Personnel
 |
- Brian Wilson – lead vocals
| "Spirit of America" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Beach Boys | |
| from the album Little Deuce Coupe | |
| Released | October 7, 1963 |
| Genre | Hot rod · pop |
| Length | 2:23 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson/Roger Christian |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson |
"Spirit of America" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian for the American pop band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album Little Deuce Coupe .
Frequent collaborator for The Beach Boys, Roger Christian, wrote the lyrics as a tribute to Craig Breedlove and his record-breaking Spirit of America car. [1] [2] Christian, had also written similar lyrics for "Ballad of Bonneville," a song for Gary Usher's band, The Super Stocks. [1] Usher later said, "Roger would give Brian [Wilson], Jan [Berry] and I similar lyrics, and not tell us he was doing so! As it turned out, we wouldn't know this until the songs were released! The songs themselves, or the ideas, were much the same, even though they weren't copied. That was just how Roger did things." [1]
The song also was included as the title track to the band's compilation album Spirit of America , the follow-up to their number one compilation album Endless Summer .
AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald said it was "[a]nother fine example of the Brian Wilson/Roger Christian songwriting team's car songs" and went on to say "it's still a somewhat obscure song in the Beach Boys' canon – something that doesn't diminish the quality of the song, despite its somewhat dated subject matter." [2]
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Surfin' Safari is the debut album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released October 1, 1962 on Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who contributed substantially to the album's production; Brian also wrote or co-wrote nine of its 12 tracks. The album reached number 32 in the US during a chart stay of 37 weeks.
Beach Boys Concert is the first live album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 19, 1964. It is their seventh album in all, and their third alone in the same year. It was their first of two chart-topping albums in the US, as well as the first live album to top pop music record charts, maintaining its position for four weeks during a sixty-two-week chart stay, and becoming another gold seller.
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The Beach Boys Love You is the 21st studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released April 11, 1977 on Brother/Reprise. Often called the band's "punk" album, Love You is distinguished for its pioneering use of synthesizers and its juxtaposition of adolescent-oriented lyrics with the middle-aged band members' rough vocals.
All Summer Long is the sixth album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 13, 1964 on Capitol Records. Regarded as their first artistically unified collection of songs, as well as one of the first true concept albums, it marked the Beach Boys' first LP that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing. Instead, the songs are semi-autobiographical and relate to the experiences of a typical Southern Californian teenager, a theme encapsulated by the title track, "All Summer Long", and the often-imitated front cover, a modernist style photo collage depicting the band members fraternizing with young women on a beach.
Classics selected by Brian Wilson is a compilation of songs by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records in mid-2002. It was compiled by Brian Wilson himself that February. It includes a new recording of an unreleased 1970s track, "California Feelin'" not by The Beach Boys but Wilson and his live band.
"Don't Worry Baby" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their March 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, and he later referred to "Don't Worry Baby" as perhaps the Beach Boys' finest record. It was issued in May 1964 as the B-side of "I Get Around", and charted separately at number 24.
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"She Knows Me Too Well" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys, about a man who is engrossed and obsessed in his own jealousy and insecurity. It was released on the 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!, initially serving as the B-side of their "When I Grow Up " single in 1964. It was one of the first songs that Brian wrote while under the influence of marijuana.
"In My Room" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl. It was also released as the B-side of the "Be True to Your School" single. The single peaked at number 23 in the U.S. and was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. "In My Room" was ranked number 212 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Wonderful" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Smiley Smile and their unfinished Smile project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, the song tells the story of a young girl's sexual awakening and its disruption of her devotion to God and her parents. It was the only "boy-girl" song they wrote for Smile.
"Wild Honey" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was released as the lead single from their 1967 album Wild Honey, with the B-side of the single being "Wind Chimes". The single peaked at number 31 in the U.S. and number 29 in the U.K.
"Shut Down" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian for the American rock band the Beach Boys. The primary melody is a twelve-bar blues. On March 4, 1963, it was released as the B-side of the single "Surfin' U.S.A.", three weeks ahead of the album of the same name, which both tracks appeared on. Capitol Records released it again later that year on the album Little Deuce Coupe. The single peaked at number 23 in the US on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart, and number 34 in the UK
"All I Wanna Do" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the recording's use of layering, reverb and delay effects led it to be retrospectively cited as the earliest example of dream pop and chillwave, as well as a precursor to shoegaze. It was also influential for many lo-fi acts.
"Cuddle Up" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was written by Dennis Wilson and Daryl Dragon. It was concurrently released in two formats on May 15, 1972. One version was released on the album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough", and another as the b-side to "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone".
"With Me Tonight" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1967 album Smiley Smile. The piece has been characterized as "psychedelic doo wop" and the similar descriptor "do it yourself acid casualty doo-wop".
"All Dressed Up for School" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded in 1964 during the early sessions for their album The Beach Boys Today!. Written by Brian Wilson, the lyrics express the narrator's newfound fascination with a girl after realizing "what a turn on" she is in school clothes. It is one of the last original tracks the group recorded as a small ensemble rock band before entering their orchestral phase.
Sweet Insanity is an unofficial album by American musician Brian Wilson that was produced in 1990 as the follow-up to his first solo album, Brian Wilson (1988). It was largely written and produced by Wilson alongside his former psychologist, Eugene Landy.
The California sound is a popular music aesthetic that originates with American pop and rock recording artists from Southern California in the early 1960s. At first, it was conflated with the California myth, an idyllic setting inspired by the state's beach culture that commonly appeared in the lyrics of commercial pop songs. Later, the sound was expanded outside its initial geography and subject matter and was developed to be more sophisticated, often featuring studio experimentation.
"Let's Go to Heaven in My Car" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson from the 1987 film Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. It was written by Wilson and Gary Usher.
