Brian Wilson once declared The Rolling Stones as the most well “endowed” band in the world
“We all want to change the world,” once sang The Beatles in their anti-revolutionary anthem ‘Revolution’. In reality, though, only a select few individuals can truly claim to have changed the world, such as those born with incredible talents and a unique sense of determination: people like Brian Wilson.
The Beach Boys songwriter changed the cultural landscape forever with his repertoire of groundbreaking records, and along the way, he lent his support to other similarly endowed, earth-shattering artists.
Although they first made a name for themselves with Chuck Berry-inspired, surf-themed pop ditties, The Beach Boys quickly moved into a much more mature, profound, and deeply influential sound, thanks almost entirely to the incredible mind of Wilson.
Albums like 1996’s Pet Sounds completely changed the game, not just for pop music but for musical composition entirely. All of a sudden, artists around the world switched from writing single-focused tracks designed for the pop charts to composing rich, textured narratives over the course of entire albums.
Everybody from The Beatles to REM owes something to the innovative power of that 1966 album, and Wilson’s incredible mind by extension. Even The Rolling Stones, who up to that point had dealt almost exclusively in short, sharp rock and roll anthems, had a crack at living up to the expansive mastery of Pet Sounds, recording the divisive psychedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request.
Seemingly, though, the deep-rooted respect bestowed upon The Beach Boys and their enigmatic co-founder by Mick Jagger and the gang went both ways.
In contrast to many of his contemporaries, Wilson always seemed to keep his ear to the ground when it came to new music and the pop charts, so it is no surprise that he fostered a healthy appreciation for the harbingers of the British invasion.
In fact, during one interview, he declared…
“I think that The Rolling Stones are probably as endowed—musically endowed—as anybody in the world”.
Brian WIlson
An important clarification, surely.
It is difficult to disagree with him there. After all, the Stones have been on the uppermost echelon of rock and roll for upwards of six decades at this point, having created a multitude of the genre’s most iconic and beloved anthems of all time. They are an undeniable fixture of popular culture, and their music has soundtracked the lives of millions, including Brian Wilson, it would seem.
Wilson’s love of the Stones largely centred on one song, the 1976 ballad ‘Fool to Cry’. Aside from the obvious fact that ‘Fool to Cry’ presents a completely different side to the band than some of their previous rock-centric material, Wilson seemed to appreciate the song more because of the time in which it found him. Despite his incredible success and acclaim, Wilson’s life and career were often marked by struggles, difficulties, and conflicts, both in his band and in his head.
Reflecting on the time he first heard The Rolling Stones’ beloved ballad, he once revealed, “When I heard that, I was drinking a lot of liquor, a lot of booze, and I was really lying in the gutter. I was on the street without a house because my wife and I had a big argument, and I went out and I would bum cigarettes off people, and I would have a drink here and I’d get drunk maybe later that night.”
Wilson continued, “And then I heard ‘Fool to Cry’ on a jukebox in San Diego, and I started crying, and I said, ‘That’s what I needed’. I just needed that, and they saved me. They saved my very brain, so I’ll never forget that. I’ll always remember that.”
Sometimes people just need a sign that they are not alone, and the Stones seemed to provide that to Wilson with ‘Fool to Cry’, as they did to millions of other listeners, too.
