Brian Wilson Describes the Beatles’ ‘You Won’t See Me’ as ‘Art Music’
The Beach Boys members often mentioned their support for the Beatles. That includes songwriter and arranger Brian Wilson, who noted the vocal parts on “You Won’t See Me.” Here’s what we learned from the memoir I Am Brian Wilson.
Brian Wilson acted as a songwriter for the Beach Boys
Brian Wilson appeared as a founding member of the Beach Boys, performing alongside his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. He also earned awards and recognition for his songwriting, specifically sharing his admiration for The Beatles.
Brian Wilson commended the Beatles’ song ‘You Won’t See Me’
The Beatles rose in popularity around the same time as the Beach Boys, releasing originals like “Twist and Shout,” “Hey Jude,” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” In I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir, the songwriter mentioned his favorite Beatles songs — and what he liked about them.
“I remember being blown away by ‘You Won’t See Me’ and ‘I’m Looking Through You’ and ‘Girl,’” Wilson wrote. “It wasn’t just the lyrics and the melodies but the production and their harmonies. They had such unique harmonies, you know?”
“In ‘You Won’t See Me,’ Paul sings low and George and John sing high,” he added. “There’s an organ drone in there, a note that’s held down for the last third of the song or so. Those were touches they were trying, almost art music. What was so great about the Beatles was you could hear their ideas so clearly in their music.”
Included initially on Rubber Soul, “You Won’t See Me” was written by the songwriting duo of McCartney and Lennon. The track currently has over 35 million Spotify plays and tells the story of a romance between the narrator and a woman.
“We have lost the time,” the artists sing. “That was so hard to find / And I will lose my mind / If you won’t see me (you won’t see me) / You won’t see me (you won’t see me).”
Are the Beatles and the Beach Boys friends?
Members of the Beach Boys and the Beatles often supported each other professionally. McCartney and Wilson stayed in touch, keeping a close relationship.
The Beatles member played “She’s Leaving Home” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for Wilson before it was released. Paul McCartney was also the person who inducted Brian Wilson into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
“Thank you, sir, for making me cry,” McCartney said during the ceremony (via Rolling Stone). “Thank you for doing that thing you do. You got me any day.”
The bands never collaborated on music, although Al Jardine specifically mentioned wanting to work with the “I Want To Hold Your Hand” performers. John Lennon did, however, mention his admiration for “The Little Girl I Once Knew,” calling the Beach Boys track “fantastic.”
