Songs credited to Brian Wilson that he didn't really write

[Matt H]

So it looks like Susie Cincinnati and Lookin Down The Coast don't borrow from anything then.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Island Girl - I think someone has mentioned that this is another Kingston Trio song

Well, it partly uses the melody of Buddy Holly's "Everyday".

Also 'The tide is high' by Blondie (not Chaplin)

[Rotat]

Judge for yourself:

Raspberries, Strawberries

Might find this amusing too:

The Wanderer

Yeah looks like they did take a lot from Raspberries, Strawberries. Should have checked youtube earlier. Even Brian's "it came to my window" backing vocal is a direct rip!

[adamghost]

Appropriately, Brian is NOT credited for "Kokomo," because he did not write any of it. But in case there is any doubt, Mike Love makes sure that everyone knows Brian had nothing to do with the song. Brian is equally thrilled to confirm those claims.

Actually, in some footage I've seen through the years, Brian actually appears disappointed that he wasn't involved with "Kokomo". At least it seemed that way to me...

Technically accurate, but not as funny, which I think was the point of the original post...

[adamghost]

Seems like Sunflower might be an album where Brian had much less to do with than it really seems like. He did sing a lot, write a lot of material during the period (which most of it was unreleased at the time), but who knows what he actually came up with on the album besides "This Whole World", "Add Some Music", and I suppose "Our Sweet Love". Even "Cool Cool Water".. Do we even know any info that Brian produced or coproduced that 3rd portion of that song? I think I read that Stephen Desper did quite a bit on it like playing the moog part for example.

Well, as far as Sunflower, we know for a fact Brian wrote "This Whole World", "Add Some Music", "Our Sweet Love" and "Cool, Cool Water". As far as what he did with them is a different story. I guess we could say he pretty much saw "This Whole World" and "Add Some Music" through to their completion. For "Our Sweet Love", I'm pretty sure it's well known 'round these parts that he started it, and abandoned after he had the track cut, along with the fade, which one can listen to right here! After that apparently Al and Carl took it upon themselves to finish it, which would explain the credit to all three. We also know that "Cool, Cool Water" was originally started as a recording in 1967, and one could say that if you wanna trace it's roots you could say it's composition started in 1966 with with what was titled "Da Da" on the SMiLE box set. However, it is obvioius that Brian was involved at least near the completion of the song as he shares the lead with Mike on the last part of the song.

I suppose the only real question mark is "All I Wanna Do". I've heard some say it was mostly a Mike composition with Brian just finding the chords behind Mike's melody. But even that would still be considered worthy of a writer's credit right? Who knows if that's the way it happened anyways.

But regardless, I think my former belief that there were seven Brian Wilson songs on Sunflower isn't quite true, as "Diedre" is really Bruce's and "At My Window" is really Al's (or to be more honest perhaps Will Holt, who composed "Raspberries, Strawberries").

Keep in mind too, that the Boys had just signed with Warner's, and they either explicitly or implicitly were asked for more Brian involvement.  It's not surprising then that they'd pad out his cowriting credits.  What's a little more surprising is that Brian WASN'T credited on "Take A Load Off Your Feet" on SURF'S UP, but he apparently did cowrite that (the sheet music lists him as a cowriter and I think later pressings as well, though I am less sure about that).

[bgas]

Seems like Sunflower might be an album where Brian had much less to do with than it really seems like. He did sing a lot, write a lot of material during the period (which most of it was unreleased at the time), but who knows what he actually came up with on the album besides "This Whole World", "Add Some Music", and I suppose "Our Sweet Love". Even "Cool Cool Water".. Do we even know any info that Brian produced or coproduced that 3rd portion of that song? I think I read that Stephen Desper did quite a bit on it like playing the moog part for example.

Well, as far as Sunflower, we know for a fact Brian wrote "This Whole World", "Add Some Music", "Our Sweet Love" and "Cool, Cool Water". As far as what he did with them is a different story. I guess we could say he pretty much saw "This Whole World" and "Add Some Music" through to their completion. For "Our Sweet Love", I'm pretty sure it's well known 'round these parts that he started it, and abandoned after he had the track cut, along with the fade, which one can listen to right here! After that apparently Al and Carl took it upon themselves to finish it, which would explain the credit to all three. We also know that "Cool, Cool Water" was originally started as a recording in 1967, and one could say that if you wanna trace it's roots you could say it's composition started in 1966 with with what was titled "Da Da" on the SMiLE box set. However, it is obvioius that Brian was involved at least near the completion of the song as he shares the lead with Mike on the last part of the song.

