Good Vibrations and Farewell: Remembering Brian Wilson
Good Vibrations and Farewell: Remembering Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys co-founder and one of the most important figures in rock history, passed away at the age of 82, his family announced on Instagram yesterday morning. Wilson founded the band as a teenager along with his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, his cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.
In the band, Wilson played bass guitar, keyboards, and sang both lead and harmony vocals. He was also the primary creative force behind the Beach Boys, particularly during their most fervent decade– the 1960s. Not only did he compose most of the music, he produced and arranged it.
The Beach Boys rode a wave of popularity beginning with a song called “Surfin’”, released in 1961 and written by Wilson and Love. Though the song charted, it wasn’t until June the following year when The Beach Boys’ career took off on a global level with “Surfin’ Safari”, also written by Wilson and Love. Oddly, neither songwriter was a surfer. They took inspiration from Dennis Wilson, the band’s drummer and the youngest of the Wilson clan. “Surfin’ USA”, “Shut Down”, “Surfer Girl”, and many other hits followed in 1963.
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It wasn’t until The Beatles came to America that the Beach Boys started to feel fallible. Wilson took the success of the Fab Four hard in the early days, as the English group seemed to overshadow the Beach Boys’ efforts.
In 1966, The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, one of most highly acclaimed pop-rock albums of all time. In fact, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it number 2 behind The Beatles’ classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. But Paul McCartney was a huge fan of Pet Sounds and once called “God Only Knows” the “greatest song ever written”. “It’s one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it”, McCartney said.
By that time, though, Wilson’s mental health had begun to decline. He suffered from depression and schizoaffective disorder, which caused him to hear voices in his head. Instead of seeking treatment, he self-medicated with booze, illicit substances, and food. He exhibited bizarre behavior and became reclusive.
At the same time, a cultural revolution was taking place and the clean-cut innocence expressed in Brian’s music was quickly falling out of favor. By the Summer of Love, The Beach Boys were considered unhip and their phenomenal string of hits dried up. At the Monterrey Pop Festival on June 18th, 1967 (two days before Wilson’s 25th birthday), Jimi Hendrix famously stated, “You’ll never have to hear surf music again”, an almost certain dig at the Beach Boys.
And while this quote was technically false, it did signal the end of the Beach Boys’ chart prowess. They managed just a handful of Top 40 hits after that, and the only number one they scored (1988’s “Kokomo”) didn’t include Brian Wilson at all.
Brian Wilson’s life seemed to get increasingly tragic. His mental health struggles continued, and his personal life was hijacked by an unethical therapist, who kept him over-medicated, sedated, and apart from his family. Dr. Eugene Landy also involved himself in business matters and took songwriting credits for himself—actions that fell extraordinarily out-of-bounds.
Additionally, He also endured heartbreaking personal losses: Dennis drowned in 1983, and Carl died of cancer in 1998. Legal strife plagued him as well—he was sued by his cousin Mike Love and, at one point, barred from touring as ‘Beach Boy’ Brian Wilson.
Wilson was, without question, a musical genius. The depth of his arrangements, the heart wrenching lyrics and melodies, the high-quality prolific output, and the ability to perform multiple instruments and vocal lines proved as much.
But it was his heart that led him to be beloved by so many. His heart provided a contrast to the often polarizing, self-absorbed, and business-driven demeanor of cousin Mike Love… When Love decided the Beach Boys should play a concert for the Safari Club—a group of game hunters—Wilson objected and encouraged fans to boycott the gig. That kind of compassion is what we loved about Brian Wilson.
Through all the trials and tribulations, Brian Wilson never stopped believing in the power of music to express joy, pain, and beauty. His work continues to inspire artists and comfort listeners across generations. Rest easy, Brian. Your beautiful soul and colossal talent gave us so many good vibrations.
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