I was 14 when this song came out. I bought the 45 at Woolworth's for 59 cents and ran all the way home to play it. I was not allowed to use my dad's stereo...but neither he or my mom were home that afternoon. I lay back on the couch as The Beach Boys blasted out of the Magnavox...sounded wonderful! In the middle of this musical bliss, in walk my parents. My mother looked horrified and I was pretty sure I was going to die. My dad said nothing...he waited for the song to end and asked me (calmly) what group that was. I replied "the Beach Boys, aren't they great?". To my amazement (and delight) he agreed..."play it again" he said. My parents were not big fans of rock and roll...Mozart, Frank Sinatra and Dave Brubeck were what they loved. But, from that day on, both my folks paid much closer attention to the music my brother and I listened to. Mom, dad and my brother are gone now...but thanks to "Good Vibrations", the years that followed would find all of us learning to love each other's favorite music. After more than 50 years, I still love the beach boys...but Wolfgang, Frank and Dave all have a place in my record/CD collection.
How lucky they were when they finally did! I just thought it was an eternal song that had been around forever when I'd hear it on the radio in the 70's as a kid! I didn't care or know that it had been a smash hit a dozen years prior by the time I was 6. It simply gave me a blissful longing for So-Cal bunnies & beaches though I was born in NY! A great song can tantalize you with nostalgic vibes for places & people you've yet to experience, to meet...
In 66 i enlisted as a boy soldier in the brit army , played on the juke box every day at main meal in the cook house , bloody bril , i was 15 years old
All parties and dances played them 60s&70s. There were no critics of their music then. Who gives a f what critics think. I didn't see them at any cool parties in the 60&70s
For me , yes Brian ... but the Beach Boys in general . Loved them as a toddler and they "weren't cool" in the 80's , as a teenager . Spent most of my 20s & 30s listening to metal . In my 40's (and now) i rekindled that love !
My all time favorite!! The greatest line in pop music history..."I don't know where, but she sends me there." My second favorite: "Elenore Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name." The first was the most romantic. The second, the most tragic." (Just my humble opinion.) 🧐
@@rickfrombohemia9550 yes this is progressive rock, Good Vibrations is probably one of the first examples of it, but prog wasn't realized until Abbey Road or well past it until 1971.
They are just miming. To the original track. Nobody in this video actually played an instrument on the song. Just their vocals.. Dennis isn't even hitting the drums in time.
All the instruments are played by members of “The Wrecking Crew,” a loosely organized group of session musicians. Def worth checking out the free doc about them on RU-vid.
Absolutely!!!!!!! I regard this song is even better than God only knows !! I studied music .. instrument he used those brilliant cellos, the way it shuffle the keys, amazing layers of sound of colors this is master piece!!!
I am 69 years of age and I have always loved The Beach Boys. But now I appreciate them more than ever. It took me 50 years to realize their greatness. Fantastic!
I’m 35 and have heard them my whole life growing up in LA. But it’s just now I too am realizing how transcendent this stuff is. The muses were singing through these guys, for sure.
Your argument about BB lyrics being irrelevant apparently ignores the SEA CHANGE of pop-rock music between 1964 (I Get Around) and 1968 (2+2 ) and 1969 (Fortunate Son.) By that later period the BB had moved on to different foci as well. BB music from '62-'65 was all about girls, cars and the beach. By '66 it became introspection (Pet Sounds) and by '68 it was tuning out and leaving the heavier stuff to acidheads and hard rockers -- which they NEVER were. Otherwise, I'm down with your thinking...
Amazingly, as wondrous as Carl's voice was - he was a heavy smoker = died at age 51 in '98 of lung-cancer. Brother Dennis passed at age 39 in '83. The only true surfer of these `beach' groups, he drown.
This is in my opinion one of the greatest combinations of music and quirky lyrics that stay in your head forever. A hedonistic song of bliss, and freedom. I love this song. I do feel good everytime I hear it.
Hedonistic...? No offense intended here, but there's not a single sound of hedonism anywhere in this song - not if hedonism means (and it does) gluttonous and reckless self-indulgence and self absorbtion.
ummm how many harmonies did the beatles have, ever...? lol poking fun, but even they said in an interview they have nothin for the beach boys. props were given
@@kamatsutra7031 Personally I don’t agree .. but, one thing in the Beatles favour is the Beach Boys didn’t play on Good Vibrations, it was the famous Wrecking Crew.. but it was all Beatles on I Want you You/She’s So Heavy.
