But if there is one song of theirs that is destined for the halls of greatness, it's this week's featured tune, "Brian Wilson." There are literally five different versions of the song, but the most notable ones were the versions released on their Gordon album and "Brian Wilson 2000" (which reached number 68--with a bullet!--on the Billboard Hot 100). The Gordon version is about a minute longer and is more acoustic based than "Brian Wilson 2000," which mirrors their live version of the song (it is one of the rare songs that takes on a life of its own when performed live).
Amazingly enough for a song entitled "Brian Wilson," the song references the Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind The Beach Boys long run of hits. Written by Steven Page, it is a paean to Brian Wilson, music, music shops, and a vivid portrait of just how overwhelming suffering from depression can be. And yet...despite it all, still there is good to be found and still there is a sliver of hope. Page's staggeringly heartfelt vocals drive this home in the first couple of acoustically driven stanzas, before the rest of the band joins in and takes it to another level. There's acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and best of all...bongos! Throw in the short and oft repeated chorus of "Lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did..." and it all adds up to another of those magical moments that makes all the years of listening to music worth the while.
I usually listen to each week's songs a couple of times before I write the weekly post, and as I did tonight all I could do was smiley smile and say, "Goddamn this is a great song."
And I didn't even have to think about "...oh, what to think about."
Enjoy (Gordon version):
Peace,
emaycee
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