Last night I was privileged enough to be invited to see Brian Wilson perform Gershwin songs. What this meant in Brian Wilson’s world was that I was privileged enough to see Brian Wilson perform a slew of Beach Boys songs (most notably God Only Knows and Caroline, No) and a handful of Gershwin songs which sounded precisely like Beach Boys songs. Don’t take that as a criticism. It was stunning and I still have the harmonies of “Rhapsody in Blue” in my head.
As luck would have it, I’ve already done a post on the Beach Boys – one of their lesser known songs, but one of my favorites and hopefully now one of yours. I’m still not sure if I will be able (or want to) stick to my premise of not repeating artists and Brian Wilson is certainly someone who deserves more space. But be that as it may, for the time being I am staying the course.
And for this specific post with this specific song, I can give you something just as good. You know I mean business when I say something is equal to Brian Wilson in any context.
Let’s go back to 1964. It was the eve of a tour and Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown. He decided he couldn’t take the stress of touring and decided to stay home and concentrate on writing and producing. A super talented (and handsome!) session musician was selected to take his place. And so, for a short time, Glen Campbell became a Beach Boy.
As a thank you for stepping in so quickly, Brian gave Glen one of the songs which he had written for the Beach Boys’ next album. In doing so Brian gave us all a huge gift. It is hands-down the best Beach Boys song never recorded: “Guess I’m Dumb” by the impressive (and handsome!) Glen Campbell.
margauxville 