The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds

Hello fellow Musooklubbers: 

It is with a heavy heart and cumbersome calendar that I must resign my membership. I wish you all the best, and I will of course remain a reader – I just can’t commit to any more writing at this time. Actually, it’s ironic and possibly fitting that this is my last post, and I really couldn’t give enough attention to this process as I wanted.  And that shows, because I didn’t even realize I just wrote about an album we’d already written about! My sincerest apologies, though it is definitely one of my favorite records. As a small consolation and apology, I’ve attached a “BONUS” download of amazing tunes from that era and ilk that I think/hope you’ll love. 

Full disclosure, I’ve never really made lists about the music I love. I just keep my favorites orbiting closer to my heart and mind (but if there are 6 there, I don’t kick one out, it just shifts to an outer valence). So, I’m not sure I could tell you my Top 5 Albums of All Time, and I’m glad that’s not the assignment! When I sat down to write this post, though, I knew exactly what album to discuss, and realized that I don’t need a list to know that, if I had one, this record would be forever on it.  

The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966).  

I know we’re all super music fans and it’s generally agreed that this is one of the best albums of all time, so you’ve probably heard and already love it, and I’m probably preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, this post is not about why it deserves to be in the world’s Top 5, but why it’s in mine. 

And that’s not just because it’s an incredible album, though that’s obviously an element. It’s because of why I hold it so close to my heart. To me, Pet Sounds represents the ultimate crossroads between nostalgia and memories of youth, and the foundation of my musical, lyrical, and emotional tastes, and it satisfies on so many levels. 

I’ve loved this album since I was 6 years old. One of my earliest memories is my dad driving my brother and I down the road, everybody singing along to “Sloop John B” on the “Oldies” station. At that time, I probably liked the Beach Boys because I liked the beach and the songs were catchy. But that’s one of the special qualities about special music – it draws you in for one reason and you end up sticking around for another. 

Or, maybe more accurately, the reasons you love it can blossom with time. 

I loved “God Only Knows” the first time I heard it, but it took me years to realize just how bold and impactful (and groundbreaking) it was to start a love song with the lyric “I may not always love you.” And there are examples of the album’s many layers in every song – and I’m not just talking about harmonies, theremin solos, or the tracks with dogs barking. It’s pop, it’s art, it’s genius, it’s deep, it’s fun, it’s sad, it’s hopeful – how often can you say all that about anything?

Looking back, I’d say Pet Sounds was my initial exposure to “pop” music – to the wide ranges of what it was then, and what it could and would become, and to how powerful it could be, without giving up its’ honesty or desire to explore, musically and lyrically. I realized later that its’ perfect balance of authentic emotion, melody, lyricism, depth, and experimentation was what I found, and continue to find, so resonant. 

--Rachel

album AND bonus material !