Brian Wilson Explains Why He Didn’t ‘Line up’ With the Rest of the Beach Boys

With a lineup change and growing drama between Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the Beach Boys faced several challenges since their debut on the music scene. Brian Wilson even shared that he didn’t always “lineup” with the other band members. Here’s what we learned from the songwriter’s memoir. 

Brian Wilson appeared as a founding member of the Beach Boys

They appeared on Full House. One song even landed on the Stranger Things soundtrack. The original Beach Boys members consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. In addition to his vocalist role, Wilson was the mastermind behind several Beach Boys originals. 

According to Second-Hand Songs, Brian Wilson is credited as a songwriter on “Fun, Fun, Fun” (with Love), “Good Timin’” (with Carl Wilson), “Honkin’ Down the Highway,” and “The Man with All the Toys” (with Love). 

Brian Wilson says he didn’t ‘line up’ with the other Beach Boys members

In I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir, this songwriter detailed his The Beach Boys experience. It wasn’t without complications, especially with Wilson functioning as a songwriter for the surf rock group.

“Sometimes, even when I worked as hard as I could, I didn’t line up with the rest of the band,” he wrote. “Sometime during that crazy year, I wrote a song with Russ Titelman called ‘Guess I’m Dumb.’ It took a while to get it right because I was trying something more adult.” 

“I was trying to score a Burt Bacharach vibe,” Wilson added. “I think we did 23 takes of that one. When I was finished, no one from the band wanted to sing it. The message was ok, but maybe it was just the idea of being dumb.” 

Wilson added that Glen Campbell sang the original, so he gave the song to him to perform at concerts. The artist mentioned when he didn’t “run the band as much,” it was “difficult for [him] to listen to.”

Brian Wilson’s favorite Beach Boys songs — including ‘God Only Knows’

When it comes to his personal favorite Beach Boys songs, Wilson named “Surfer Girl,” “The Warmth of the Sun,” “I Get Around,” “Don’t Worry, Baby,” “‘In My Room,” and others during an interview with Far Out Magazine.

Regarding “God Only Knows,” Wilson said that the track “was written really quickly… probably in less than an hour. It’s an honor to have written this one. It was also a pretty controversial record in that, as far as I know, it was the first rock song to have ‘God’ in the title. It’s a love song, but not a love song to a person.”

Now, music by The Beach Boys remains available on major streaming platforms. In 2022, Brian Wilson co-headlined concerts with Chicago, performing Beach Boys hits alongside Jardine. I Am Brian Wilson is available in-store and online.