This song is remarkable on so many levels. Full of surprises, different themes, incredible harmonies, unique instruments. Even the unique way they just faded out the lyrics half way thru the song... I mean, who does that??? Brian Wilson is a musical genius of historic proportions.
The Wrecking Crew, the small group of studio musicians who played on most hit of the hit albums back then, played on the Beach Boys albums. In the RU-vid documentary, The Wrecking Crew, one of them said “Brian Wilson was a genius. The was the best [producer or arranger] I ever worked with.”
25 year old Mexican-American from South Texas. I love rap and Spanish music. But I love this song! I know a master piece when I hear it! #GoodVibrations
Probably the greatest pop song ever written! So many melodic layers and grooves with many twists and turns. Totally unique too! It is an eargasm for sure!
@@peterbothwell9005 LOL! Industry buffs! Ask musicians. Most will tell you that Good Vibrations is the ultimate pop song! God Only Knows has a nice melody but it is just a plain old pop song. Good Vibrations on the other hand takes you on a journey with multiple changes in melodies and themes and changes in keys and tempos and meter and time signatures and a host of different instruments and arrangements. Truly inventive! And most importantly a catchy melody that is singable!
@@ricomajestic I agree with you. I was always surprised by the music buff’s statement when I heard it. However, maybe they class, Plain and Simple, as the ultimate pop song ? It would be interesting to see where both songs would come in a Top 50 of their singles, voted for by the public.
I agree with that, the Beach Boys were more versatile than the Beatles, I just wish Bruce Johnston got the recognition of being a Beach Boy..he was actually with them longer than Al Jardine, Al wasn't on the first song..Surfin', Bruce joined after Brian had the meltdown, and has been with them ever since.
I think you are right, by a long way. The Beatles may have been 'better' songwriters, if the number of covers are a yardstick, I think that Beatles songs have been covered quite a lot more. But that is partly becuase of their simplicity. They were a "marching band" according to Don McLean, and he had a point. I think it is a lot more difficult to cover this than, say, "Yesterday," which has been covered by everyone and his dog. Relatedly, I think that the Beatles were more lyrical rather than musical and the reverse for the Beach Boys. Or at least, Beach Boy harmonies are out of this world.
Evan Thompson Oh, you're not on much of a limb there, at least in the sense that what you're saying is factual and widely recognized by music fans/critics. You left something out, though: the Beach Boys exceeded the Beatles in the range, quality AND quantity of their harmonies. The Beatles simply didn't rely on that vocal style the way the Beach Boys did. In other words, we are comparing apples to oranges when we match the Beach Boys and Beatles up, especially regarding vocals. In fact, I'd say most Beatles v Beach Boys comparisons are on a pretty tenuous "branch", if you will, in the sense that it's like comparing the fastest motorcycle with the fastest car. Which one is faster? There's an answer to that. Whether it means one or the other is "better" in any way is another matter, since the two vehicles are not designed with the same goals in mind.
I grew up in a musical foster home in LA. The eldest son was a percussionist and knew everybody. One day he asked me to help him load a drum kit into the station wagon. "We're goin' to Hawthorne." So off we went. The kids buying the kit were pretty excited and had their amps all set up. As soon as we got it unloaded they started to play. I thought they sounded great. I asked Number One son what he thought. "Man, they're just riffin' on Chuck Berry. These guys are going nowhere." Yep, they were the Wilson brothers about six months before the surfing craze hit in need of a soundtrack.
This is what I LOVE about the comment section on awesome YT videos... THANK YOU for sharing this story - Too cool !!!😘💕 The Beach Boys are one of the things I cherish about being a native Californian (Berkeley, 1966...) 💙💛🎵🌾🎸🎶🧡 ALOHA ☀️🌊🌴
@@Robcatist I've never found the Beatles appealing. Many of their songs actually give me a headache. I do appreciate the quality of some parts of a few of the McCartney songs, i.e. "Hey Jude", but they don't come close to the Beach Boys for me. And, objectively, "Good Vibrations" was by far a better piece of music than anything the Beatles ever produced. Few pop songs are even remotely comparable.
