Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
Likes: 532
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Post by Emdeeh on Jan 21, 2023 1:34:46 GMT
I don't have much to say about the lyrics, but "Isn't It Time" is still a regular earworm for me. I can't say that about any other song on TWGMTR.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 21, 2023 1:53:06 GMT
I do think it's THE earworm of the whole album. Obviously part of that is the great music, but the lyrics mostly fit the music perfectly. It reminds me of how instrumentally, sometimes the bass fits into the drums, and then the guitar and/keyboards fit into that, and you say it's just in the pocket. For me, the lyrics of "Isn't It Time" are in the pocket with the music.
The simple syllables fit the melody and beat with just the right syncopation. They almost align, but when there's a stress (on the "the night"), it's just cool. It's just right. Mike mostly did a great job on this, as did the guys on the music side.
There is nothing deep about it, but it's great. I think it's one of their best fun songs once they became a little older. It doesn't attempt adolescence in some cringeworthy way, it doesn't make fools of them. It's great: vibrant, bouncy, fun, nostalgic but not sad.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 21, 2023 17:36:27 GMT
Well, first, I was glad to see that B. Wilson/M. Love could do it again and write a good, NEW Beach Boys' song, though ol' Joe Thomas is on the credits, too.
The lyrics are fine; they're effective. And, yeah, they are VERY Mike Love. If I had one criticism albeit a minor one - and I don't want to come off as prudish or "holy" - I find a few of the words or phrases to be a little too "sexy". It's just a feeling I get, not as crude as say, "Male Ego", but not necessary either. Just stick to fun and getting back together and reminiscing and stuff.
As far as the difference in the album version and the single version? Meh. Makes little difference to me. I will say this. I wish Brian did more of the high singing and Jeff Foskett did less on this song. I love Jeff, but some of the emotion is lost when hearing him singing the words and not Brian.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 21, 2023 19:18:27 GMT
Well, first, I was glad to see that B. Wilson/M. Love could do it again and write a good, NEW Beach Boys' song, though ol' Joe Thomas is on the credits, too.
The lyrics are fine; they're effective. And, yeah, they are VERY Mike Love. If I had one criticism albeit a minor one - and I don't want to come off as prudish or "holy" - I find a few of the words or phrases to be a little too "sexy". It's just a feeling I get, not as crude as say, "Male Ego", but not necessary either. Just stick to fun and getting back together and reminiscing and stuff.
As far as the difference in the album version and the single version? Meh. Makes little difference to me. I will say this. I wish Brian did more of the high singing and Jeff Foskett did less on this song. I love Jeff, but some of the emotion is lost when hearing him singing the words and not Brian.
I'm curious which lines you find a bit sexy? To me, the only ones that go that direction at all are the single version rewrites. I don't see anything in the initial version that couldn't be considered chaste, risque only in the way you'd find in '50s rock lyrics. As for the Foskett part, I don't exactly love him doing that high part of the bridge, but Brian could not have done it. No way. It would have required a rewrite of the melody, as Mike sang with the single version. The highest note in that melody is a high B, which is really high. Even the "isn't" part that apparently Bruce sings (or more likely co-sings) in the "isn't it time we" refrain is a high A: also very high. In the harmonies leading to the bridge, there's a high C#! It's just out of Brian's modern range. For comparison's sake, the high "drop" in "canvas the town and brush the backdrop" in "Surf's Up" is also a high B. ("Surf's Up" does go insanely high, with an F above that...but that's another story.)
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 21, 2023 19:51:35 GMT
Well, first, I was glad to see that B. Wilson/M. Love could do it again and write a good, NEW Beach Boys' song, though ol' Joe Thomas is on the credits, too.
The lyrics are fine; they're effective. And, yeah, they are VERY Mike Love. If I had one criticism albeit a minor one - and I don't want to come off as prudish or "holy" - I find a few of the words or phrases to be a little too "sexy". It's just a feeling I get, not as crude as say, "Male Ego", but not necessary either. Just stick to fun and getting back together and reminiscing and stuff.
