Pet Sounds:
The Beach Boys made some wonderful contributions to pop music. They were led by the creative talents of Brian Wilson. He was the band’s only songwriter, producer, and arranger. Brian was extremely groundbreaking. Almost all bands at the time had separate musical arrangers and producers directing their albums.
Most people think of fun in the sun, or hot rod songs when the Beach Boys are mentioned. As Brian’s talents expanded, he wanted to put out more serious songs. He was an extremely bright and thoughtful writer, but the other members of his band wanted him to continue composing songs they thought their young fan base would like. In early 1965, Brian began smoking grass and taking LSD. He has said that during this period of time he grew intellectually and started to search for a deeper meaning in life.
He became introspective and started composing brilliant new pop songs that sounded like small symphonies. Strings and horns started to show up in his songs, and his percussion section continually came with some of the most innovative rhythms of the day. Most of his songs during this time period sound very large, with multiple layers. Some of the songs actually sound like classical music with pop lyrics and rhythms. He considered his music to be spiritual and an extension of his own life.
Brian grew up in an abusive home. Because of this, he was much more sensitive to the world around him than others his age. That sensitivity became more apparent in his work as he became more interested in growing both spiritually and intellectually. He had always found relief in music, but with Pet Sounds he was putting all of his emotions out there for the world to see. Brian wrote songs that give the listener vivid visual images and feelings that the music conjures up.
It is apparent just from the song titles that he was a young man on a search for meaning and identity. Titles such as “Wouldn’t it be Nice,” “You Still Believe In Me,” “I know there’s an Answer,” “God Only Knows” and “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times,” all give clear signals that he was searching and exploring his thoughts and emotions.
This is also a groundbreaking album in many ways. This is one of the first “concept albums” ever to be made. A concept album takes a single idea or group of interlocking ideas and expands on those themes throughout the album. The main theme of this album is a search for meaning in life, in relationships and within one’s self. The songs themselves are groundbreaking as well. No one in the world of pop music, especially rock music, was making songs as shatteringly honest as Brian.
The most famous example of a concept album is “Sgt. Peppers” by the Beatles. Paul has said many times that “Pet Sounds” inspired him to think up “Sgt. Peppers”. In turn, Brian has said that he was inspired to make a whole album of really great tracks because of The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”. I love the way the two groups fed off of each other’s work. Rolling Stone magazine named "Pet Sounds" the second best album of all time, just behind Sgt. Peppers.
"Pet Sounds" has been very influential to me. I identify with Brian’s search for deeper meaning in life. He has said that he wanted to put a whole lot of love into his music and I think he achieved that goal. The music on this album makes me more aware of myself and reinforces my belief that music has a powerful energy to convey feelings and emotions. This album is a classic example of an artist using his craft to express himself.
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