Like another poster said, none of the guys in The Beach Boys play on the record - they were just singing. The Wrecking Crew were the musicians on the record.
Carl Wilson could teach the angels how to sing. He really came into his own around this time and is such a joy to watch here. As for this persistent need that some are afflicted with to compare the Beach Boys to the Beatles: Music is not a competitive sport, political contest, blood feud or war. Lay down your arms, let go of hatred and anger, and surrender to Love. This, and all great music, comes not just from brilliant minds, but from open and loving hearts. Please, open your hearts and let this great beauty in. Be grateful for the incredible gifts we have been blessed with. How fortunate we are to have all this great music. Let us be brought together by it.
The Beach Boys and Beatles learnt from inspired each other. I was a teenager in the 60s and have all pop and rock 450 lps and 2500 music cds and 500 music cassettes. I heard and saw the best from then to now. I love the best of those genres from the 60's up till today. There are great songs and artists every year. I love the best of pop and rock music and many other genres up till today.
True, but at the time The Beatles had such an impact (and raised the bar so high) it inspired so many people everywhere. A competitive element couldn't be denied, albeit a healthy and vibrant competition to be sure. Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney have talked about it in numerous interviews.
Pretty sure as I cruised down the highway today with the windows open , arm out the window, and this song cranked up… that my 38 year old body transcended space and time. I was suddenly back in the 1960s. My soul felt at ease, felt like I was hearing this song for the first time. As most people my age listen to whatever crap is being cranked out by these “ artists”…. I appreciate the classics. Truly a gem.
I’m a huge beatles fan but I have to admit that this song alone is the reason sergeant peppers came to be. I mean everything in the composition from the offbeat bassline to the eerie strings, the attitude, the sound collage, the lyrics makes the palette with which Paul, John and George Martin built that album. Brian Wilson is a genius.
This son Good Vibrations came out on my 20 birthday October 1966. As I traveled in the Navy all over the east coast, central america, the west coast, Hawaii and Japan during the Vietnam war era this song carried me wherever I went and for many years after. Now in my 70's and more that 50 years later this song has not lost its power. It never will. What an awesome song.
I was born in 1952. We endured the horrendous racist crap. (As we do now.) . But in California we had the Beach Boys. I will always appreciate the Wilsons. Thank you, fellow kids of the times. Love Brian and the family and those who are loyal. I was a fake surfer girl, but love the culture forever. We were so fortunate. Incredible times.
What "racism crap" do we endure now? Are you speaking of the LIE of Police shootings and black Americans? Where morons claim black Americans are being shot/killed disproportionately? When it's white Americans who are shot/killed at more than double the rate of black Americans (by Police)? The LIE of Mike Brown, "on his hands and knees begging to not be shot?" When the truth was, he attacked a Cop, tried to take the Officer's gun and murder him with it. And was shot to death for charging the Officer after being told "at least 10 times to get down" by the Officer (according to witnesses). Is that the "racism" you're talking about? It's people like you who are the actual racists. Democrats who view black Americans as "helpless people who are always the victim and must be taken care of." That's racism. The soft bigotry of low expectations. Police Shootings By Race: www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/ 2017: 457 White 223 Black 2018: 399 White 209 Black 2019: 370 White 235 Black 2018 Interracial Violent Crimes: Black On White 597,948 White On Black 59,778
@Gary Jackson Yep. Now we have the Saint George Floyd Statue to "admire." SMH All these leftists should take a look at the E.R. pics of Floyd's female victim after he beat and robbed her while pointing a gun at her (pregnant) stomach.
Carl Wilson's voice was so amazing. What a talent. All the guys combined to make this band and their music so fun during those years. Today I'm still enjoying them through videos like this one. Love, love, love them!
I've been listening to this song my whole life and I've never heard that vocal section. It's not present on my albums or on the streaming sites I've checked. Does anyone know which recording this is? Did they do different versions for different regions, like other bands of the era did?
This is pop in it's purest form. Brian Wilson is a musical genius and this musical vision here pushed the edge of what music could be, way out with this song. It is timeless.
