Brian Wilson (1942 - 2025) RIP

On Wednesday Brain Wilson died. He was lauded almost beyond measurement and quite rightly so. He was the last of the three brothers Wilson in the band to die and with discarding the others, its principle songwriter. The three other principle members, cousin Mike Love, neighbourhood friend Al Jardine and, Brian Wilson replacement, Bruce Johnston are still with us.

Almost all attention went to two songs from Brian Wilson, 'Good Vibrations' (1967) and 'God Only Knows' (1966). Someone wrote "if you want to know what music in heaven sounds like, play 'God Only Knows'. The hit single has been mentioned as the best pop song ever written. I'm too young to remember them or for them to have made a true impression; at the time.

The sad news made me think of what the first The Beach Boys song is that I have a memory of it being in the charts. That question is easy to answer, that was 'Bluebirds Over The Mountain', but what the oldest song that I remember hearing on the radio, is harder to answer. It may be 'Sloop John B', also because it is an easy melody to remember as a small kid. The two principle songs mentioned in the previous paragraph, certainly are not easy to notice as a child. Although 'Good Vibrations' has a distinct sound of course.

It is a strange thing to think that most of the hits that I remember being new, 'I Can Hear Music', 'Breakaway', 'Cottonfields', all minor hits in 1969, are not exactly seen as the best The Beach Boys songs. They all came before that. Over the years I will have picked up the older hits one after the other, as they were always played on the radio. I remember singing along to 'Barbara Ann' as high as possible in the kitchen drying the dishes with my mother washing, somewhere in the later 1970s. I remember it vividly because I came so close in height, spontaneously, without ever having tried it before.

I simply love most of the old hits by the band. 'Surfin' USA', 'I Get Around', 'California Girls', etc., etc., there are so many of these great rock and roll-i kind of songs with the great singing by the band. Everybody is talking about 'Pet Sounds', the album seen as the seminal album of pop music. For me, I don't hear it. I'm not saying it's bad, the album was not made for my ears. Like a lot of mainly U.S. artist's music like James Taylor, Paul Simon, Christopher Cross, does not reach me for some reason.

When I play The Beach Boys it is a greatest hits compilation starting in 1962, while indulging most of what comes after 1967. Allowing for exception like 'Tears In The Morning' or the heavy rock and roll of 'Student Demonstration Time'.

At 82, Brian Wilson died at a normal age, especially for a rock and roll artist. He was one of the really great and that gives me pause to think there are some many to come in the next few years. My heroes of old are at best in their late seventies and a few well on in their 80s. It's going to be a sad lot of years ahead, but it is true what they say: We've still got the music. It will be there long after I'm gone as well.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght