Annoying Songs

[filledeplage]

Student Demonstration Time contains some of music's absolute worst lyrics. just extremely poor taste, judgment and execution.

"bachelor of bullets" Mike? really???
no doubt he was very proud of himself and some of those lines, but it seriously never should have been released or performed, at least without a lyric rewrite. it's a blight on the band's history

funny that Mike was so offended or opposed to the lyrics for Hang On To Your Ego, yet wrote and recorded something as indelicate and insensitive as this sh!t

No agreement, bossaroo.  These lyrics embodied what was going on with student protest in the 60's and 70's, contemporaneous to Carl's CO (Conscientious Objector) military draft status.  The most naive freshman entering college to be, for example, an English major or Education major, got a big slap of reality about the Vietnam War, and that their " education"  would not just come from a book and a lecture.  It was a sort of "Bachelor of Bullets" scenario.  Dramatic, yes, but to drive home a point. 

And, with bomb threats and massive class cancellations, as an almost daily occurrence, one might ask oneself what was the learning curve?  Was it Education for teaching, English, Biology or was it overridden by a building evacuation for a fire or bomb threat or students locking themselves in an administrative building? Personal experience on my end, and likely many others as well.

Comparing the lyrics to Brian's is not fair as Mike's BB experience was a different one with the band, while on the road, with his very outspoken cousin, Carl, risking it all by being a Conscientious Objector. 

They were doing different things and for different purposes, both to be respected.  If you look at it from all perspectives, such as translating the music to the "road and concert delivery, the lyrics did matter." That is where the proverbial "rubber meets the road." If an audience is throwing eggs, because they can't "get" a performance or lyrics, guess who gets them?

And, it disrespects those of us who were part of that experience was educationally formative for us, (whether we marched or just left after class was cancelled and reflected on what they were fighting for and started to become more aware of the news and government) and places the music in the "context of those times" which differs little in scope from the protest that is going on with right now, with regard the reformation of law enforcement policy in the States.

That message is not lost on the baby boomers.  The Beach Boys took the lead from those student activists (those 60's and 70's who did change the world) and created at least that song, accordingly appropriate.  I so respect Mike for hearing those voices.

You know, I'm to the point now where with more & more people misunderstanding the lyrics, it has me questioning how it was written. I never had an issue with it, because I lived through the time written about. I remember the civil rights and anti-war protests. I understood that the government/police incited the riots, which started out as peaceful demonstrations. I understand how the words of protesters were answered by a hail of bullets and tear gas canisters. A thoughtful reading of the lyric tells you this, but a nonchalant listening may cause a misinterpretation, and apparently it has.

On a lighter note, this is similar to how the meaning of the California Girls lyrics were sometimes misunderstood by listeners.

Drbeachboy - I think you nailed it! We didn't need an explanation because we were living it!  Someone who wasn't around to see the era, would naturally wonder what it all meant! And, why context as to contemporaneous events going on, is so necessary. 

[bossaroo]

I certainly sympathize with the anti-war protesters and anyone brutalized by the police.
as I said, Mike's lyrics were indelicate and insensitive. and insincere

sometimes he really should have just stuck to writing about girls and cars.

[Tomorrowville]

Personally, I don't find "Student Demonstration Time" hard to understand in terms of what it's going for - I just find it to be clumsily, awkwardly written.  (It's not particular to this song - I also find a lot of the other songs from this era, like "Don't Go Near The Water," "Take A Load Off Your Feet," "A Day In The Life Of A Tree," "Long Promised Road," etc. to be on the clumsy, awkward, "trying too hard"/forced side of things, lyrically-speaking.)

That's just coming at it from a writing perspective, not a "you had to be there" perspective.

[Mike's Beard]

Pretty much everything on disc 2 of The Smile Sessions. It sounds like a really bad fever dream to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Heroes & Villains, but those outtakes are just way, way too much.

Twice. Exactly twice I have listened to the second Smile Sessions disc since 2011.  As an aural document to Brian's working methods in 66/67 it's great. As entertaining music it's beyond annoying.

[drbeachboy]

I certainly sympathize with the anti-war protesters and anyone brutalized by the police.
as I said, Mike's lyrics were indelicate and insensitive. and insincere

sometimes he really should have just stuck to writing about girls and cars.

I completely 100% disagree with your assessment. I mean you are welcome to think however you want, but we all don't see it that way. You know, Mike really did stick to writing about what he knows best. No room for growth for Mike. I know, let's keep him pigeon-holed just like the general public has with the him and the band over the years, huh?

[filledeplage]

I certainly sympathize with the anti-war protesters and anyone brutalized by the police.
as I said, Mike's lyrics were indelicate and insensitive. and insincere

sometimes he really should have just stuck to writing about girls and cars.

Harsh times call for harsh language and harsh sonority.

Read Mr. Desper, above, please.  In the harsher sound thread...on page 3.

