Songs that feel forced

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Make It Good?

"Look at me
Funny face
That's not you
A wrinkled nose
A tear
You're crying

Oh
Rest your head
Cry on me
Don't be afraid
I'll stay with you
I know you'll make it
And you'll make it good
And you'll make it good
And you'll make it good

All of my life
I haven't known much
All I know
Is what I feel
And what I feel
And what I feel
Love
I'm in love
Love
Love

Ooo"

Sounds pretty direct and purposeful to me. Brings to mind a shy or sad or unsure girl being consoled and showered with some guy's love and him just crying out how her love fulfills him!

A sentiment like that works wonderfully in the straight line-type scheme that Dennis wrote/arranged the song in!

Gorgeous stuff IMHO!

[Jason]

How many versions/mixes exist of Susie? At times I've loved this but others I'd agree, yes, it feels forced.

1970 45 B-side mix (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1970 45 B-side promo mix with engine sound effects (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1974 45 B-side mix (Child Of Winter A-side)
1976 15 Big Ones/45 A-side (Everyone's In Love With You B-side)

[Mooger Fooger]

Regarding "That Same Song", when I listen to the version on 15 Big Ones I cringe. I never liked the goofy arrangement at all. Then I saw it performed with the Double Rock Baptist Choir on the "It's OK" NBC special and my jaw dropped. From that point on I really began to believe that a good arrangement and production on a song could make anything sound amazing. Watching Brian get into the performance is also worth its weight in gold.

Imagine instead what we know as 15 Big Ones, the album kicking off with River Song and including performances like the TV version of TSS!!!

[Foster's Freeze]

How many versions/mixes exist of Susie? At times I've loved this but others I'd agree, yes, it feels forced.

1970 45 B-side mix (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1970 45 B-side promo mix with engine sound effects (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1974 45 B-side mix (Child Of Winter A-side)
1976 15 Big Ones/45 A-side (Everyone's In Love With You B-side)

How would these be rated in terms of "great mix" ----> "this one really sucks"

[Jason]

Honestly, besides the 1970 promo mix they sound virtually the same. The promo mix is a lot punchier than the other mixes. Add Some Music To Your Day in its promo mix is not as heavy on the reverb.

[coco1997]

"Beaches in Mind".

[Jukka]

Some thoughts... Carl's songs from KTSA sound very forced and/or uninspired. As do most (no, not all) of his songs, imo. I probably love the guy most of all the boys but let's be honest, he was the least brilliant songswriting Wilson.

Saturday Morning in the City sounds almost desperate in it's attempts to be jolly and uplifting, but doesn't really convince.

Some of you may disagree, but I don't think Mike's songs (I mean ones he composed) ever sound forced. Some may sound like sh*t or blatantly commercial, but not forced. I guess he really feels like writing a song whenever he opts to.

[Autotune]

I know may will disagree: It's about time.

[hypehat]

Spring Vacation. It's absolutely horrifying.

[Mendota Heights]

Keepin' the Summer Alive.

[Moon Dawg]

  1) "A Thing or Two"   Do it right baby/outa sight baby?  
  2) "Some of Your Love"  Let's go back to high school with a song that could curdle milk (Conversely, I like "Child of Winter")
  3) All of Brian's tunes for BB85. The flow and ease just aren't present for me.
  4) "It's A Beautiful Day"  This one tries a little too hard but doesn't quite deliver.
  5) "Amusement Parks USA"  Channeling stuff they'd left behind on SURFIN' SAFARI.



  "Make It Good" may be rather formless but the aching romanticism and huge sound always touched my heart.  

[Sheriff John Stone]

I know may will disagree: It's about time.

I agree; it's always sounded out of place as a Sunflower track because of that.

I'll add "Student Demonstration Time", "Meet Me In My Dreams Tonight" and a lot of the What I Really Want For Christmas album.

[SG7]

Make it Big

 

[Puggal]

Dance Dance Dance just feels like a reprise of I Get Around with worse lyrics.

I know may will disagree: It's about time.

I think Got to Know the Woman sounds far more forced (and generic) than It's About Time.

[Mike Lovechild]

'Sail On Sailor' sounds to me like somebody singing a shopping list. I've never believed that vocal even though the song itself rocks.

[JanBerryFarm]

Pretty much the entire 15 Big Ones album. 
 

[Sound of Free]

Here Comes the Night (disco version)

Night Time

the line "when I look in her eyes, she goes with me to a blossom world." It doesn't rhyme like the first does, but more importantly it always felt like a forced psychedelic lyric, something Mike couldn't really acheive.

Originally it did rhyme: "She goes with me to a blossom world we find." Brian cut off the last two words.

[Ziggy Stardust]

'Sail On Sailor' sounds to me like somebody singing a shopping list. I've never believed that vocal even though the song itself rocks.

>:[

[jpinmyroom]

Always thought 'dont go near the water' sounded a bit forced like they were purposely tryin to go all mother earth on us. Great harmonies towards the end though which makes the song bearable

[Kirk]

A lot of BW 88 feels forced to me: Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long, Let It Shine, Meet Me in Your Dreams Tonight, Rio Grande...

A lot of oddball BW stuff: Country Feelins... pretty much all of Sweet Insanity....

disco Here Comes the Night (the quintessence of forced)... California Calling... Camp California...

[phirnis]

Dream Angel, South American, Sunshine

[Kirk]

A couple more that just came to mind:

Bluebirds Over the Mountain

As much as I hate to say it, Make It Good feels "constructed" to me in ways that I have a hard time getting past. "Cuddle Up" walks right up to the line, then kisses it on the lips, and is transcendent
 
The Peggy Sue remake, Winds of Change, Endless Harmony

[keysarsoze001]

I for one actually quite love "That Same Song". I know I'm in the minority on that one.

Does it count if an arrangement feels forced? If so, for me, although I love the Gershwin and Disney albums, I always felt it was a little on-the-nose to crib Pet Sounds and SMiLE-style arrangements so explicitly. I'm thinking about the instrumental "I Got Plenty o Nuttin", for instance, basically lifting the WIBN set-up almost wholesale. Or the SOS "Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" or the "Vege-tables" opening to "Heigh Ho". Instances like that could make you think he's got no ideas left, and is just going to regurgitate the same thing over and over.

[Eric Aniversario]

Waves of Love...the rest of Al's solo album is great, though.

[The Shift]

How many versions/mixes exist of Susie? At times I've loved this but others I'd agree, yes, it feels forced.

1970 45 B-side mix (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1970 45 B-side promo mix with engine sound effects (Add Some Music To Your Day A-side)
1974 45 B-side mix (Child Of Winter A-side)
1976 15 Big Ones/45 A-side (Everyone's In Love With You B-side)

Belated but sincere thanks for this. I'm pretty sure I have the 1970 promo mix somewhere on vinyl… just need to set up the deck that I bought back in January and haven't had time to attend to yet!