I'll bet many of you reading my title finished that sentence, didn't you?
I bet also that you finished it by singing it to yourself!
"4-0-9".....
Not one of my favorite Beach Boys tunes.
It was catchy and fun.
You still hear it now and then,
not because it was a great song, but because it was done by a great group.
"The Beach Boys" were, and are, one of my favorite groups.
I think they're underrated by many.........
Not the Beatles, who were motivated to produce "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" after hearing "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys.
During turbulent times growing up, the Beach Boys took what was in my head and put it on the radio.
Brian Wilson, Beach Boy #1, was a genius.
The harmonies he molded, using his brothers, a cousin, and a friend, were fabulous. Combined with a simple but well written verse, you've got music that will stand up for years.
Go back now and listen to "In My Room".
What a great song:
"In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears,
In my room."
Did your room ever feel like sanctuary when you were growing up?
Mine sure did. And the harmonies on the song are breathtaking. Brian put my thoughts to simple, wonderful, words and music.
A couple posts ago I wrote about the "Oldies" DJ I used to listen to on Monday nights. One of the love songs I used to request and dedicate to Sara Jean was "God Only Knows":
"If you should ever leave me,
My life would still go on, believe me.
The world could show nothing to me,
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you!"
Wow.
All my adult life I've envied Brian Wilson's ability to not only write those words, but put them to music that brings tears to my eyes.
On a more upbeat note, musically, there's
"Wouldn't it be nice?"
I think these words illustrate the huge change that has taken place in our attitude towards sex, marriage, and relationships:
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through?"
A catchy, upbeat tune........ but as a young man with hormones beginning to rage, I could easily identify with the accompanying words!
Part of my attraction to the song is the fact that it sprang in what seemed to be a simpler, more structured time, when there were unwritten rules about what was, (AND WAS NOT) supposed to happen when "Boy meets Girl."
Music from the mid-60's through the mid-70's tells much of the story and mood of our time. I think some of it is truly classic, and will still be getting airtime when many of us are motivating from point A to point B on our "hover-rounds".
Late 60's Beach Boys stuff, when Brian began to experiment with drugs, confuses me. No longer simple, the music is strange....more complex, and doesn't stay in my head. But the early stuff, when he was still thinking like a teenager and writing for them/us, is unforgettable!
6 comments:
'In My Room' is the one Beach Boys song I've played over and over again...it was/still is my fav!!! I bought a CD not too many months ago, and keep it handy for those times I'm going to be sitting in traffic, and want to keep myself in a good place in my mind by listening to some classic 'feel-good' music!!! Works every time!!
...a Beach Boys CD that is....
Great article, I saw them once in San Diego and they are going to be here in July, would love to see them again.
Whenever I hear their music, I think of my trip to Daytona Beach back in 63, when it was great to be down there. Back when you could actually drive on the beach and they had this wonderful pier way out over the water that had this great nightclub in it. One of the best trips in my life.
Thanks for wonderful memories.
409...
1963...
Impala SS...
I think this was the year the Impala came with the 409 that had TWO head gaskets. The highway patrol version shipped with one gasket to raise the compression ratio.
Soon the hod rodders figured out the little trick.
"In my room" is one of my favorites as well. I got to see them in Va Beach one time with Chicago. Great show, they were all past their prime, could no longer really carry a tune, but they had fun, and we did too, singing every word of every song right along with them. I loved Chicago, but the boys blew them out of the water as far as the audience was concerned.
In my case, tho, the song should say "in my closet", the one that connected our rooms....I spend many hours in there as a little kid. Very comforting.
'm/n'....my sisters and I spent many a day playing in our big walk-in closet (which in those days was rare to have...we got lucky, I suppose, it was like a big 'playhouse' to us)...thanks for jogging that memory!
I just yesterday read that the Beach Boys are promoting a new CD...gosh, I need to pick up a paper now and then or turn on the TV...I'm so behind the times these days!!
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