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Post by Kapitan on Jan 18, 2023 16:35:53 GMT
Thread Introduction: If there is one thing the Beach Boys are known for, it has to be vocal harmonies.
If there is a second, it's most likely inventive, complex musical arrangements, especially those of Brian Wilson.
But with nearly 30 studio albums and a handful of non-album singles, not to mention dozens upon dozens of previously unreleased songs coming to light in the past few decades, it's notable that all but a handful include lyrics ... and somebody has to write those lyrics!
Mike Love probably has the most credits as a lyricist among the band members themselves, but everyone else contributed to a greater or lesser degree through the years. (Dennis and Carl Wilson probably the least.) And famously, the band members--especially the Wilsons--brought in outsiders to write or cowrite lyrics: Gary Usher, Roger Christian, Tony Asher, Van Dyke Parks, Steve Kalinich, Gregg Jakobson, Jack Rieley, Daryl Dragon, Tandyn Almer, Ron Altbach, Geoffrey Cushing-Murray, Robert White Johnson, Terry Melcher, and Joe Thomas among the more frequent or prominent examples. Considering songs the group covered, a few dozen more writers are in the mix.
The styles and subjects these several dozen people used are diverse, from very simple teenage romance to spirituality to carnal lust to abstract poetry to nostalgia.
With all that said, I thought it might be fun to tackle as a rolling series of threads the lyrics of the Beach Boys, album by album. My initial thought is that every few days, I will post the lyrics and a basic summary (writers, general overview) of songs. Each album will have its own thread, as we did with the album and single ratings threads. I don't envision a rating process, but we could add that if people want.
Otherwise, I see this as just a chance to look at what might be the least considered part of the Beach Boys' music: the lyrics. First up (in this thread) will be their most recent original studio album, That's Why God Made the Radio. I will post the initial song-specific post this afternoon, and then we'll continue with a new song approximately every-other day.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 18, 2023 18:40:51 GMT
Track #1: "Think About the Days" (Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas)Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo (etc) Oooh Nah nah nah whoa (etc.) I think we can skip this one, lyrics-wise. (Did Brian write the doo doo doos, and Joe the nah nah nahs?) Moving along... Track #2: "That's Why God Made the Radio (Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas, Larry Millas, Jim Peterik)Tunin' in the latest stars from the dashboard of my car. Cruisin’ at 7, push-button heaven, capturing mem’ries from afar in my car That’s why God made the radio. So tune right in everywhere you go. He waved His hand, gave us rock ’n’ roll, the soundtrack for fallin’ in love. That’s why God made the radio. Feel the music in the air. Find a song to take us there. It’s paradise when I lift up my antennae, receiving your signal like a prayer, like a prayer. [That’s why God made the radio…] Making this night a celebration, spreadin’ the love and sunshine to a whole new generation. Whole new generation. That’s why God made the radio. [That’s why God made the radio…] HistoryCo-writer Jim Peterik says this song dates back to '99, when he was co-writing with Brian Wilson for what became Imagination. He says after working on that album and performing with Wilson on a Letterman appearance, he was offered a spot in the Wilson touring band, but turned it down because "I couldn't see doing "Fun, Fun, Fun" across the country every night. It's not in my mission statement." But shortly thereafter, he was with Wilson reminiscing about listening to AM radio in your car, and Wilson said "that's why God made the radio." Peterik wrote it down, and "that's when we wrote that song." With Imagination having come out in '98, the timeline of that version clearly isn't right. In 2020, Peterik said he and Wilson "wrote a song called ”That’s Why God Made the Radio” along with Joe Thomas and Larry Millas in 2012, and it was one of the hugest thrills of my life." How much was written in 1998, '99, or 2012 seems foggy. But regardless, Peterik said, "From a fan point of view, I think Brian Wilson is my greatest achievement because I cut my teeth listening to [the '60s hits] ... I’m a huge Beach Boys fan. I mean it’s like writing with Paul McCartney or writing with John Lennon. That’s how big Brian Wilson loomed in my past and present and it’s just a dream come true!" Co-writer Joe Thomas says that its origins were in the immediate aftermath of Imagination, intended for its follow-up. Thomas says they cut a demo of it in Nashville at that time, but that Wilson claimed he liked it so much, he would never record the song except with the Beach Boys. Thomas says Wilson asked about it again a few times in the late '00s, and finally spent a little time with Thomas listening to some of the demos they'd done in preparation for a potential Beach Boys reunion album. It was, obviously, selected for that project, and that project came to fruition as the band's 2012 reunion album of the same name. It isn't clear exactly how much was written when, or who wrote what. Wilson seems to have thought of the title out of context, with Peterik recognizing it was a good one. Larry Millas was Peterik's colleague in their 60s-70s band Ides of March and was Peterik's friend " since second grade," but he is not mentioned in either of the accounts of the song's background I've seen. Thomas, of course, has been a regular collaborator of Wilson's since the latter '90s, and he says Wilson "had a title and a chord progression." The song was the first single from the reunion album That's Why God Made the Radio, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts and landing at #16 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart. Lyrical SummaryThe song is sung in the first person about the magic of listening to music on a car radio: basically, that old pasttime of "cruising" made famous in movies like American Graffiti. While it is in the present tense (not "we used to tune in the latest stars," but "tunin' in the latest stars"; not "made those nights a celebration," but "makin' this night a celebration"), its topic inherently brings a nostalgic vibe--especially when sung by a classic '60s band. Please discuss "That's Why God Made the Radio," and in particular per the thread's focus, the lyrics. We'll proceed through the album song by song, with the next track coming Friday or Saturday (depending on activity, etc.).