[donald]

The line on good time about falsies with the bad "falsetto" is cringeworthy.     Yech!

[RangeRoverA1]

Be True to Your School

Hit Single version.  Absolutely not.  That's a postcard of North America...and an anthem.

I'm with you, Add Some. WHO cares about cheerleaders? JUST ignore it & concentrate on THE arrangement, which I hope NO ONE will argue it's superior to ALBUM version. Not too slow either.

Sorry, could not resist. I like your writing style & random CAPS-LOCK'ation of the words.

[bossaroo]

I certainly sympathize with the anti-war protesters and anyone brutalized by the police.
as I said, Mike's lyrics were indelicate and insensitive. and insincere

sometimes he really should have just stuck to writing about girls and cars.

I completely 100% disagree with your assessment. I mean you are welcome to think however you want, but we all don't see it that way. You know, Mike really did stick to writing about what he knows best. No room for growth for Mike. I know, let's keep him pigeon-holed just like the general public has with the him and the band over the years, huh?

you missed my point which is, if "growth" and attempts at being relevant and taken seriously resulted in lyrics as cringeworthy and clumsy as SDT, then yes Mike should have "stuck with the formula".

Mike can write about any number of subjects, but he should really leave the protest songs to Dylan, Ochs, and the like.

Mike was quoted in the 60s as saying he disliked beatniks, yet I believe Dave Marks said he was very interested in the lingo and hip phrases they used. that's how SDT and Mike's whole "hippie" phase strikes me. pandering for critical appeal and acceptance, trying desperately to look and sound the part... while apparently despising the whole scene.

[drbeachboy]

I certainly sympathize with the anti-war protesters and anyone brutalized by the police.
as I said, Mike's lyrics were indelicate and insensitive. and insincere

sometimes he really should have just stuck to writing about girls and cars.

I completely 100% disagree with your assessment. I mean you are welcome to think however you want, but we all don't see it that way. You know, Mike really did stick to writing about what he knows best. No room for growth for Mike. I know, let's keep him pigeon-holed just like the general public has with the him and the band over the years, huh?

you missed my point which is, if "growth" and attempts at being relevant and taken seriously resulted in lyrics as cringeworthy and clumsy as SDT, then yes Mike should have "stuck with the formula".

Mike can write about any number of subjects, but he should really leave the protest songs to Dylan, Ochs, and the like.

Mike was quoted in the 60s as saying he disliked beatniks, yet I believe Dave Marks said he was very interested in the lingo and hip phrases they used. that's how SDT and Mike's whole "hippie" phase strikes me. pandering for critical appeal and acceptance, trying desperately to look and sound the part... while apparently despising the whole scene.

He wrote one, I repeat, one Protest song. Thou dost protest too much, me thinks.

[filledeplage]

Be True to Your School

Album version yes.  It was merely an unrealized 'idea'.   Hit Single version.  Absolutely not.  That's a postcard of North America...and an anthem.

If it was new and released this week.  Yes. 

1963?  It was perfection.

An anthem...it is all of that, for just about all of us! I loved the way they've been tailoring it to each vicinity where they
perform it...

[RangeRoverA1]

I don't think I can name a single "annoying" song, there are just some moments in a few of them that I find they seem out-of-place or annoying sound bits. F.ex., "well, I CAAN'T understand a single wooord". That "CAAN'T" in "Papa-Oom" is too shrill. Another is Van Dyke vocal at the tag of "...Tree". Never liked his voice.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Pretty much everything on disc 2 of The Smile Sessions. It sounds like a really bad fever dream to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Heroes & Villains, but those outtakes are just way, way too much.

Twice. Exactly twice I have listened to the second Smile Sessions disc since 2011.  As an aural document to Brian's working methods in 66/67 it's great. As entertaining music it's beyond annoying.

Listening to just one disconnected fragment after the other, yes. But on their own, I think each piece is beautiful and they're great "toys" to play around with making your own version of that song. The really annoying disc is 5. Ive listened to it once and even then I felt it was a waste of my time.

I agree, SDT and Be True to Your School are annoying. So is TM on the Friends album

[chris.metcalfe]

Most of my negative reactions to BB material would be classed as embarrassing rather than annoying. That would include some of Brian's late-70s songs. 'Annoying' would be hearing Dennis having a shag at the end of All I Want To Do.

As far as SDT is concerned, I was one of the many BB fans who would have far preferred another BW or a DW song there instead (WIBNTLA etc, blah blah). However, firstly I agree with the poster who said it's good that Mike was at least aware enough of what was happening in the wider world (oh all right, wider US) to write that song, and some of the Holland era stuff; second, some of my friends too took it seriously and were more interested in that track than, say, Long Promised Road; and third, I recently listened to the 180g pressing of SU and actually rather liked it. I think it was important at the time.

All I can say about Vietnam is, thank God we here in the UK didn't get involved in that one. Probably why we had Traffic and Syd Barrett rather than Jim Morrison and Country Joe.