I suppose the only real question mark is "All I Wanna Do". I've heard some say it was mostly a Mike composition with Brian just finding the chords behind Mike's melody. But even that would still be considered worthy of a writer's credit right? Who knows if that's the way it happened anyways.

But regardless, I think my former belief that there were seven Brian Wilson songs on Sunflower isn't quite true, as "Diedre" is really Bruce's and "At My Window" is really Al's (or to be more honest perhaps Will Holt, who composed "Raspberries, Strawberries").

Keep in mind too, that the Boys had just signed with Warner's, and they either explicitly or implicitly were asked for more Brian involvement.  It's not surprising then that they'd pad out his cowriting credits.  What's a little more surprising is that Brian WASN'T credited on "Take A Load Off Your Feet" on SURF'S UP, but he apparently did cowrite that (the sheet music lists him as a cowriter and I think later pressings as well, though I am less sure about that).

Never seen the credit on any of the LP pressings, tho it is on the Epic CD's, and definitely in the SU/Sunflower songbook, published in 1972  : 


     

[Wirestone]

Just for reference ...

[metal flake paint]

A couple of quotes from Al regarding Brian's involvement in "...Feet:"

“And so Brian and I got carried away. He'd come down at night and sit and play the bottles, these Sparklett's bottles we had lying around. He walked around on the roof – there was this skipping sound on the end of the song, you know, and that was Brian on the asphalt roof of the garage, skipping around in a circle.” (Felton, 1976, p. 50).   

“I invited Brian to come down. Again, a lot of this stuff was to get Brian in the mood to come down and have some fun. So I thought, “Boy, this is really nutty. Let's just do something stupid.” I said, “Brian, do you want to help me?” “Sure.” (Sharp, 2000, p. 19).


References

Felton, D. (1976). The healing of brother Brian: A multitrack interview with Beach Boys Brian, Dennis, Carl, Mike and Al, plus Brian's mom, his dad, his wife and his shrink. Rolling Stone, (225), 36-51.

Sharp, K. (2000). Alan Jardine: A Beach Boy still riding the waves. Goldmine, (26)15, 14-104.

[Fall Breaks]

I really like you including reference lists, metal flake paint!

[Gabo]

The question now is where did Al steal the melody for Feet from?

[metal flake paint]

I really like you including reference lists, metal flake paint!

I try to include references wherever I can as a result of writing university papers.

[Andrew G. Doe]

My method is much simpler:

"Because I bloody well say so !" 

I'll grant, it can lack credibility...

[Jim V.]

For everybody giving Al sh*t for not writing "original" stuff, let's keep in mind that "borrowing" melodies and sometimes lyrics is really very much in the folk tradition. So as The Beach Boys resident folkie, that would make sense.

I mean shoot. There's this guy named Bob Dylan. Some of you may have heard from him. He's been "borrowing" since at least "Song to Woody" and "Blowin' in the Wind". And anybody remember how much sh*t Bob was getting around "Love And Theft" and Modern Times? I think a lot of people don't understand how the folk process works, and if you studied that, I think Al's thing would make a bit more sense.

[Rocker]

For everybody giving Al sh*t for not writing "original" stuff, let's keep in mind that "borrowing" melodies and sometimes lyrics is really very much in the folk tradition. So as The Beach Boys resident folkie, that would make sense.

I mean shoot. There's this guy named Bob Dylan. Some of you may have heard from him. He's been "borrowing" since at least "Song to Woody" and "Blowin' in the Wind". And anybody remember how much sh*t Bob was getting around "Love And Theft" and Modern Times? I think a lot of people don't understand how the folk process works, and if you studied that, I think Al's thing would make a bit more sense.

Well, that's waht I said although not as detailed as you. It's a common thing in everything like blues, country, folk, gospel etc. It became a problem when the big money appeared.