The pop song Brian Wilson compared to the breakthrough of Albert Einstein’s ‘Theory of Relativity’
For someone with a more creative brain, attempting to understand Albert Einstein’s ‘Theory of Relativity’ feels nothing short of impossible. Blocked out by a wall of words like “inertial frame” or “special relativity”, it’s too mathematic for any artistic mind to grasp. But when put into musical terms by Brian Wilson, who compared the scientific breakthrough to a pop culture one, suddenly it seems far more understandable.
An excellent way to grasp Einstein’s theory is by ignoring the facts of his findings and instead looking at his breakthrough’s impact. The scientist’s discovery led to our understanding of gravity, the invention of GPS technology, the ever-expanding knowledge of black holes, and a whole host of other advances in the world of physics. It was the first domino knocked down in a chain that has led to essential developments, pushing society forward by giving scientists, inventors and leaders more knowledge and, therefore, more potential.
To put it in musical terms, Brian Wilson drew a line of connection between Einstein’s breakthrough and the breakthrough of one pop song. He saw the track as just as vital, acting as a pioneering force in the world of music that led to further developments and experimentation. Just as Einstein had opened the door to the future with his groundbreaking discoveries, Wilson believed that The Ronettes and Phil Spector had done the same in music.
Beach Boys member Mike Love recalled his bandmate’s obsession with the song, ‘Be My Baby’, in his biography, Good Vibrations. “When we’d go to Brian’s house, he would play that song over and over again, comparing it to Einstein’s theory of relativity,” he said.
When the song was released in 1963, the effect it had on Wilson, who was just at the start of his career with The Beach Boys, was similar to its impact on other scientists back in 1905. The band had found major success already for their sun-infused surf tracks, establishing themselves as the new favourite face of optimistic, twee pop music. But once ‘Be My Baby’ came out and Phil Spector’s impact was made clear, it was like the whole world of music expanded right there and then for Wilson, showing him just how vast it could be and inviting him to explore it more.
It was a perfect meeting of parts. The Ronettes had been working for a while but were about ready to give up, having found no success. Elsewhere, Spector had been looking for a specific and special voice to fulfil this vision he had in his head for a new pop sound. When he first heard the band, he jumped up and yelled, “That’s it! That’s it! That’s the voice I’ve been looking for!” much like a scientist who had just cracked the code.
‘Be My Baby’ was their first success together, combining the band’s perfect girl group sound inspired by the doo-wop era that had come before with Spector’s experimental production mind. Supported by Spector’s studio band, who became known as ‘The Wrecking Crew’, it was the start of the producer’s signature wall of sound, levelling up The Ronettes’ sound into something enormous, cinematic and gripping. Wilson was hooked.
“I felt like I wanted to try to do something as good as that song and I never did,” Wilson later said to the New York Times. Some would argue that the Beach Boys’ leader certainly achieved that. Tracks like ‘God Only Knows’ and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ achieve the same massive sound that balances pop perfection with an experimental edge. Wilson also followed Spector’s teachings like a student, even going so far as to use his Wrecking Crew for the Beach Boys’ albums. However, Wilson himself still believes that he never reached the dizzying heights that ‘Be My Baby’ did. “I’ve stopped trying,” he said, “It’s the greatest record ever produced. No one will ever top that one.”
