For me, Good Vibrations has always been one of the ultimate summer songs, which is kinda weird... something off the early albums would make more sense. It's got to do with the fact that I used to listen to it first thing in the morning literally every day in the summer that I discovered the band. The way it begins, then the lyrics about colourful clothes and sunlight playing upon the hair...that's just THE sound of summer for me, even if the song's lyrics are not specifically about that. Who knows, maybe Brian has the same kind of connection with some of the songs he listed.
Years ago when I was a teenager I got free tickets to a Beach Boys concert. I only knew of them from when I was a kid listening to oldies channels, I didn't know anything about Brian or Mike or anything. I always liked their music though... so I went to the show with some friends, we had a blast, knew half the songs. It got dark, and for the encore they played Good Vibrations... with a simple strobe effect in the chorus.
So I'm singing along, everybody is, we're enjoying all the 'fun in the sun' songs, and it's slowly gotten dark, they start Good Vibrations, and when it gets to the chorus, the stage goes dark, and these strobe lights are lighting everything up, in time with the cellos.
IT BLEW MY MIND
Collectively, the entire audience got blown out of the arena it was so fucking cool. I mean Coooooooooool, super cool, and the song was just beyond anything they had played all night long.
So yeah; i'd agree, it's the ultimate Beach Boys 'fun in the sun' song. This was Mike & Bruce, btw circa 2001 or so.
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