The classic Beach Boys hit inspired by a dog’s bark, weed and ‘Camptown Races’
The Beach Boys are one of the most iconic bands of all time. Defined by their sweet harmonies, the band pioneered the hazy ‘California Sound’, which continues to endear them to fans worldwide, instilling their lives with the California sun wherever they may be, from London to Timbuktu.
Formed in 1961 by the band’s mastermind Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl and Dennis, Al Jardine and Mike Love, they have sold 100 million records, a commercial testament to their brilliance. Their story is a famous one, full of soaring highs and crushing lows, and for anyone wanting to understand the complex genius of Brian Wilson better, the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy starring Paul Dano is a must-watch.
Notably, the Brian Wilson-led group transitioned from the innocent sugary pop of their early years to the cerebral, highly surreal essence that made 1966’s Pet Sounds such a masterpiece, representing one of the most surprising yet fascinating stylistic shifts in music history.
This was the album that truly cemented their status in the annals of rock. Their most significant work, it is no surprise that it is also credited with being their most innovative. Duly, a range of artists, including Ramones, Stereolab and Neutral Milk Hotel, have all cited The Beach Boys’ influence via this offering.
Despite Pet Sounds being the band’s most lauded effort, featuring tracks such as ‘God Only Knows’ and ‘Sloop John B’, one of their most iconic tracks came in the wake of the record. This is 1966’s ‘Good Vibrations’, and it saw Brian Wilson build on the techniques he had laid down while making Pet Sounds.
An experimental pop masterclass featuring flecks of psychedelia and prog whilst using novel instruments such as the Electro-Theremin and Jaw Harp, everyone is familiar with the track, even if not fully aware of The Beach Boys’ work.
There are many notable aspects of the song, including the trio of disparate factors that influenced it. The first is that Brian Wilson was inspired to write it because of a strange childhood memory of a dog barking at him. Allegedly, his mother had told him to act unafraid when near the dog because the animals “pick up the vibes”. This specific memory triggered the titular lyrical concept, which lyricist Tony Asher helped Wilson build upon.
“I remember when he began to play this little riff, which he said he had been working on. He was saying something like, you know, ‘Good, good vibes, I get good vibes,’ or something like that,” Asher later recalled. “And I kept saying to him, ‘You know, it really ought to be vibrations’.”
The next influence came from the 19th Century composer Stephen Foster – “the father of American music” – and some of his most famous compositions such as ‘Camptown Races’. Wilson told Uncut in 2012: “[Foster] was a big influence on me, especially the sound of ‘Gotta keep those lovin’ good vibrations happenin’ with her.’ I never would have thought of that myself”.
The final influence came from one of Brian Wilson‘s favourite narcotics, marijuana, and not LSD, as has long been thought. “I wanted something with real merit to it, artistic and smooth. Some people say it was written on acid,” the songwriter revealed in the same Uncut interview. “But I don’t accredit it to LSD, I accredit it to [cannabis]. I smoked just before I wrote it. I was playing at the piano and began singing about good vibrations, just fooling around.”
