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.
Be My Baby
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if I had the chance I'd never let you go
So won't you say you love me
I'll make you so proud of me
We'll make 'em turn their heads every place we go
So won't you, please, be my, be my baby
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Wha oh oh oh
I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
For every kiss you give me I'll give you three
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you 'til eternity
So won't you, please, be my, be my baby
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Say you'll be my darlin', be my, be my baby
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Wha oh oh oh oh
So come on and, please, be my, be my baby
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Say you'll be my darlin', be my, be my baby
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Wha oh oh oh
Be my, be my baby, be my little baby
My one and only baby, oh oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
My one and only baby, wha oh oh oh oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
My one and only baby, oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
Be my baby now
The song "Be My Baby" by Brian Wilson expresses the intense emotions of someone who meets a person they believe to be their soulmate. The lyricist speaks of the feeling he had when he first met the person, and how he knew he needed them in his life. The opening line "The night we met I knew I needed you so" sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer expresses his feelings with a sense of urgency, telling this special person that he would never let them go if given the chance.
The chorus says, "So won't you, please, be my, be my baby." In this line, the word 'baby' does not necessarily refer to a child, but rather as an endearment for the person the singer has met. It's a song about emotions, someone who is desperately in love with another person and wants them to reciprocate those feelings. He promises to make them proud of him and take them wherever they go in hopes that they will say yes to his proposal.
Line by Line Meaning
The night we met I knew I needed you so
From the moment I met you, I knew that I could not bear to be without you
And if I had the chance I'd never let you go
If I were given the option, I would never allow you to leave my side or slip away from me.
So won't you say you love me
Will you please confess your affection for me?
I'll make you so proud of me
I guarantee that I will give you ample reasons to be proud of me.
We'll make 'em turn their heads every place we go
Together, we'll capture the attention of everyone, everywhere we go.
I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
Trust me- once you give me the opportunity, I will make you incredibly happy.
For every kiss you give me I'll give you three
In exchange for each kiss you offer me, I'll be sure to give you three in return.
Oh, since the day I saw you
Since the very moment that I laid eyes on you,
I have been waiting for you
I've stuck around eagerly in anticipation for the arrival of someone like you.
You know I will adore you 'til eternity
I vow to continuously cherish and love you for all of time.
So won't you, please, be my, be my baby
So, might you entertain the thought of becoming my companion, my love?
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Become my darling, with all my affections and my one and only beloved.
Say you'll be my darlin', be my, be my baby
Confirm that you will be mine forever, and take on the role of my dearest and closest loved one.
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Accept my request and begin our journey together, my one and truly treasured child.
So come on and, please, be my, be my baby
Just give me an chance and become my companion, my love? Come on, won't you?
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Join our hearts and become my darling, my only treasure.
Say you'll be my darlin', be my, be my baby
Promise to be mine forever, and assume the position of my most significant cherished one.
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Begin our journey together and become the only light in my eyes, my child.
Be my, be my baby, be my little baby
Be my sweetest and most beloved companion throughout all of time.
My one and only baby, oh oh
The one and only true love of my life.
Be my, be my baby, oh
Join your heart with mine and become my most cherished loved one.
My one and only baby, wha oh oh oh oh
You are my one and only real love onboard a journey of two.
Be my, be my baby, oh
Be my only companion, my loving partner on this journey of life.
My one and only baby, oh
The one and only love of my life, without whom my heart cannot exist.
Be my, be my baby
Complete my life and my love and become my loving partner.
Be my baby now
Join your soul with mine and take control of the direction of our journey of love.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Philip Spector
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MarvelDcImage
Brian was hearing that song at a different level than normal people.
shaggywag00 shaggywag00
I'm here, because I actually just had the same experience! I heard the chorus and went nuts! And sat at the piano like Brian, and start figuring out the harmony, really is genius, especially the first major chord of the chorus, hits you right over the head!ย
Here's a little later live version, but the harmony is clearer, I'm so addicted to this song now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMSOU6KpZEs
Duke Wilson
@Ruby Band Yea I agree. I'm a musician as well and it speaks to another level of consciousness. Maybe it's a musician thing but some songs you hear and they're just indelible. You can never unhear them and go back. You're forever changed.
Ruby Band
I'm not sure you are correct about that. I was in 5th grade when that Ronnettes song came out and as a young (heterosexual) boy fell in love with that song. Admittedly I am a musician too, but I don't think that had anything to do with it. The song just connected in an unexplainable way.
D Storm
"Be My Baby" was correctly identifed by Wilson as the perfect rock song
Michael Viger
โDonโt Worry Babyโ....Brianโs amazing falsetto !
Andy Trullinger
"balls out, totally freaked out...". Brian is the coolest.
LIINOOOSS
I love hearing this genius talk about music, he always gets so exited!
Steven King
HELL YES ME TOO.
Sadakichi Hartmann
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys estimates that heโs heard โBe My Baby,โ by the Ronettes, more than 1,000 times. The very first listen, 50 years ago this month, still haunts him.
โI was driving and I had to pull over to the side of the road โ it blew my mind,โ Mr. Wilson said, repeating a story that has become something of a legend. โIt was a shock.โ Just 21 and already frustrated with his bandโs basic surf music, he bought the single and set about deconstructing its arrangement and production.
โI started analyzing all the guitars, pianos, bass, drums and percussion,โ he said by telephone. โOnce I got all those learned, I knew how to produce records.โ
Those records, many fans would contend, werenโt half bad, but if you ask Mr. Wilson, they still donโt stack up.
โI felt like I wanted to try to do something as good as that song and I never did,โ he said. โIโve stopped trying.โ Mr. Wilson added: โItโs the greatest record ever produced. No one will ever top that one.โ