Haunting, sad, beautiful -- those words apply to so many Brian Wilson melodies that they are almost cliches, but hell, since I don't feel like getting out the thesaurus, I'll just say that this song is haunting, sad and beautful, and is the first such song released by the Beach Boys. "Surfer Girl" was written in 1962, about a year earlier and before they had their Capitol contract, and a primitive version was recorded that year in family friend Hite Morgan's small makeshift studio, but was not released to the public until the huge resurgence of interest in the band in the mid-1970's. The lead vocal is an early example of Brian's clear, high falsetto ballad style, and this is also the only song I know of by the Beach Boys where the bridge is spoken by Brian. This rare "dramatic" device came as a direct result of Elvis' 1960 recording of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and is slightly embarrassing upon the first few listenings to the song, but only slightly. You'll get over it.
Haunting, sad, beautiful -- those words apply to so many Brian Wilson melodies that they are almost cliches, but hell, since I don't feel like getting out the thesaurus, I'll just say that this song is haunting, sad and beautful, and is the first such song released by the Beach Boys. "Surfer Girl" was written in 1962, about a year earlier and before they had their Capitol contract, and a primitive version was recorded that year in family friend Hite Morgan's small makeshift studio, but was not released to the public until the huge resurgence of interest in the band in the mid-1970's. The lead vocal is an early example of Brian's clear, high falsetto ballad style, and this is also the only song I know of by the Beach Boys where the bridge is spoken by Brian. This rare "dramatic" device came as a direct result of Elvis' 1960 recording of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and is slightly embarrassing upon the first few listenings to the song, but only slightly. You'll get over it.