As far as the difference in the album version and the single version? Meh. Makes little difference to me. I will say this. I wish Brian did more of the high singing and Jeff Foskett did less on this song. I love Jeff, but some of the emotion is lost when hearing him singing the words and not Brian.
I'm curious which lines you find a bit sexy? To me, the only ones that go that direction at all are the single version rewrites. I don't see anything in the initial version that couldn't be considered chaste, risque only in the way you'd find in '50s rock lyrics. As for the Foskett part, I don't exactly love him doing that high part of the bridge, but Brian could not have done it. No way. It would have required a rewrite of the melody, as Mike sang with the single version. The highest note in that melody is a high B, which is really high. Even the "isn't" part that apparently Bruce sings (or more likely co-sings) in the "isn't it time we" refrain is a high A: also very high. In the harmonies leading to the bridge, there's a high C#! It's just out of Brian's modern range. For comparison's sake, the high "drop" in "canvas the town and brush the backdrop" in "Surf's Up" is also a high B. ("Surf's Up" does go insanely high, with an F above that...but that's another story.) I know he's singing about dancing the night away, but that line, "how about doin' it just like yesterday". And "Every time I dream of you, and all of the things we used to do...". And, "We'll spend the night time together...isn't it time we get ready again?" And, finally, "Isn't it time to be lovers?"
I might (probably) am reading too much into it, something that wasn't intended, but that's the vibe I get when I listen to "Isn't It Time". Anybody else?
Yes, it's rare that I would have confidence in the latter day Brian Wilson voice, but this is an exception. Brian was singing well around that time, and I love his vocals on No Pier Pressure (and on Imagination). I don't want to get carried away, but I felt with Joe Thomas producing, a lot was possible with Brian's vocals. He sang some songs and hit some notes that I didn't think he could accomplish again.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 21, 2023 22:23:57 GMT
Yeah, so it seems most of those lines you pointed to are indeed the rewrites. I get that. The "doin' it just like yesterday" I take as a pretty harmless double entendre at most. (Obviously different people have different thresholds for those sorts of things.) But considering it's "danced the night away / how about doin' it just like yesterday," I took it more innocently.
Re Brian, I know you and I have a longstanding disagreement about that. I recognize and agree, Brian was singing better at that time. But that is a REALLY HIGH NOTE. Singing well, and singing outside of your own range, are two different things. I don't know if he hit anything in that range otherwise. I'll have to think about that, and maybe (if the spirit moves me) dig in to some of his other vocals around that era to see what his high end seemed to be.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jan 21, 2023 23:28:33 GMT
Yeah, so it seems most of those lines you pointed to are indeed the rewrites. I get that. The "doin' it just like yesterday" I take as a pretty harmless double entendre at most. (Obviously different people have different thresholds for those sorts of things.) But considering it's "danced the night away / how about doin' it just like yesterday," I took it more innocently. Re Brian, I know you and I have a longstanding disagreement about that. I recognize and agree, Brian was singing better at that time. But that is a REALLY HIGH NOTE. Singing well, and singing outside of your own range, are two different things. I don't know if he hit anything in that range otherwise. I'll have to think about that, and maybe (if the spirit moves me) dig in to some of his other vocals around that era to see what his high end seemed to be. I'm not one who knows musical notes, but Brian's vocal on Think About the Days (around the :45 second mark) is pretty high. Also the "Calling out for you" line on One Kind of Love.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 21, 2023 23:44:00 GMT
The "call" of "calling out for you" in "One Kind of Love" is an A, so that is getting right up there. But I want to note, anything up there is commonly the "breaking point" for singers, somewhere in the G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb range. And note how Brian gets to it, sliding up from about half a step below it, scooping into it. But the part isn't consistently up there. (I just note this because all notes aren't created equal. Hitting a note in one context isn't always the same as hitting it in another.) But you're right that this is in the ballpark, though a full step lower.
