys, and that's why we had to have the sleigh bells, the background vocals, the timpani, the keyboards. We even quote 'I Can Hear Music' at the end of the song. It's pretty wet. There's a lot of surf in that song!"

[adloc]

Bubblegum Lemonade - Caroline's Radio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd5yln65O6w

[adloc]

"Ten Feet High And Rising" - Alan Carvell

"Beach Boy" - Airwaves

And of course, "Drift Away", Dobie Gray.

And of course, "Drift Away", Dobie Gray.

....Here's title ('To Brian Wilson') and music if that qualifies : Marmalade Army - 2BW :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t90fur5MAYM

[joshferrell]

didn't bruce write "I write the songs" about brian?

[drbeachboy]

didn't bruce write "I write the songs" about brian?

He denies it now that it is about Brian, but I swear that back in the late 70's and 80's that he did reference Brian as person who he was writing about in the song.

[Aegir]

I think it's more about God.

I’ve been alive forever,
And I wrote the very first song.
I put the words and the melodies together,
I am music,
And I write the songs.

I write the songs that make the whole world sing.
I write the songs of love and special thing s.
I write the songs that make the young girls cry.
I write the songs, I write the songs.

My home lies deep within you,
And I’ve got my own place in your soul.
Now, when I look out through your eyes,
I’m young again, even though I’m very old.

Chorus

Oh my music makes you dance
And gives your spirit to take a chance,
And I wrote some rock ’n’ roll so you can move.
Music fills your heart,
Well, that’s a real fine place to start.
It’s from me it’s for you,
It’s from you, it’s from me,
It’s a world wide symphony.

Chorus

I am music, and I write the songs.

[GuyOnTheBeach]

"Round The Bend" by The Beta Band features a verse about Brian Wilson and "Wild Honey"

[Rocky Raccoon]

didn't bruce write "I write the songs" about brian?

He denies it now that it is about Brian, but I swear that back in the late 70's and 80's that he did reference Brian as person who he was writing about in the song.

Really? He denies it now? Well, Bruce definitely is the mystery of the band.

[JK]

Twelve months later...

This is my list of songs that mention "The Beach Boys" (collectively) in the lyrics. Most have (or maybe had!) a YouTube or other audio link at the original site: here...   

"Round The Bend"----The Beta Band
"Long May You Run"----The Stills-Young Band
"Sycamore Bay"----The Vinyl Kings
"Punk Rock Girl"----The Dead Milkmen
"(Here They Come) From All Over The World"----Jan & Dean
"Surfside Motel"----The Doleful Lions
"Perfect Summer Day"----Andi
"Jamie"----Weezer
"Scrapbook"----Chicago
"455 Rocket"----Gillian Welch
"7-11"----The Ramones
"Losing My Edge"----LCD Soundsystem
"I Love L.A."----Randy Newman
"High Time"----Daniel Tashian
"I Hate The Beach Boys"----The Bobs
"I Kept The Beach Boys"----Tullycraft
"Beach Boys Britain"----Alan Boyd
"I Hate California"----Jonathan Coulton
"Summertime Thing"----Chuck Prophet
"Hot Rod U.S.A."----The Rip Chords
"Surfin's Back Again"----The Fantastic Baggys
"The Day I Wrote The Book"----Jackdaw4
"A Tribute To The Beach Boys (1976)"----The Sands of Time
"Goodbye Marlon Brando"----Elton John
["Perfect Lovesong"----The Divine Comedy]
"Love Will Destroy Us In The End"----Hefner
["I'm Just A Girl"----Deana Carter]
"Pop Tarte"----Baby Lemonade
"Three Brothers, A Garden And Love"----Veeder van Doorn
"Miss Delaney"----Jack's Mannequin
["Caroline's Radio"----Bubblegum Lemonade]

Names in square brackets are of songs that mention "Beach Boys" (no "the") ...

[ThyRavenAscend]

"Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson" by Lost Dogs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0OhPBKoHUE

[John Manning]

Lindsey Buckingham - D.W.Suite 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9GOvjlPSVA

Although probably more a tribute to than about Dennis

Blimey…   hadn't dipped into this thread before. DW Suite starts off with a favourite tune (it's a trad Scottish folk song) of my partner's late husband.

[pobfan]

Here's an odd, fun and slightly creepy one...
The Phantom Surfer by Chris White & the Surfonics. It's about 'the ghost of Dennis'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K3ok-w6qrU

[mrski]

Couple from ‘The Golden Age’ :

This is a classic, so many songs in there, count ‘em!
‘Love Those Beach Boys’ by The Sea Shells (Goliath 1357) 1964

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhnA1aQE1Eg

plus

probably the same group

‘Our Surfer Boys‘  by  The Surf Bunnies (Goliath 1352) 1963

… “Jan, Dean, and Brian and Jimmy too, won’t you be our guys?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQb6QB5WnY

[mrski]

one more,

‘The Scavenger’ by Gary Paxton,  (Garpax 44177) 1963

FLICK FORWARD TO 3:08 MINUTES FOR THIS!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E3yBPMIfXU

“I shut down The Beach Boys in their 409…”

Notice in the later cover by Capitol labelmate Dick Dale,  the lyrics were changed to

“I shut down the hodads in their 409…”

Quite right too.

[mrski]

Others:

“The west coast started surfin’, with The Beach Boys band, Jan & Dean and The Surfaris spread the sound throughout the land”

‘The Story Of The Rockers’ by Gene Vincent (Playground P100) 1968 written by Jim Pewter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWZ90RYpjaw

and

for those of us who love those instrumentals, (where are you Louie?), here’s a tribute to the sandbox called ‘Brian’s Beached Piano‘ by Dave Wronski & Slacktone from the album ‘Into The Blue Sparkle’ (Goboy 1002) 2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbWFzD1qvzs





here’s a tutorial… Great sound!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bvPxWJUK0

[Micha]

f*** You Mike Love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKGjv1Y6Zsg

Believe it or not, such a song exists.

Now we what OSD does in his spare time. The lyrics are up to his niveau!

[PaulTMA]

Song I wrote 12 years ago, was really just stuck for a title:
http://themartialarts.bandcamp.com/track/murry-audree

[B-Rex]

Elton John's  The Captain and the Kid

"Postcards from Richard Nixon"  Brian Wilson's promised land is referenced.