It is one of the unwritten rules of popular music: no matter the time, the place or the weather, it is always summer when listening to The Beach Boys. Of course the music has to be classic Beach Boys, the Brian Wilson years, not the pale imitation of the band following Brian’s removal and the continued attempt by the others to emulate his sound and vibe. In my view, the group had become a shadow of itself, the kind of image that mankind is to the Divine.
Just how good was Brian Wilson’s music and production?
This past weekend featured yet another road trip for Moses to play more roller hockey. On the way home, he put the CD of Wilson’s magnum opus, Pet Sounds, in the stereo.
For those who do not know it, there are no songs about surfing on Pet Sounds. Released in 1966 when Brian was 24 years old, it is a concept album about love featuring lyrics by Tony Asher, music by Brian Wilson and produced by Brian Wilson. The songs look at different emotional facets: the aspirational (“Wouldn’t It Be Nice”), the eternal (“God Only Knows”), relationship problems (“You Still Believe In Me”), rebounds (“I’m Waiting For the Day”), momentary attractions (“Here Today”) and social alienation (“I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”). “Caroline No” mourns how time has treated an old object of affection.
The music had an amazing impact on our journey. Moses has never been one to shy away from asking for advice. He and I have always been close. However, he is now 14 years old and keeps to himself a bit more about matters of the heart. More so now as he is trying to find his way through the social maze that is teenage relationships.
As someone who has always listened to song lyrics, Moses found a kindred soul in the music. He opened up with his thoughts, feelings and questions, telling me how he could relate to each song.
For all of this, I will be forever grateful to Messrs Wilson and Asher, for their individual talents and individual muses. They brought father and son closer together, and, I will treasure Moses’s raucous laughter upon hearing the words “You know I hate to be a downer / But I’m the guy she left before you found her.”
Pet Sounds helped him realise that even after just over fifty years, teenage love and lust really haven’t changed. And if something was bothering him, Moses knows he could always ask me to suggest a song or two for advice.