The Beach Boys

Released: July 18, 1966

Songwriter: Tony Asher Brian Wilson

Producer: Brian Wilson

[Verse 1: Mike Love]
I had to prove that I could make it alone now
But that's not me
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
But that's not me

[Pre-Chorus: Mike Love]
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl

[Chorus 1: Mike Love and Brian Wilson]
I'm a little bit scared 'cause I haven't been home in a long time
You needed my love and I know that I left at the wrong time

[Verse 2: Mike Love]
My folks when I wrote them told 'em what I was up to
Said that's not me
I went through all kinds of changes, took a look at myself
And said that's not me

[Pre-Chorus 2: Mike Love]
I miss my pad and the places I've known
And every night as I lay there alone
I would dream

[Chorus 2: Mike Love and Brian Wilson]
I once had a dream, so I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready

[Outro: Mike Love]
I once had a dream, so I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I once had a dream, so I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty

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.

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Pet Sounds

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Pet Sounds (1966)

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