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
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Post by Emdeeh on Jan 18, 2023 18:58:12 GMT
I've always taken "tuning in the latest star" as a pun on listening to satellite radio. I suspect the line has multiple meanings.
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Post by kds on Jan 18, 2023 20:02:43 GMT
In general, I tend to give a lot of Beach Boys song a pass lyric-wise. There are some good ones over their career. But, for this exercise, I'll put on my lyric hat.
I like the concept of the title track of TWGMTR far better than the execution. The idea of music, and how it can enhance the experience of being in the car is something that I think we can all relate to.
For one, I think the title is a little clunky. The guys do their damnedest to make it sound nice though.
The lyric "It’s paradise when I, lift up my antennae," calls to mind that old line from This is Spinal Tap "there's a fine line between clever and stupid." I'm thinking this lyric is really staggering on that line.
But, nothing totally offensive for the most part.
Then, the song goes from universal to being autobiographical on the bridge / third verse, and I believe that's where the lyrics lose the thread a bit. Especially when you consider the following two songs on the album each lyrically mine the reunion theme. I really don't think there was any reason to do it on the title track with the "bringing the love and sunshine to a whole new generation." I can imagine that lyric in particular causing a lot of eye rolls when the song was first released in the spring of 2012.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 18, 2023 20:27:24 GMT
In general, I tend to give a lot of Beach Boys song a pass lyric-wise. There are some good ones over their career. But, for this exercise, I'll put on my lyric hat. That's kind of what I had in mind for the thread: a lot of times, I think we ignore, or just accept without much thought, a lot of these lyrics. So I thought for a change, it might be interesting to actually look more closely at them. (We'll see how long that works!) Oh, also re your point on the "spreading the love and sunshine to a whole new generation," that struck me as a VERY Mike Love kind of line, even though I realize he wasn't a co-writer here. But it's very much that "on message" sort of lyric for the album: we're together again, things are as sunny as ever, it's just like 1965 all over again!" (Mike in particular, but I think Bruce, too, used that "1965" reference in seemingly every interview.) That's a theme I'll be pointing out in several of these songs, the somewhat forced "we REALLY are happy together again, damnit! (It's not just for the money!)"
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Post by kds on Jan 18, 2023 20:43:14 GMT
In general, I tend to give a lot of Beach Boys song a pass lyric-wise. There are some good ones over their career. But, for this exercise, I'll put on my lyric hat. That's kind of what I had in mind for the thread: a lot of times, I think we ignore, or just accept without much thought, a lot of these lyrics. So I thought for a change, it might be interesting to actually look more closely at them. (We'll see how long that works!) Oh, also re your point on the "spreading the love and sunshine to a whole new generation," that struck me as a VERY Mike Love kind of line, even though I realize he wasn't a co-writer here. But it's very much that "on message" sort of lyric for the album: we're together again, things are as sunny as ever, it's just like 1965 all over again!" (Mike in particular, but I think Bruce, too, used that "1965" reference in seemingly every interview.) That's a theme I'll be pointing out in several of these songs, the somewhat forced "we REALLY are happy together again, damnit! (It's not just for the money!)" Right, if I didn't look at the writing credits, I'd swear that was a Mike lyric. Speaking of those nostalgia lyrics, and this is getting into a slightly different topic, with the whole "making this night a celebration" bit, that makes it a little surprising that the song in question wasn't typically played early on the C50 setlists. I'd looked at a few setlists to see if my memory was betraying me, and sure enough the song is typically included during the second set at most C50 shows (or late in the setlists in some of the foreign venues where they only did one set).