The part in "Think About The Days," I'm going to need to pay more attention to. It depends on which note you think is Brian's highest note. The highest note being sung there is an F, which is significantly higher than what we're talking about. But I'm 100% positive that isn't Brian. So then it's a matter of which other note is Brian. I'll try to pay attention to that and report back.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2023 16:59:37 GMT
Track #4: Spring Vacation (Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Joe Thomas)Driving around, living the dream I'm cruisin’ the town, digging the scene I'm not gonna stress, not gonna worry Doing our best, no need to hurry Lookin’ ahead with anticipation Making each day a new celebration Seems like it could go on forever Long as we can all stick together We used to get around, get up and hit up All the hot spots in town Spring vacation Good vibration Summer weather We're back together Easy money Ain’t life funny Hey, what's it to ya? Hallelujah! As for the past, it's all behind us Happier now, look where life finds us Singing our songs is enough reason Harmony boys is what we believe in Some said it wouldn't last. All we can say is we're still having a blast. [Spring vacation…] Every night's a special occasion [Spring vacation…] HistoryJoe Thomas says this is the first song Brian and Mike worked on together for That’s Why God Made the Radio, although its roots go back more than a decade. Thomas says this is one of the late ‘90s songs, actually dating to before Imagination, and that it was initially called “Lay Down Burden.” He says they’d hoped Carl would sing it with him, but then Carl was too sick and died. Confusing the matter, they then wrote and recorded a different song called “Lay Down Burden” that was dedicated to Carl. Later, as they began compiling material for consideration for the reunion... notes.andrewromano.net/joethomasbeachboysLyrical SummaryAnother first-person, nostalgic song—but this one is a bit different. One, it is at least largely first-person plural, with Mike (and others) singing as if on behalf of the group. Two, it’s less grammatically complete, often just series of phrases that you can understand, but they don’t quite work as complete language. Look especially at verse two, or the last three lines of verse three, to see what I mean. The phrases lack subjects (though there’s an implied “I” or “we,” and they don’t necessarily work together in any specific way. They just vaguely fit.) There is also an odd juxtaposition between the more typical “kumbaya” sentiment throughout much of the song with an ironic or cynical “easy money, ain’t life funny? Hey, what’s it to ya? Hallelujah!” Perhaps surprisingly, that part was Brian’s contribution. Entirely unsurprisingly, adding “good vibrations” was Mike’s… Please discuss “Spring Vacation,” which will remain up until roughly the weekend. As always, if you want to chime in on previous songs, you’re always welcome to continue doing so. It’s a cumulative thread.
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Post by kds on Jan 25, 2023 17:18:25 GMT
Welp, it was bound to happen. Mike writing lyrics that reference the reunion as well as name checking a couple BB classics in the process.
That said, it could be a lot worse. Even if the lyrics ring a little hollow after the reunion wound up being a one off as expected.
In fact, I rarely fail to chuckle at the "easy money....what's it to you?" bit of the chorus. Yeah, it's a cash grab, F off. Maybe the fact that it's Brian's contribution means that he wasn't as all in on the reunion, at least at the early stage.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2023 17:40:21 GMT
I don't especially like these lyrics--except for the lines about easy money.
What I will say is, in the end, these lyrics probably best represent the album and reunion overall. That blend of absolutely corny, cliched, Mike Lovesque lines and self-references are all just so sweet, so optimistic, so corny ... so fake. And then there's one glimmer of truth in there: easy money / ain't life funny? / hey, what's it to you? / Hallelujah.
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Post by kds on Jan 25, 2023 17:55:35 GMT
I don't think Mike's lyrics are great by any stretch, but I think he's been way more corny and cliched before and since. But, after the reunion theme was addressed (far better I might add), on the previous track, the lyrics feel a little repetitive here.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 26, 2023 18:40:47 GMT
"Spring Vacation"'s lyrics are OK. Acceptable. They're positive. More cruisin' around and having a good time. Nothing wrong with that. I will never get tired of B.Wilson/M.Love songs about the joy of everyday life - no matter when they're written. I don't care if they're retreads; there's always something in there to appreciate.
Two things though...I kind of wish Mike would've made up his mind. Is the song about cruisin' around and making each day a celebration? Is it about putting the past behind and getting back together? Or is it about actually taking a spring vacation (which doesn't have too much to do with everything else). And what does easy money have to do with anything? I mean, again, all of those things are positives, but the song is all over the place.
