Why Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold Looks to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson as the ‘North Star’ of Songwriters
Fleet Foxes’ songwriter, Robin Pecknold, is a fan of the Beach Boys, even sampling Brian Wilson for a 2020 release. Here’s what the “White Winter Hymnal” artist said about the impact of Brian Wilson, who acted as his “North Star.”
Brian Wilson was a vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Beach Boys
Along with brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love, and school friend Al Jardine, Brian Wilson appeared as a founding member of the Beach Boys. He wrote and arranged several songs for the surf rock group, also earning recognition for his arrangements.
“When l think of an arrangement for a song, I don’t get it down on paper right away,” Wilson wrote in I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir. “Other people take lots of notes. Paul McCartney did colorful drawings showing where all the instruments should go in the mix; some of them were published in the liner notes to one of his albums, and I thought they were amazing.”
According to Second-Hand Songs, Brian Wilson is credited as a songwriter on “Fun, Fun, Fun” (with Love), “Good Timin’” (with Carl Wilson), and “Honkin’ Down the Highway” among others.
Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes mentioned Brian Wilson’s ‘better-balanced art and commerce’
Brian Wilson even caught the attention of Robin Pecknold, who purchased the box set of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. The songwriter later discussed the impact of Wilson’s career on his own musical journey.
“I’d say no one in music history has better-balanced art and commerce than Brian [Wilson],” Pecknold said during an interview with Wilson’s website. “I think when I am most in tune with, and trusting of, my intuition — that’s when things go the smoothest and feel the best, but I can fall in and out of alignment with that based on unknowns or externalities sometimes.”
“We’re all lucky to always have Brian’s arc and career choices to look to as a North Star,” he added. “He didn’t turn his back on success, but he was always pushing to be better, more creative, and more honest.”
Pecknold even featured an outtake of the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder),” on “Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman.” The 2022 release begins with Brian Wilson counting.
Other artists were influenced by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson
Other artists mentioned their appreciation for Brian Wilson and his musical impact. That includes the “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” singer, Nancy Sinatra.
“Well, when you think about the Beach Boys without Brian’s voice, I don’t think they would exist,” Sinatra said during a separate interview with Wilson’s website. “Without him on those records, it’s not the same. I mean, take his voice away, and you’ve got Jan and Dean.”
Paul McCartney of the Beatles mentioned the aspects of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds he particularly admires. As a bass player himself, of course, that included the bass tracks on this 1966 release.
