The first official release credited to Wilson as a solo artist was the 1966 Beach Boys single "Caroline, No" (b/w "Summer Means New Love"), due to being the single's arranger and sole vocal presence. Around the same time, Wilson also produced cuts for other artists such as The Beach Boys' spear counterpart The Honeys (member Marilyn Rovell was Wilson's first wife), and Jan & Dean, whose "Surf City" became a #1 hit single. The 1977 album Love You and the unreleased Adult/Child (recorded during the same sessions) were tentatively considered for release as Brian Wilson solo albums, although the idea fell through. Love You would be last Beach Boys albums to feature Wilson's extended involvement for the better part of 35 years.
Brian's solo career, despite a few false starts, began in earnest with the 1987 single "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car" (b/w "Too Much Sugar"), featured in the film Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. A year later, his debut solo album, the eponymous Brian Wilson, was released, at the time hailed as a 1980s equivalent of what is widely regarded as Wilson's magnum opus, 1966's Pet Sounds. A follow-up in much the same vein, Sweet Insanity, was scrapped due to various personal issues.
Also left on the shelf was a fruitful collaborative project with multi-instrumentalist Andy Paley, informally known as "The Paley Sessions". Over the years, a few tracks were released through various albums, but dozens more have been bootlegged, and a comprehensive release has yet to be assembled.
Instead, 1995 saw the release of two albums: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, a collection of re-recordings seemingly meant to reintroduce him to the public, and Orange Crate Art, a song cycle written by one-time lyricist Van Dyke Parks with contributions by Wilson, were released. An album of new compositions entitled Imagination followed in 1998.
Wilson began performing live again in 1999, and with his confidence as a performer growing ever stronger, he chose to release a live album documenting the Imagination tour (Live at the Roxy Theatre). In 2002, he began incorporating Pet Sounds in its entirety into his live performances; this, too, was documented in a live album titled Pet Sounds Live.
In 2004, Wilson revived and completed SMiLE, his unfinished 1967 album, performing the work in its entirety on a celebrated tour. The positive response lead him to record a studio version which met similar acclaim; the album cut "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental. That same year, he released Gettin' in Over My Head (containing many songs originating with the ill-fated Sweet Insanity album), featuring guest musicians Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and brother Carl, who passed away in 1998. Brian's song "Lay Down Burden" was written in tribute of his brother.
Brian released a collection of Christmas songs entitled What I Really Want For Christmas in 2005. His 2008 album, That Lucky Old Sun, marked his return to Capitol Records. As part of a two-album deal with Disney, Wilson released Reimagines Gershwin (2010), a tribute to his idol George Gershwin, and In the Key of Disney (2011), a collection of cover songs from various Disney films.
2012 saw the The Beach Boys celebrate their 50th anniversary, reuniting a majority of surviving band members including Brian, for a worldwide tour as well as the release of an album, That's Why God Made the Radio, composed almost entirely by Wilson with an assortment of co-writers. The album became the group's biggest chart success in decades, peaking at #3 on the Billboard album charts. Status quo was restored as the group members went their separate ways again after the conclusion of the tour.
In 2015, Wilson released his eleventh studio album, No Pier Pressure. Originally conceived as a follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio before The Beach Boys reunion fell through, the album features guest appearances by contemporary artists such as Kacey Musgraves, She & Him, and Nate Ruess (of fun.), as well as former Beach Boys Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, and David Marks. Summer 2015 will also see the public release of Wilson's autobiographical motion picture Love and Mercy (named after Wilson's 1988 comeback single), with actors Paul Dano and John Cusack starring as a younger and older Wilson.
Back Home
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I'm going back this summer to ohio
I'm gonna seek out all my friends I've always known
I'm goin' back to that farm that I remember
Well I'm goin' to spend this summer back home
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Back home (back home)
I'm gonna get up every morning before the roosters
I'll run downstairs fix my breakfast all alone
I'll milk those cows feed the chickens and the horses
Well I'm gonna spend this summer back home
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Back home (back home)
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Back home (back home)
I'll eat everything that ma puts on the table
When I get back you won't believe how I've grown
I'll hit the sack early everynight thinkin' 'bout tomorrow whoa oh
Well I'm gonna spend this summer back home
Back home, back home, back home
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
That's what I'm gonna do that's where I'm gonna be, that's this summer
Back home (back home)
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Gonna get up, gonna get up, gonna get up every morning
Back home (back home)
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Hey woo feels okay back home
Back home (back home)
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
I'll spend my summer (back home)
Back home
The lyrics of Brian Wilson's "Back Home" express a sentiment of nostalgic longing for familiarity and the way things used to be. The song describes the singer's plan to return home to Ohio for the summer and spend time with old friends and family members on the farm where he grew up. The verse details the singer's vision of waking up early and performing the chores of his childhood, such as milking cows and feeding animals. The singer also looks forward to trying his mother's cooking and relaxing in the evenings, thinking about the next day's activities.
The chorus’s repetition of "Back home" emphasizes the singer's focus on returning to his roots and rediscovering his past. The song embodies a universal desire for a simpler life, away from the hustle and bustle of city living. The theme of coming home is a common theme in music, and it speaks to people on a deep emotional level. Everyone has a place or a person that they long to reconnect with and where they feel a sense of belonging, and that is the sentiment expressed in this song.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah yeah yeah
Expressing excitement or anticipation.
Well I'm going back this summer to ohio
Returning to Ohio for the summer.
I'm gonna seek out all my friends I've always known
Reconnecting with old friends.
I'm goin' back to that farm that I remember
Going back to a familiar, cherished place.
Well I'm goin' to spend this summer back home
Spending the summer in Ohio.
Back home (back home, back home, back home)
Repeated chorus emphasizing the desire to return home.
I'll get up every morning before the roosters
Waking up early to start farm chores.
I'll run downstairs fix my breakfast all alone
Preparing breakfast independently.
I'll milk those cows feed the chickens and the horses
Tending to farm animals.
Well I'm gonna spend this summer back home
Repeated refrain about spending the summer in Ohio.
I'll eat everything that ma puts on the table
Enjoying home-cooked meals.
When I get back you won't believe how I've grown
Implying that the artist has matured or changed during their time away from home.
I'll hit the sack early everynight thinkin' 'bout tomorrow whoa oh
Preparing for the next day while reflecting on the day that has passed.
That's what I'm gonna do that's where I'm gonna be, that's this summer
An explicit statement of intention to spend the summer in Ohio.
Gonna get up, gonna get up, gonna get up every morning
Repeating the intention to wake up early every morning for farm chores.
Hey woo feels okay back home
Expressing contentment about being back home.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KLAUS BADELT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind