Top Five Favorite Beach Boy Tunes

[jiggy22]

1. At My Window

Great to see this song getting the love that it deserves!

[donald]

This  is silliness.   We all know Don't Worry Baby is at the top.    The rest is just conjecture.

[Summertime Blooz]

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Dance Dance Dance
She Knows Me Too Well
Warmth Of the Sun
Wouldn't It Be Nice

[bonnie bella]

This  is silliness.   We all know Don't Worry Baby is at the top.    The rest is just conjecture.

Agree.

[bonnie bella]

The two songs I heard and loved and could not find again ... I found them!

Both were from TBB album - Time To Get Alone, and We're Together Again. 

[Ron]

I'd have to say, right now at least, it's probably this:

1. California Girls
2. This Whole World
3. Don't Worry Baby
4. All Summer Long
5. I Get Around

It changes a lot, but I find myself singing all these songs, all the time.  I'm not making the case that these are their best, just that these are my favorite.  Either I really like the way the melodies go, or how the Beach Boys sound singing these, or I relate to them.  "All Summer Long", for instance just reminds me of how life was when I was 17 or 18, what a wonderful time and what a wonderful song summing that up. 

Or "This Whole World" really kind of sums up the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson to me, Brian sounds half-insane on it but the beauty of the song is almost overwhelming.  the end part where they sing Acapella is probably what heaven sounds like.

"I Get Around" is just a perfect summation of the Beach Boys, it's one of their huge hits and I love the melody and the back and forth between Mike and Brian.  Mike sounds great on the verses, and Brian sounds like God on the chorus. 

"Don't Worry Baby" has always been one of my favorite songs, even when I was a kid and didn't know what it was about, I always liked how Brian's voice sounded... I even recorded my own (horrible) version of this years ago, figured out the guitar part, overdubbed tons of vocals, etc. even made a little clap drum track for it, this was back before any of that was easy... I recorded it all in my bedroom over the course of a couple months.  Fantastic song, and I always loved how Brian changed the chorus around to subliminally make it almost as if Ronnie Spector was singing it to him... think about how that works, he wanted the Ronettes to sing it; when they wouldn't, he just added the "When She says.... " part, and sang the chorus the way he imagined the Ronettes would.  Brilliant. 

"California Girls" in my mind still stands as probably Brian's greatest pop achievement, it's a perfect song.  The drums are frankly amazing on this too, and the famous story behind the recording of the song really sums up Brian's genius.  I love how the lyrics are so simple and basic, but yet it's the highest of art. 

[Sgt Pepper]

Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
You Still Believe In Me
Time To Get Alone
Don't Worry Baby


Honorable Mention - Wonderful (SMiLE version)

[pixletwin]

1. Surf's Up
2. Busy Doing Nothin'
3. We'll Run Away
4. Kiss Me Baby
5. When Girls Get Together

[MikestheGreatest!!]

Cuckoo Clock
Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson
Winds of Change
Shutdown Volume II
Ding Dang

Bonus selection:  Ten Little Indians

Because these lists are so lame.  In other words, who cares what anybody's five favorite BB's songs are?   Personally, could not name a top five if I had to and why would I want to.  What is it with some American's obsession with lists and rating things?  I basically like almost everything they ever did....pretty sure that is the stance of most folks on this here site.  My top 100 wouldn't vary much in quality compared to my second "top hundred".  Such is the breadth of quality in the catalog.  No real need to attempt to quantify the unquantifiable.

[Lee Marshall]

Ya ya.  Sure sure.  That really IS your top 5 + 1.  Admit it.

[I agree with the rest of your post by the way.   ]

Can't spend ALL my waking hours sticking pins in this Mike Love doll.  So?  There's this.

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Cabinessence
Let Him Run Wild
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Little Pad

[barto]

God Only Knows
Til I Die
Wouldn't It Be Nice
You Still Believe In Me
Don't Talk Put Your Head On My Shoulder

[Reverberation]

We'll Run Away
Breakaway
He Gives Speeches
Busy Doin' Nothing
It's Over Now

at the moment

[JK]

We'll Run Away

Yes! A sorely neglected gem. That penultimate "anyhow" is worth more than most artists' entire careers.

[Ovi]

It's Over Now

Kudos for this!