I had an epiphany not long ago. Forget about SMiLE being a teenage symphony to God, it's the story of Brian setting his girlfriend's barn on fire and burning her alive! Well, maybe the protagonist isn't Brian, but it's more fun to imagine him
Love Suite:
Gee - Loves his girl and is happy, pretty cheery and upbeat. Opens the album perfectly. Also gives us a taste of the Heroes And Villains saga.
Good Vibrations - Gets the album off to a super strong start. A song about pure love and admiration, so far everything is perfect, no fractures.
Wonderful - They're still in a relationship, but it's not the great. I get the feeling that the love is a little bit one-sided. He basically thinks she's wonderful, but she has her own plans and is getting distant.
I Wanna Be Around - No lyrics, but he's getting clingy at this stage. He's out of the picture now, but he's not over her, not by a long shot.
You Are My Sunshine - Sorta like Caroline, No. The girl isn't the same anymore. He had invested all of his love into her, she rejects him, taking his sunshine away.
Surf's Up - An incredibly emotional song. Surf's up is everything coming to a head, washing over him like a tidal wave. Something inside him snaps and decides to take revenge. The second movement has a very moody feeling to it. The lines I like are "A broken man too tough to cry" and "I heard the word, wonderful thing", a possible throwback to Wonderful.
Heroes And Villains (segment) - The beginning of the song, it's a retelling of the story after Brian is caught and serving time. We later learn that the heroes are the law enforcement, and Brian is the villain.
Hurt:
Barnyard - Sneaking past the animals to get to the barn.
Our Prayer - It's like long, deep breath before he commits the crime. I think Our Prayer fits quite well here, it's the calm before the storm. Plus, I believe it works really well with the ooooh's from Barnyard and Ms O'Leary's Cow.
Ms O'Leary's Cow - Named after the cow that started the fire in the barn. Brian is the cow, so to speak. The first part represents the fire jumping and spreading around the barn. The second part is the fire in full force, absolutely consuming everything. Perhaps he didn't realise the girl was in their until too late.
I Love To Say Dada - The adrenaline and elation after performing the act. Firefighters have arrived and are sorting out the mess. Also acts as a cool down from fire.
Heroes And Villains (segment) - The cantina segment, give it a listen and you''ll understand why k It's so perfect here. Also, the end wooo wooo wooo sounds like a police siren
On The Run:
Do You Like Worms? - Because she's dead and in the ground, get it? There 'rock, rock, roll' sections are the local police investigating the crime, the bicycle riding segments are Brian riding the hell outta there.
Cabin Essence - Time for a change, jumping from train to train. The crow cries are the police sirens.
Look (I Ran) - The name gives it away. The police are looking for him and are closing in. In the end, he is cornered and captured.
Child The Father Of Man - This on his way back to the station, it's a bit introspective and definitely has a dark feeling.
Heroes And Villains (segment) - You know that part that goes 'You're under arrest!', that would go here. Also, the 'my children were raised" verse fits perfectly with the previous song.
Reflection:
Holiday - Getting his sentence handed to him in court. It's not a real holiday, but he is going away for a long time.The song has a definite courtroom vibe, and is a bit of Worms throwback. The song ends with him in the cell
Workshop - It's Brian in the woodwork room, you know, prisoners gotta do something to pass the time.
I'm In Great Shape! - A little more upbeat, but not much. Brian's trying to cheer himself up, but it doesn't really work. He trails off and mumbles to himself.
Vega-Tables - He's going a bit stir crazy and has become obsessed with vegetables. Eat a lot, sleep a lot, that all he can really do now. Vegetables are what he loves the most, since he no longer has a girl. Why not send him a prison letter and let him know your favorite vegetable.
Wind Chimes - My favorite, he's staring out his cell window, staring at his windchimes. The windchimes remind him of his freedom, now and then a tear rolls down his cheek.
Your Welcome - Rounds it off nicely. He's mega lonely at this stage and wishes he had visitors. Well, your welcome to come.
(Possible Heroes And Villains - end segment) - I kinda think it belongs here to finishes the saga off. It was never a happy song to begin with, and the depressing ending would be a pretty powerful finish.
So what do you guys think, am I a genius or what?
I'm slowly gonna flesh this out, I'm having waaay too much fun with this. I'll chuck in little bits now and then, but for now this is gonna be a very rough guide.