The Beach Boys

Released: October 31, 2011

Songwriter: Van Dyke Parks Brian Wilson

Producer: Alan Boyd Mark Linett

[Verse 1]
I've been in this town so long that back in the city I've been taken for a lost and gone an unknown for a long, long time
Fell in love years ago with an innocent girl from the Spanish and Indian ho-home of the heroes and villains

[Verse 2]
Once at night, cotillion squared the fight and she was right in the rain of the bullets that eventually brought her down
But she's still dancing in the night unafraid of what a dude'll do in a town full of heroes and villains

[Hook]
Heroes and villains, just see what you've done
Done, done
Heroes and villains, just see what you've done
Done, done

[Verse 3]
Stand or fall, I know there shall be peace in the valley
And it's all an affair of my life with the heroes and villains

[Bridge]
In the cantina, Margarita's keep the spirit high
There I watched her, she spun around and wound in the warmth
Her body fanned the flame of the dance
Dance, Margarita, don't you know that I'm love with you?
Dance
"You're under arrest!"

[Verse 4]
My children were raised, you know they suddenly rise
They started slow long ago, head-to-toe
Healthy, wealthy and wise

[Verse 5]
I've been in this town so long, so long to the city
I'm fit with the stuff to ride in the rough
And sunny-down snuff I'm alright
By the heroes and...

[Hook]
Heroes and villains, just see what you've done
Done, done
Heroes and villains, just see what you've done
Done, done

[Instrumental Outro]

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

SMiLE (2011 Version)

From the albums

SMiLE (2011 Version) (2011)
The Smile Sessions (2011)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Version)The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

SMiLE (2011 Version)