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 19, 2023 2:06:41 GMT
In general, I tend to give a lot of Beach Boys song a pass lyric-wise. There are some good ones over their career. But, for this exercise, I'll put on my lyric hat. I like the concept of the title track of TWGMTR far better than the execution. The idea of music, and how it can enhance the experience of being in the car is something that I think we can all relate to. For one, I think the title is a little clunky. The guys do their damnedest to make it sound nice though. The lyric "It’s paradise when I, lift up my antennae," calls to mind that old line from This is Spinal Tap "there's a fine line between clever and stupid." I'm thinking this lyric is really staggering on that line. But, nothing totally offensive for the most part. Then, the song goes from universal to being autobiographical on the bridge / third verse, and I believe that's where the lyrics lose the thread a bit. Especially when you consider the following two songs on the album each lyrically mine the reunion theme. I really don't think there was any reason to do it on the title track with the "bringing the love and sunshine to a whole new generation." I can imagine that lyric in particular causing a lot of eye rolls when the song was first released in the spring of 2012. I agree with your post, kds. "Clunky" is a good word to use to describe the song title, and I wish they would NOT have used it for the album title. I'll always welcome a Beach Boys' song about cruising in their car and listening to great music on the radio. However, in this case, I think they could've done a better job at writing (lyrics) about it. To be fair, with most songs - Beach Boys' or otherwise - the lyrics usually don't make or break the song with me, and "That's Why God Made The Radio" is no exception. I mean, the lyrics aren't terrible, and I can still somewhat enjoy the song. I think they tried too hard, getting a bit carried away.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 19, 2023 12:34:11 GMT
I wish they would NOT have used it for the album title. According to Joe Thomas, they almost didn't. From the interview linked in the description post above:
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Post by kds on Jan 19, 2023 14:02:44 GMT
If they didn't want to go with Summer's Gone, and they were looking for a song to give the album its title, I think Isn't It Time could've worked. Maybe even Pacific Coast Highway.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 20, 2023 12:32:47 GMT
I have a story related to the "That's Why God Made The Radio" title. I posted the story a few years ago; I don't even remember the thread or the forum. It's based on my reading an article/interview. I read it once. I read it fast. My recollection is shaky but I'm sure of the final, main point. I made an attempt to find the article again but failed. You can accept it or dismiss it; I understand. But I didn't dream it, and I don't have the imagination (pun intended) to make it up.
The article/story was based on an interview with either Jim Peterik or Joe Thomas. The setting was, I think, in Chicago (or maybe L.A.). Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas, and Jim Peterik were going to attend a Chicago Cubs or White Sox baseball game, a night game, and they went out to dinner before the game. There might've been a fourth person who was going to meet them either at the restaurant or the stadium. So, they are in the restaurant having dinner and a radio was playing music. A little while later, a DJ comes on the radio and announces that there was a severe storm warning on the horizon. The three quickly finish dinner, they get in their car, and the skies look ominous. I can't remember if it actually started raining - but I think it was - because they decide to not chance the game and head home. I think they did get caught in the storm because somebody, I think it was Peterik, says something like, "Wow, it's a good thing they had that radio on in the restaurant and we heard that storm warning...", and Brian says, "That's why God made the radio." Peterik is fascinated by Brian's comment and says something like, "Hey, Brian, that would make a great song title. Can I use it? Ha ha..."
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 20, 2023 12:45:46 GMT
That's interesting. It is hard for me to believe it was from Peterik, at least if it was from 2012 or after, since I've now read about 4-5 interviews with him where he mentions that song, and he never mentions the baseball or rain aspect at all: he just says they were at a restaurant talking about listening to the radio in the old days, how music never sounded so good as on AM car radios. What IS the same is that Brian is the one who said the phrase, and that Peterik is the one who made note of it as a good song title.
It could have come from Thomas. The one interview I recall seeing with him is the one I linked above, and he doesn't really get into details about the moment someone came up with it--he just says it was demo'd back in '98 or '99 in Nashville. So that story could still take on what you just said without being contradictory.