So there I was yesterday, sitting on my bodyboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa (The Gambia) and this song came into my head. I remembered being a kid in East London being into the Beach Boys and dreaming of surfing. I moved to California and then Maui, HI and enjoyed some of the most amazing times in the ocean. I'm 56 now and this song has been in my head all through my journey's and whenever I'm in the ocean it is the soundtrack to my sessions. Cheers lads.
Their harmonies , the way they could twist and turn their voices was absolutely wonderful and a mystery to me. Some of the best music ever. We sure were lucky ! 💙
I got to see them in concert in 1976. Brian was visibly highly medicated or on drugs. Dennis was wasted. But their sound was just outstanding. Still one of the best concerts I have ever heard. Their sound is just beautiful
The inspired lyrics of a musical/poetic genius: I-I love the colorful clothes she wears And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair I hear the sound of a gentle word On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air Close my eyes, she's somehow closer now Softly smile, I know she must be kind When I look in her eyes She goes with me to a blossom world
Who actually wrote these lyrics? I suspect it was Van Dyke Parks. Needs research to be sure. Let me know if you sleuth it out before I do. Smiley-smiles. - Bep.
As Brian left the stage to produce the masterpieces that he did, it allowed Carl to play a bigger role for the group, and how we got to see him blossom to the superstar he really was.
I'm born in 1978 and I love so many kinds of music. From Ragtime to Punk Rock, from Doo Wop to current indie and electronic music. But, honestly, I do not think there has been a bigger genius in the history of popular music than Brian Wilson. "Good Vibrations" really is a "pocket symphony", with six sections. By no means any kind of regular song. And all those instruments, including the cellos (those staccato hums) and the electro-theremin! I loved the song from the moment on I first heard it as a child. It took me some time though to grasp how complex it was. I'm not a musician, just a music enthusiast. To come up with all these different parts and put them together! And Brian wrote and produced it! I recommend to all of you to listen to the Smile sessions. 23 versions, bits and pieces. And you hear Brian conducting. Oh yeah, and I recommend watching the film "Love & Mercy".
I love The Beatles and The Beach Boys equally. I don't see two bands competing but two bands playing off each other to bring wonderful groundbreaking music to a world that sorely needed it. No need to fight, just enjoy the beautiful tunes. If there is one thing this world will be remembered for is our grasp of music and sound that blasts through space. Hopefully some alien race will hear this and know something good was going on down on Earth.
The beatles were only together for a short amount of time and very over rated just my opinion!😊 So many other bands that ran circles around the beatles!
Any song that features a theramin has great vibrations! 2:54 TO 3:34 is a symphonic display of heavenly voices that was way, way, way ahead of its time!
Carl Wilson has a beautiful falsetto voice just like his older brother Brian Wilson does. He did such an amazing job filling in for his big brother Brian and singing his parts when Brian was going through all his personal mental issues. To me, Brian and Carl's falsetto voices is what makes the Beach Boys sound. RIP Carl and Dennis.
First off, it's spelled "theremin." Second, it's NOT a theremin but a sliding controller for a variable oscillator more akin to a simple Ondes Martenot. "Just because it quacks like a duck doesn't mean it's a duck."
The girl at 2:27 and 2:43 her expression says it all and echoes my reaction to the beautiful dramatic unique and surprising turn the melody takes with the organ transition then to "Gotta keep those lovin' good...". That's the genius of Brian Wilson! It is so beautiful and unique it's like it takes your breath away. It is so great to see how she reacts like that, is speechless. You wonder where such creative beauty comes from, the genius of Brian Wilson and the astounding talent of the Beach Boys.
I think a part of the popularity of this song is, is a boy taking serious notice of a girl. That thrills girls. Noticing her clothes. Noticing her hair. Noticing her scent.
I was born in 1965, younger brother of 6. So I didn't have to leave the house to enjoy my brothers' vinyls... Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and many others were regularly heard at home. So, since then this song has accompanied me since very early on... and nowadays as if by magic I find myself humming "Good vibrations" don't ask me how but it's true... it was without a doubt one of the better songs that ingrained in my memory...
Carl Wilson has the best voice I ever heard in my life. And I think he is the invisible one, don´t know why. Too much Brian or Dennis but Carl was THE voice.
I love all the different parts this song has and how they are all variations on the main tune. And that transition at the end is just freaking amazing. Fantastic music
