God Only Knows what modern music would be without Beach Boy Brian Wilson

Irish Daily Mirror

15-06-2025

I remember the first time I heard Brian Wilson, the classical composer of our time who died last week.
I was about five and the Beach Boys were on TV, their headphones on, singing Barbara Ann around a mic. The harmonies were exquisite, unique. If I could sing around a mic like that for the rest of my life, I thought, I'd be happy forever.
Beach Boy Brian meant the world to me, so it was a hard blow to hear of his death on Wednesday, especially so soon after another musical titan, Sly Stone. What he leaves behind is the legacy of his work, the heart and soul he put into it, songs that 'make people feel something inside', as Wilson said himself.
That Barbara Ann moment was just the beginning of a lifelong musical love affair with Wilson.
I got into the Beach Boys big time - I loved the early California surf stuff like Help Me Rhonda and Little Deuce Coupe, and I Get Around is the prototype punk song. In My Room is a swirly ballad, loved by Kurt Cobain.
Yet it wasn't until I discovered Pet Sounds that I fully realised the depth of Wilson's genius. I credit Lewis Clohessy for introducing me to it. He's my friend Helen's dad and one of the nation's great culture vultures.
Lewis knew I loved the Pixies and the Beatles and he said to me: 'Well, if you like both of those, you must listen to Pet Sounds.' When Paul McCartney said it inspired Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club, everyone took notice. God Only Knows is on it, which Macca called "the best song ever written".
While much is made of Wilson's early influences such as Bach, Mozart, Gershwin and Bernstein, it was the Phil Spector production sound that was the most influential of all.
Musically, it's obviously a triumph with its heavy-reverb combination of sound and layered vocals, inspired by Brian's favourite song Be My Baby by the Ronettes, which he used to listen to every day.
Or: 'EVERY. DAY.' as his daughter Carnie pointedly recalled, in the documentary of his life I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, named after the track that sums up Brian more than any other.
But it's the lyrics that get me: Brian Wilson is still the songwriter I most relate to, which sometimes feels like a strange thing to say, considering serious mental health conditions such as bipolar and schizo-affective disorder. He speaks to me like no-one else.
I loved Brian's obsessions; the involved way he discussed music; his vulnerability; the funny way he had of talking out of the side of his mouth. He is the greatest influence on modern music today, inspiring bands such as the Ramones, The Pixies, the B52s, Weezer, Nirvana, even Fontaines DC.
My favourite song is actually one of Brian's favourites too - Do It Again, from their 1969 album 20/20. I haven't even got to discussing their brilliant 1970's era, such as the brilliant Holland (music guru Dave Fanning's top choice) and Surf's Up.
It was a dream come true when I interviewed Brian in 2018. He had cognitive issues, yet he was a fine conversationalist once the topic stayed on music. I still relish how he described I Get Around as "a rock n'roll salad".
The last word will go to the great Tom Petty, who said of him: 'I think I would put Brian Wilson up there with any composer. I don't think you'd be out of line comparing him to Beethoven. His music is probably as good as any you could make.'