The Beach Boys

Released: January 8, 1973

Songwriter: Brian Wilson

Producer: The Beach Boys

[Verse]
He sat up in his open window
Looking quietly down at the path
A firefly flew in his room and flew right out again
Down jumped the prince
And he went again to find his radio
(Magic transistor radio)
(Glowing magic transistor radio)
(Glowing magic transistor radio)
As he made his way he could hear something once again
(Glowing magic transistor radio)
There was that transistor up on the same tree
Then from inside of it came a strange voice

[Spoken Word - Brian Wilson]
(Hello I'm the Pied Piper from the far away land of Night)
(Nobody knows anything about my existence)
(I only want to know kids)
(Late at night when people are sleeping)
(I go into their old radios and turn them into magic transistors)
(And fly outside with them)
(I come from such a far away land of Night)
(That I'm fascinated with the funny music I hear on your radios)
(You are the first to know of me)
(You can't see me I'm hidden)
(But you can see the green glow I make)
(I heard you laugh last night)
(I figured that you would be amused by me)
(Listen to this)

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

Holland

From the albums

Mount Vernon And Fairway (EP) (1973)
Holland (1973)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Magic Transistor RadioThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Holland