“Good Vibrations” was the most expensively assembled and expansive rock single of the 1960s. Made decades ago, it still sounds like music of the future. This is why it’s one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
But you’re probably wondering what the “good vibrations” were and why Brian Wilson needed to spend so much money on creating just one song, right?
Let me tell you the story of the song and reveal the meaning behind the words.
Key Facts Table
| Released | October 10, 1966 |
| Album | Smiley Smile (originally intended for SMiLE) |
| Songwriters | Brian Wilson / Mike Love |
| Band | The Beach Boys |
| Genre | Psychedelic Pop / Avant-Pop |
| Length | 3:37 |
Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ Career Path to Making “Good Vibrations”
There are those, and their numbers grow every year, who claim that The Beach Boys are the greatest rock band ever. There are also those, and their numbers are shrinking, who think that they’re just, essentially, a boy band.
Who’s right? Well, both sides, to some degree.
The Beach Boys were a family band made up of three brothers, their cousin and their family friend. They initially tried to capitalise on a few US fads like surfing (just one of them surfed), singing in harmony (they nearly all possessed great singing voices) and Chuck Berry-styled rock’n’ roll (they ripped him off).
Throughout the early 1960s, The Beach Boys’ singles were a sensation in the US. Most of these compositions were penned by Brian Wilson, the most talented and shiest of the brothers. Most of the songs were about surfing and trying to impress teenage girls.
But Brian grew up, and so did his appetite for experimental music. Influenced by the mish-mash of philosophies that dominated the 1960s counterculture and by producer Phil Spector’s “wall of sound,” he set about creating a song of much greater complexity with “Good Vibrations.”
Wilson was going for what he called “moods.” These were entire sections of songs meant to make the listeners feel a certain way. Wilson had also opted, for the most part, to use experienced studio musicians (rather than his bandmates) and unusual instrumentation such as the electric theremin or carpenter’s saws.
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Good Vibrations”
Brian Wilson was a man who wholeheartedly believed in the idealism of the 1960s. In many ways, he also ended up being one of its greatest casualties. Not long after the recording of “Good Vibrations,” Wilson would suffer a nervous breakdown that would see him stop touring and begin being medicated for numerous years.
On the meaning of the lyrics to “Good Vibrations,” Wilson said that: “My mother used to tell me about vibrations. I didn’t really understand too much of what she meant when I was a boy. It scared me, the word ‘vibrations’ – to think that invisible feelings existed. She also told me about dogs that would bark at some people, but wouldn’t bark at others, and so it came to pass that we talked about good vibrations.”
Wilson’s cousin and de facto leader of The Beach Boys, Mike Love, insists that he penned the lyrics to the song. Of the lyrics, he said: “It was this flowery power type of thing.”
The Legacy of “Good Vibrations” and Brian Wilson’s Work
It cost a fortune to make “Good Vibrations” and hours upon hours of studio time. When it was completed, it was hailed as a “Pocket Symphony,” and Brian Wilson was greeted as a musical genius.
The single cost $50,000 to make. It practically reinvented Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound for a new era. John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles were hugely inspired by the music and made songs like “A Day in the Life” as a direct response to it.
However, Mike Love and Brian’s father and band manager, Murry Wilson, were unimpressed. They demanded quicker, poppier material. Plans to record a proper album follow-up, titled “SMiLE“, were curtailed.
However, the legacy of “Good Vibrations” is colossal. It’s the song that showed that pop music could capture the same sense of grandiosity as classical music and become just as respected.
The song has been covered numerous times by artists as diverse as Todd Rundgren or Psychic TV. It’s routinely included on lists of the greatest rock songs of all time, and Alt77 ranked it number 5 on a similar compilation.
Most importantly, perhaps, when asked about his career high point, Brian Wilson said that “Good Vibrations” was his absolute favourite.
