As a fan of a wide variety of popular (and not-so-popular) music from the 1950s (and sometimes even earlier) up through the present, one of my bucket list projects for years has been to put together a list of my 100 favorite songs of all time. At some point I decided that, once I got around to figuring that out, I could put it out on a blog, for the infinitesimally small proportion of the Internet world that might be interested. So, here we are. While the Top 100 will be a major focus, I also plan to post on a variety of other musical (and occasionally non-musical) topics, in which you may or may not be interested. (If a particular posting doesn’t ring your bell, you’re only a few clicks away from a dancing cat video on YouTube.)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Brian Wilson

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/brian-wilson-dead-beach-boys-1236428336/

 

I can’t argue with William Ruhlmann’s biography on Allmusic, which posits that Wilson is “arguably the greatest American composer of popular music in the rock era.” His songwriting “captured the arc of innocence and turmoil that played out for those coming of age in the 1960s, quickly moving from the carefree fun of his early songs about cars, surfing, and teenage love to the complex self-inspection and vulnerability exhibited on his 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds,” as he “combined the rock urgency of Chuck Berry with the harmonies of the Four Freshmen.”

 

I posted a writeup on the Beach Boys several years ago, which contains my list of 20 favorite songs.

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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM

    1. God Only Knows
    2. Fun Fun Fun
    3. Darlin'
    4. 409
    5. All Summer Long
    6. Sail on Sailor
    7. Surfin' Safari
    8. Shut Down
    9. California Girls
    10. Wouldn't It Be Nice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike RhoadsJune 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM

      Nice list! I've heard a number of other folks share your choice for #1.
      And I see neither one of us listed Be True to Your School. ;-)

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJune 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM

      If I had made this list thirty years ago it would have probably made the cut.

      Delete
    3. Mike RhoadsJune 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM

      I don't think it would ever have made mine.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJune 13, 2025 at 6:55 AM

    Fair enough.

    ReplyDelete

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