“A genius”: The pop star Cher and Dolly Parton both adored
There are some deaths that shake the musical world to its core. We’ve had a few of those recently, but none bigger than Brian Wilson.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” were the words from his family as their sad statement was posted on social media. The words stopped the musical world in its tracks as people had to read and re-read to truly take in what was happening. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family [is] grieving. We realise that we [are] sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
He really was the greatest songwriter to ever hum a tune. His ability to put together melodies was unlike anyone who had come before and anyone who has come after him. How one can come up with such lyrics and then string them into a sentence which resonates with hearts and minds around the world is beyond most of us, but we never needed to truly understand the process; we just had to enjoy it.
Of course, it wasn’t only the words he wrote which were out of this world, but the means by which he recorded them. Touring was never for Wilson, and so while the rest of The Beach Boys went out on the road, he stayed in the studio, working out the best ways to record music, layering different lyrics, instrumentals, and all things in between to create something totally original.
His sound is hard to pin a label on. To call it pop music almost feels derivative, as there is so much more to it than that. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of pop music or heavy metal, you have room in your life for the work of Brian Wilson, as it wasn’t just the public who found themselves in awe of his musical talents, but the biggest stars in the world were equally obsessed.
Two other great pop stars are Cher and Dolly Parton, both of whom have managed to write songs which touch the hearts of listeners everywhere. They have carved their own path as far as musical genius is concerned, and both of them had real admiration for the mind of Brian Wilson. At some point in their discographies, you will find the writing and recording style of Wilson embedded, as his influence knew no bounds.
Cher was always forthcoming about how much of a fan she was, as she reflected on a spelling error on a gift she gave him once, but how that strangely made it more appropriate. “One day I was playing with the machine that punched letters into plastic tape for labelling equipment and decided to make Brian a bracelet,” she recalled, “Because of my undiagnosed dyslexia, it came out as ‘I Love You, Brian’.”
She continued, “It became our little thing, and, by the way, he was the brain, with an amazing mind for music.”
Dolly Parton had a similar adoration for Wilson, as she said that his genius transcended time and was something that would never fade. “I never was a beach babe,” she said, concluding, “But I loved his music like everybody else. I thought Brian Wilson was a genius, and I still think it.”
