The amazing story of the creation of Good Vibrations in facts

Song "Good Vibrations." saw the light of day in 1966 year, and was a groundbreaking single that showcased new sonic and musical possibilities Beach Boys. Most interestingly, it was not included on any of the band's albums! Nevertheless, it was widely praised for its complex arrangement and very expensive production: "Good Vibrations" became one of the most expensive compositions ever recorded! It took more than 30 hoursSeveral studios and top session musicians... What didn't you already know about this 1960s hit? Perhaps the answers to your questions lie below....

The song was inspired by a barking dog

As the legend goes, Brian Wilson inspired to write "Good Vibrations."He suddenly remembered a dog barking at him when he was a child. Then his mother told him that he need not be afraid of dogs, for they are good at detecting "fear vibes."It's also known that Wilson was heavily influenced by the composer when he wrote the song. Stephen Fosterand especially his landmark work "Camptown Races.".

Part of the text was written in a hurry

The text was originally written Tony Asherwho also owns the words of the famous "Pet Sounds.". Nevertheless, the final version of "Good Vibrations" shows us Wilson's poetic ability and the Lava T-shirt. From the memories of the latter it follows that the writing of the future hit took place right in his convertible, and this process took no more than five minutes:

"I was driving with Suzanne in the yellow XKE convertible I bought especially for her when she got pregnant. We were on our way to the studio and some lyrics for a song came into my head. I asked her to write them down, it was something chaotic, rambling, but the gist of it came through. When I got to the studio - I quickly transferred them to a piece of paper, restoring the right structure".

Innovative: the electro-thermenwax in action

While working on "Good Vibrations." Wilson decided for himself: he wanted to create a song that would live on for decades... He wanted to achieve a sound that would make a lasting impression and be significantly different from the standard one "pops.".

"We all wanted to do something new, music that would go on forever. We wanted The Beach Boys to be famous for more than just songs about surfing and cars," he recalled. "All energies were focused on creating a 'lasting' tune that wouldn't fade away in a few weeks. 'Good Vibrations' was a giant step forward for us!"

To achieve their goal, the musicians turned to innovation. Specifically. electro-thermwaxa more modern version of the termenwax instrument at the time! Nevertheless, it is at the same time disturbed Mike Love, who feared that the track had turned out too "avant-garde":

"The track itself was so avant-garde, especially with the electro-thermenwax, that I wondered how our fans would feel about it. How would it sound in the Midwest or Birmingham? The departure from the traditional sound pleased, and scared me a little bit at the same time..."

It took 36 hours and $75,000 to record.

It took me a while to record the song 36 hours! The band also changed several studios, and recruited members of the legendary session band The Wrecking Crew. The revolutionary recording came at a colossal cost $75,000.which today, adjusted for inflation, is over half a million dollars! To this day. "Good Vibrations." remains one of the most expensive compositions ever recorded.

Release difficulties

This track was originally intended for the iconic album "Pet Sounds."but Wilson didn't think so. When the record was finished, he decided that "Good Vibrations" was not the best song for their eleventh record. And the label Capitol Records was in complete solidarity with him. By the way: Capitol didn't want to release it as a single for a long time, citing a number of reasons:

"There were a lot of phrases like that: 'Oh, you can't do that, it's too modern' or 'It's too long a record for a single,'" Wilson recalled. "But I said: 'No, it's not going to be too long a song.' It's going to be just right!"

As a result, the track was released in October 1966 of the year and decades later has made it into multiple rankings "of the greatest compositions of the 20th century"!

As far as albums go, Wilson eventually decided that "Good Vibrations" should grace his next avant-garde masterpiece titled "Smile.". But even here there were difficulties... The album was delayed for decades! It was only completed and released in 2004 year, and it included an expanded version of Good Vibrations.

Todd Rundgren made it his hit song

Many artists have covered "Good Vibrations", but the most famous version belongs to the legendary musician and producer Todd Rundgren! He re-recorded "Good Vibrations." for his 1976 album "Faithful.". The resulting interpretation was a big hit in his career! The song was reproduced almost exactly like the original version. It was a tribute to what decades later would become the pinnacle of Wilson's work ....

Randgren has built up a big name for himself, and has worked with many notable artists and bands - from Mita Loofa before New York Dolls и Ringo Starr. He had an impressive career, but! It was Good Vibrations that brought him fame and influence in a big way ....