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.
Do It Again
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talk with old friends
The conversation turns to
Girls we knew when their
Hair was soft and long and the
Beach was the place to go
With suntanned bodies and
California girls and a
Beautiful coastline
Warmed up weather
Let's get together and
Do it again
With a girl the lonely sea looks good with your life
Makes your night times warm and out of sight
Been so long (Dip dip dit di dit)
Been so long (Dip dip dit di dit)
Been so long
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Well I've been thinking 'bout
All the places we've surfed and danced and
All the faces we've missed so let's get
Back together and do it again
The lyrics of the song Do It Again by Brian Wilson are about nostalgia, reminiscing about old times with friends and returning to the same places and experiences. The singer remembers the California girls and the beach as they were in their youth, with "soft and long" hair and suntanned bodies, and the warmth of the sunshine and the coastline. The repetition of "do it again" reinforces the desire to recreate those experiences with old friends.
The lyrics also touch on the emotional impact of relationships, specifically romantic ones, as the singer sings about how being with a girl can make even the lonely sea look good and warm up one's nights. The lines "Been so long/Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now" are a nostalgic call to action, urging the friends to get back together and relive old memories.
Overall, the song Do It Again is a celebration of the past, the places, people and experiences that shaped the singer's youth, and the desire to rekindle those memories with old friends.
Line by Line Meaning
It's automatic when I
I never have to force it when I
Talk with old friends
I catch up with people I knew a long time ago
The conversation turns to
We start talking about
Girls we knew when their
Ladies we hung out with in their
Hair was soft and long and the
Hair was lengthy and silky, and the
Beach was the place to go
Beach was the spot everyone wanted to hang out
With suntanned bodies and
Sporting a nice tan and
Rays of sunshine the
Under the sunlight rays the
California girls and a
Ladies from Cali and
Beautiful coastline
The beautiful coastline
Warmed up weather
Good and warm weather
Let's get together and
We should come together and
Do it again
Relive those experiences again
With a girl the lonely sea looks good with your life
When you're with that special lady, everything looks beautiful
Makes your night times warm and out of sight
The memories you make are so special that you'll never forget them
Been so long (Dip dip dit di dit)
It's been years
Been so long (Dip dip dit di dit)
It's been ages
Been so long
It's been so many years
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Vocals
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Vocals
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Vocals
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Vocals
(Hey now hey now hey now hey now hey now)
Vocals
Well I've been thinking 'bout
I've been reminiscing about
All the places we've surfed and danced and
All the fun we've ever had, like surfing and dancing
All the faces we've missed so let's get
All the friends we've missed so let's
Back together and do it again
Get back together and relive those experiences again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JAMIE PAULIN, JORDAN CHRISTOPHER RAGER, JUSTIN TYLER WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steveskouson9620
Saw him, (with Chicago) last June 7th 2022.
TWO bucket list concerts in a single day!
Chicago, as always, amazing. The whole
Brass section was KILLER! They even
played back up Brass, for The Brian Wilson
Band. Yes, both bands played Wishing You
Were Here. No Dennis, no Carl, no Terry.
But still, GREAT concerts!
steve
@leetana5166
You can see how much it means to Carnie and Wendy to be singing with their dad, it is priceless. 🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤
@sciroccophil5410
Brian Wilson is a modern day Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart. He’s a musical genius!
@ngml320
For sure
@SeahorsesJay
Can't argue with that, a true musical unicorn.
@daleandrews9356
To say he's a genius is quite an understatement. I, as a guy in the mid-'60's, came as close to worshipping another musician as a guy can get. I think I've bought just about every piece of music he's ever written/recorded there is! Remember his solo CD from about 20 years ago called "Imagination?" Some fine work there, as solo musician.
@steveskouson9620
Sir Paul McCartney thought God Only Knows
was the best song ever made. I agree!
(Who am I to argue with Paul?)
steve
@davewillis3437
No less than Leonord Bernstein compared Brian Wilson to Mozart!! Does anything else need to be said?
@1030joe
I always like to see Brian having a good time. This man suffered so many levels of hell and demons (the drugs, his father, psychotherapy….I mean, damn, can you imagine having the Beatles and Stones as your rivals. Rock on Brian, more people love you than you can possibly know.
@klinkerkk
And, despite those facts, the guy was really lucky to have succeeded and get a mean place in the music History. So many others failed on the road.
@bigalf1990
The Beatles were fans of The Beach Boys