Released: August 30, 1971

Songwriter: Jack Rieley Carl Wilson

Producer: The Beach Boys

[Verse 1]
Unfolding, enveloping missiles of soul
Recall senses sadly
Mirage like soft blue, like lanterns below
To light the way gladly
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Whether wind withers memory
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away

[Chorus]
Feel flows (White puff, glistening, shadowy flow)
Feel goes (Black puff, glistening, shadowy glow)

[Verse 2]
Unbending, never-ending tablets of time
Record all the yearning
Unfearing, all-appearing message divine
Eases the burning
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
Whether hope dampens memory
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side

[Chorus]
Feel flows (White puff, glistening, shadowy flow)
Feel goes (Black puff, glistening, shadowy glow)

[Verse 3]
Encasing, all-embracing wreath of repose
Engulfs all the senses
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Retire the fences
Whether wholly-heartened life fades away
Whether harps heal the memory
Whether wholly-heartened life fades away
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away

[Chorus]
Feel goes (White puff, glistening, shadowy flow)
Feel flows (Black puff, glistening, shadowy glow)
Feel goes (White puff, glistening, shadowy flow)
Feelings to grow (White puff, glistening, shadowy flow)

[Outro]
White puff, glistening, shadowy glow
White puff, glistening, shadowy glow
White puff, glistening, shadowy glow...

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

more tracks from the album

Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969–1971