56 years ago the Beach Boys‘ released their iconic, “Good Vibrations.” The song went on to top the chart for one week exactly two months later (December 10th to 16th, 1966). “Good Vibrations” was Brian Wilson‘s first attempt at a “modular” recording approach, which pieced together many different musical sections to form a constantly changing musical landscape. The song was also unique for its choice of lead instruments, which included flutes, cellos, and a version of a theremin, called a tannerin, which provided the song’s eerie “woo woo” sound.
Wilson recorded the track over a series of months, using over 90 hours of tape and dozens of session musicians at several different Los Angeles recording studios. The song cost between $75,000 and $100,000 to record. “Good Vibrations” was such an immediate hit that it reportedly sold 230,000 copies in the first four days of its release. Although it only topped the chart for a single week, “Good Vibrations” went on to become the group’s first million-selling single.
The song was originally begun during the group’s 1966 Pet Sounds sessions, with music by Wilson and lyrics by his then collaborator, Tony Asher. Wilson continued to tinker with the song’s melody and production, but all without a permanent set of lyrics. Mike Love asked to take a crack at the lyrics as he had done for the Beach Boys’ two other Number One hits, 1964’s “I Get Around,” and 1965’s “Help Me, Rhonda.”
“Good Vibrations” is considered the musical “missing link” between the Beach Boys’ 1966 Pet Sounds album and their then-unreleased 1967 album Smile. Wilson never intended for “Good Vibrations” to be included in the original track listing for Smile, but finally succumbed to record company pressure in 1967 to include the track on the album. After Smile was abandoned, it was included on the album that was released in its place, called Smiley Smile.
“Good Vibrations” continues to either top or place highly in various rock and roll “Best Of” lists, most notably in 1997 when it topped Britain’s Mojo magazine’s list of Top 100 Records of All Time, beating out the Beatles‘ 1967 double A sided single “Penny Lane”/”Strawberry Fields Forever.”
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