Second thing...For the longest time I didn't understand what Brian was singing. I couldn't make out "easy money" and "ain't life funny". It was only after I read the lyrics somewhere did I realize what Brian was singing.
I do love the song. It's one of the best on the album and should've been the lead single.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 28, 2023 14:22:03 GMT
Track #5: The Private Life of Bill and Sue (Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas)The private life of Bill and Sue, can you dig what I'm telling you? No one knows just why we care. We see their faces everywhere. The strangest story you ever knew, the private life of Bill and Sue. California to Mexico, everybody's just gotta know. Dallas, Texas, to Monterey, wasting time on a sunny day. Santa Barbara to Jersey Shore, at the line in the grocery store. Everybody who ever knew the private life of Bill and Sue. The private life of Bill and Sue, the world is wondering what they do. We watch them on our TV screen; their lives are like a movie scene. The strangest story you ever knew, the private life of Bill and Sue. [California to Mexico...] Sometimes life can be so strange. Maybe we're just looking for a change. [California to Mexico...] [Radio reporter says:] Bill and Sue, stars of the once-popular reality show "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" were reported lost at sea today along with their camera crew while filming an episode on vacation in Catalina Island. Skeptics speculate that the once-popular duo, whose ratings have been tumbling since leaving the network, actually faked their demise...History:"The Private Life of Bill and Sue" was, according to Joe Thomas, one of a few wholly new songs written for this project (along with "Shelter," "Isn't It Time," "From There to Back Again" and "Beaches in Mind"). While it was newly written for That's Why God Made the Radio, Thomas does trace its conceptual origins back to the trip he and Brian Wilson made to visit and write with Jimmy Buffett before Imagination:www.goldminemag.com/articles/step-inside-the-beach-boys-world-50-years-in-the-makingWilson says more succinctly in that same interview, "It's about a couple that like privacy." Elsewhere Thomas tells it slightly differently, where Wilson comes in with the title, concept, and verse, and Thomas adds the chorus. Lyrical SummaryInterestingly, the lyrics to "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" don't really tell the story that Thomas outlines as the song's concept: the radio announcer at the end does. The lyrics are from the perspective of some anonymous member of the viewing public, outlining the phenomenon of the public's obsession with them. There is no hint of them being has-beens or having disappeared. Rather, it simply calls out people's fascination with them, and the apparent lack of any actual reason for that fascination. Throughout verses, chorus,and bridge, there is a simple rhyme scheme with sets of rhyming couplets (as opposed to lines two and four rhyming, or one, two, and four, or some other scheme). The verses add the pattern of both beginning and ending with the title of the song. The chorus ends with the title as well. Please discuss the lyrics to "The Private Life of Bill and Sue," which will be up for a few days. As always, feel free to chime in on previous songs.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 28, 2023 15:48:20 GMT
My main comment on the lyrics to this song, though I think it at least seems relevant to the music itself, is that Thomas seems to have come up with the best part: the chorus. It's one of the bigger earworms on the album, relatively meaningless though it is. If you asked me to listen to the whole album and guess who was responsible for which parts, much as was the case with the "easy money" line of "Spring Vacation," I would not have pegged this chorus as being Thomas's. Overall, though, I don't particularly like these lyrics. The concept, such as it is, isn't even really present in the song itself, just the radio announcer in the ending. And even if it were, I don't think it fits particularly well. No, this isn't a strict concept album (and thank goodness for that). But it is in large part a combination of celebrating the joys of life--often looking back at good times past--while coming to terms with maturity and mortality. This is, I think, the only song on the entire album whose subject is some third parties: most everything else is about "me," "us," and "you" ... this is the only "they" or "them." I can't help but wonder whether it might have been a better fit, and maybe something I'd have liked more, had they rewritten them into something more personal or otherwise fitting. Whether that means giving it a Mikeover TM or just Wilson/Thomas having another go at it, I don't know or care. Of course it might have just become: California to Mexico I wanna go back to Kokomo Dallas, Texas, to Monterey Fun fun fun on a summer's day Santa Barbara to Jersey Shore I get around to all these and more Everybody who ever knew these good vibrations would all come true
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