The bullshit Beach Boys song indebted to the Big Sur river: “I got really inspired”
There aren’t many areas of the world as mythologised as California, a place that has long been a source of inspiration for some of the biggest hits. But is it because bullshit ultimately feeds more bullshit?
Because despite the sunny disposition of this alluring state, best represented in The Mamas and The Papas’ ‘California Dreamin’, it has a seedy underbelly, brilliantly exposed by the Eagles’ Hotel California’. Rather unsurprisingly, these narratives centre around what is widely considered the mecca of most entertainment bullshit, Los Angeles.
The City of Angels has long been known as the epicentre of modern glamour, and so it’s natural that its inhabitants circle their storylines around its beating heart. But as we’ve slid into accepting Los Angeles’ cultural representation of California, we’ve seemingly forgotten some of its major areas that offer so much more than movie soundstages and glittering award ceremonies. What about the home of liberal counterculture, San Francisco or even the small town of Monterey, where one of the world’s most famous jazz festivals lives?
That’s failing to mention the vast countryside of the Golden State, also. In fact, the spirituality that draws so many creatives to California is born from the winding roads of its endless natural reserves. And connecting San Francisco and LA is the Big Sur, a rugged coastline with ocean views and rolling hills, perfect for the sort of creative escapism of the state’s great songwriters.
The Beach Boys wholeheartedly embraced it on their track, ‘All This Is That’. It was a suitably spiritual song, given that it was written in Big Sur. But it seemed as though in a bid to free themselves of Los Angeles’ obnoxiousness, they slipped too far into a state of contrived spiritualism, letting the cool sea air of the Big Sur coastline go straight to their heads.
The song takes inspiration from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation teachings as well as the Robert Frost poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ in a bid to make a statement about the universe’s interconnectedness.
“It’s a real moving poem about choices, taking gambles rather than going the safe route,” Al Jardine told Rock Cellar. “Someone turned me onto that poem, so I went up on a little road in Big Sur right above my house by the Big Sur River, read it, and I really got inspired.”
While ruminating over the coastal view of the Big Sur, Jardine got thinking about Maharishi Mahesh, who was an influential Indian guru who founded the Transcendental Meditation movement.
But ultimately, Mahesh’s teachings found their way to the band after The Beatles publicly endorsed the teacher, and so five years after penning Pet Sounds, a track that clearly inspired The Beach Boys, the Californian band found themselves on the other side of the coin, trying to replicate whatever sort of transcendent greatness The Beatles were harnessing.
The Beach Boys then invited Mahesh to join them on their 1968 tour, as they delved further into a misguided spiritual state that ended up looking like limp pastiche.
Jardine always believed in the concept of this, explaining, “Maharishi would have these wonderful enlightening meetings with us, he would give lectures, and he would have this wonderful perspective. ‘All This Is That’ – we’re all connected in this universe,” he added. “It’s a pretty heavy statement and I kept expanding on it.”
But later on, Mike Love came clean and admitted that it was a step in the wrong creative direction, even if the personal intentions were pure.
He said, “I take responsibility for an idea that didn’t work. But I don’t regret it. I thought I could do some good for people who were lost, confused, or troubled, particularly those who were young and idealistic but also vulnerable, and I thought that was true for a whole bunch of us”.
The song and tour experienced a rather flat reception, and it ultimately expedited the band’s decline, which began after the unmatched success of Pet Sounds.
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