Was the song "Johnny Carson" actually somewhat autobiographical?

[Smile4ever]

I've heard some fans (and Wikipedia) suggest that the song "Johnny Carson" on Love You is actually Brian speaking autobiographically. There are lines like "the network makes him break his back" and other lyrics that suggest everyone is relying on Johnny, the talented icon. Some have suggested this is how Brian felt about his band mates and the record company using him to generate sales.

Do you think this is true? Is there any evidence to suggest that it is? Or is this just purely fan speculation?

[Andrew G. Doe]

The origin of the song was simply yet comprehensively described thusly: "Why isn't there a song about Johnny Carson ?"

According to some dude called... Will Brison, wasn't it ?

Sometimes fan speculation leads to a deeper understanding, sometimes it's revealed to be just laughable (as in the true origin of the lower case "i" on the Smile front cover). 

[pixletwin]

Song is about none other than Johnny Carson.

I suppose Brian was writing about himself in  the portions where he asks the listener if he thinks Johnny is a "natural guy" and that he made him laugh.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

It's actually full of Paul is dead clues. Carson being the son of the car Paul was in when he died, and Johnny being John Lennon.  In some cultures a microphone is a coffin where the dead body sits behind it.

[Orange Crate Art]

It's actually full of Paul is dead clues. Carson being the son of the car Paul was in when he died, and Johnny being John Lennon.  In some cultures a microphone is a coffin where the dead body sits behind it.

 

The walrus was Murry.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

It's actually full of Paul is dead clues. Carson being the son of the car Paul was in when he died, and Johnny being John Lennon.  In some cultures a microphone is a coffin where the dead body sits behind it.

 

The walrus was Murry.

I didn't think of that.  Good point!   

[Justin]

I've heard some fans (and Wikipedia) suggest that the song "Johnny Carson" on Love You is actually Brian speaking autobiographically. There are lines like "the network makes him break his back" and other lyrics that suggest everyone is relying on Johnny, the talented icon. Some have suggested this is how Brian felt about his band mates and the record company using him to generate sales.

Do you think this is true? Is there any evidence to suggest that it is? Or is this just purely fan speculation?

I believe it was Peter Ames Carlin in the "Songwriter" documentary who asserted that there was similarity between Brian and Carson which Brian may have recognized (both broke their backs to make their bosses happy).  But Carlin's interpretation isn't above anyone else's. 

[Don Malcolm]

I think the clues are buried somewhere in the following lines (both delivered by Mike Love...):

"He speaks in such a manly tone..."

"Ed McMahon comes on and sez here's Johnny/Ever'nite at 'leven-thirty he's so fohnny..."

 

[Jon Stebbins]

It's actually full of Paul is dead clues. Carson being the son of the car Paul was in when he died, and Johnny being John Lennon.  In some cultures a microphone is a coffin where the dead body sits behind it.

 

The walrus was Murry.

Roller Skating Child Is Father To The Man

[Cyncie]

No no! When you play it backwards, the words "Johnny Carson" sound like "nose rack yin ohj" which is Mandarin for "Zeppo's dead." True story. I heard it from a friend who has a cousin who heard it.

[Phoenix]

Sometimes fan speculation leads to a deeper understanding, sometimes it's revealed to be just laughable (as in the true origin of the lower case "i" on the Smile front cover). 

 

Ha!  It still cracks me up that some folk just won't let it go.  Why hang onto THAT but not switch over to using "Good VibrAtioNs"?   

[Theydon Bois]

I've heard some fans (and Wikipedia) suggest that the song "Johnny Carson" on Love You is actually Brian speaking autobiographically. There are lines like "the network makes him break his back" and other lyrics that suggest everyone is relying on Johnny, the talented icon. Some have suggested this is how Brian felt about his band mates and the record company using him to generate sales.

Do you think this is true? Is there any evidence to suggest that it is? Or is this just purely fan speculation?

I believe it was Peter Ames Carlin in the "Songwriter" documentary who asserted that there was similarity between Brian and Carson which Brian may have recognized (both broke their backs to make their bosses happy).

It's an interesting idea, and it was an interesting question, one that deserved to be taken more seriously than it did in this thread.  Emerson declared that all biography is autobiography, and while some will no doubt balk at applying that generalisation to something as apparently slight as "Johnny Carson", it does seem pretty unimaginative to dismiss any idea that isn't explicitly confirmed by the public record of what's been said in interviews.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Emerson, huh ?  And when did he last have a Top 40 hit ?

[Theydon Bois]

Well, "Fanfare For The Common Man" got to no. 2 in 1977.

[Little Pad]

The origin of the song was simply yet comprehensively described thusly: "Why isn't there a song about Johnny Carson ?"

According to some dude called... Will Brison, wasn't it ?

I can see this happening, but I can't help but hear autobiographical elements in the lyrics, espeically the lines "When guests are boring he fills up the slack, the network makes him break his back". Seems like a metaphor for Brian being promoted as the brains of the band and the pressure on him to create "genius" songs consistently to me.

[Custom Machine]

Sometimes fan speculation leads to a deeper understanding, sometimes it's revealed to be just laughable (as in the true origin of the lower case "i" on the Smile front cover). 

I must have missed explanation of the true origin of the lower case "i" on the Smile front cover.  What's the story?   

My assumption has always been either that the font used for the word Smile on the album cover simply did not utilize an upper case "I" and instead used a lower case "i" for stylistic purposes, or, if a specific font wasn't used, that the artist designing the words on the cover just thought it looked cool that way.  As such, I've always considered the practice of writing the album's title as "SMiLE", rather than "Smile" to be a truly bizarre one, making about as much sense as someone insisting that the title of the Surfer Girl album must always be written as "SURFER GIRL", in italics and all caps, because that's the way it appears on the album cover.

[Andrew G. Doe]

That's it. There was much theorising that it signified Brian's place in the universe, and his quote about The Beatles making him feel as small as the dot over the i in the word nit was much invoked. Then, St. Cameron of Mott tracked down the guy responsible (Frank Holmes supplied the illustration, but had nothing to do with the titling) and yes, he said there were no instructions from anyone else - he just thought it looked nice. A moments whim. That cracked me up when I read it. Still does. 

[drbeachboy]

I always thought it made the word smile look like a smile, at least using the album cover font.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

It's actually full of Paul is dead clues. Carson being the son of the car Paul was in when he died, and Johnny being John Lennon.  In some cultures a microphone is a coffin where the dead body sits behind it.

 

The walrus was Murry.

Roller Skating Child Is Father To The Man

Is your next book going to be about hidden clues in Beach Boys music? The Lost Clues. 

[Magic Transistor Radio]

No no! When you play it backwards, the words "Johnny Carson" sound like "nose rack yin ohj" which is Mandarin for "Zeppo's dead." True story. I heard it from a friend who has a cousin who heard it.

"Mary, I'll never leave you" (immediately takes off running)

[Mr. Cohen]

The phrase "my Diane", backwards, is "Johnny Carson"!

[bgas]

The phrase "my Diane", backwards, is "Johnny Carson"!

No, it's quite obviously e naid ym meaning He needs him( Johnny)