The whole thing is a great example of history, and what makes it so difficult. We can't be too confident about what happened in almost anything, because once you've got more than one source, there are almost always inconsistencies or contradictions. (The conversion of Roman emperor Constantine is one great example. For that matter, so are several stories related to Pet Sounds and Smile.)
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 20, 2023 12:49:23 GMT
I've always taken "tuning in the latest star" as a pun on listening to satellite radio. I suspect the line has multiple meanings. When that line was written might be key to whether that's the case. XM officially launched in 2001; Sirius in 2002. So if that line was in the original composition in '99ish, it seems unlikely. If it was added in the immediate lead-up to the album, circa '11, it's possible. I admit it isn't something that ever occurred to me.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 20, 2023 19:51:02 GMT
Track #3: Isn’t It Time (Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Joe Thomas, Jim Peterik, Larry Millas)After it’s all been said, the music spinnin’ in our head, can’t forget the feelin’ of the magic of that summer in love. Oooh, I wanna take you there. Do you wanna turn back the pages? Memories and photographs, the world has changed, and yet the game is still the same. Isn’t it time we danced the night away? How about doin’ it just like yesterday? Every time I think of you [2nd-4th times: Every time I dream of you]and all of the things we used to do… [2nd-4th times: and all of the things we wanna do…]Remember those nights we spent just you and I? Little did we know how the time would fly! Isn’t it time? Isn’t it time? The good times never have to end, and now’s the time to let them happen again. We can have ourselves a blast. The good times, they aren’t only in the past. [Isn’t it time we…]And as the sun goes down, we raise a glass to kindness. [Another day’s behind us.]To all the good times we shared, [We’ll spend the night time together]isn’t it time we get ready again? [Isn’t it time, isnt’ it time]Isn’t it time we go steady again? [Isn’t it time to be lovers?][Isn’t it time we…] (2x) HistoryThis is one of the relatively few completely new songs on the album, according to Joe Thomas: A revised version of the song was created after the album was released, for use as a single. Most of the changes are to the instrumental track or mix, though there are some new lyrics in the refrain (after the first time, where it remains the same as the original version) and the bridge. (Note: single-version lyrics are written in brackets and red typeface directly beneath the lyrics they replace in the original version.) Lyrical Summary The original version of the song is another nostalgic song from a first-person narrator, looking back fondly on "danc[ing] the night away ... just like yesterday" ... but more importantly, looking back fondly on young romance: "every time I think of you and all of the things we used to do" and "those nights we spent, just you and I." And inevitably, it is about how quickly it all passes: "little did we know how the time would fly." The single version brings it partly, but not entirely, into the present, makes it in the moment as well as looking backward, by replacing "things we used to do" with "things we wanna do." It does, however, retain some of the backward-facing sentiment by keeping "just like yesterday," for example. The other lyrical change--this one to the bridge--first replaces the clunkiest line of the original, "we raise a glass to kindness" with "another day's behind us," and second brings some more adult-themed love to the song (than just dancing the night away) by replacing "we'll spend the night together ... isn't it time to be lovers?" Please discuss "Isn't It Time," which will remain up until Sunday or Monday, depending on the conversation and my time. If you still have more to say about "That's Why God Made the Radio," feel free: consider the thread a cumulative one, not exclusive to the most recently posted songs.
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Post by kds on Jan 20, 2023 20:42:41 GMT
With Isn't It Time, The Beach Boys managed to wax nostalgic without being so obviously autobiographical. Not only do they not name check any past songs, or albums, but they also never mention going to the beach. A very rare feat. This is why I think Isn't It Time holds up a little bit better than Spring Vacation or Beaches in Mind (sorry for getting ahead of myself).
I actually prefer the lyrics on the album version to those on the studio version. But, it might just be because that's the version I'm used to. I haven't given a lot of thought about the merits of the different lyrics, other than the originals just sound better to me, particularly Jeff's part in the bridge.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 20, 2023 21:22:47 GMT
I actually prefer the lyrics on the album version to those on the studio version. But, it might just be because that's the version I'm used to. I haven't given a lot of thought about the merits of the different lyrics, other than the originals just sound better to me, particularly Jeff's part in the bridge. I prefer the album version to the single version, too. A lot of it is for production reasons, but I prefer the original refrain more than the updated one. I know I said the single removes the worst line of the original--"raise a glass to kindness," which I do believe to be true--but overall I would not make the trade.
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