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.
Let the Wind Blow
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the grass grow
But don't let her go
Don't take her out of my life
Don't take her out of my life
Whoa-oh
Let the moon glow
(Let the moon glow)
On the fallen snow
(Let the moon glow)
(On the fallen snow)
Well I just got to know
(Let me please know oh oh oh)
Know she'll be a part of our life
Know she'll be a part of our life
Forever
Let the bees make honey
Let the poor find money
Take away their sorrows
Give them sunshine tomorrow
But don't take her out of my life
Don't take her out of my life
What would I do without her tell me now
Let the bird sing
With the coming spring
Let the church bells ring
Let the rain fall
Let the grass grow
On the fallen snow
But don't take her out of my life
Please keep her a part of our life
The song Let the Wind Blow by Brian Wilson is a plea to keep his love interest in his life. The opening lines, "Let the wind blow, Let the grass grow, But don't let her go" is essentially saying that life can carry on, things can happen, but don't let the one he loves slip away from him. The repetition of the line "Don't take her out of my life" emphasises this point. The song is not just about love, but also about the fear of loss. Wilson expresses his desire to have this person forever in his life and that he can't imagine life without them. The stanza 'Well I just got to know, Know she'll be a part of our life, Know she'll be a part of our life Forever" serves as a declaration of his love and determination to keep his love interest in his life regardless of what happens.
The song also acknowledges nature, such as the moon, bees, rain, and animals, alluding to changes happening in life. These images work to emphasise Wilson's desire to hold on to what he knows, arguing that if nature can go through changes, he can not lose his love interest as well. The line "Give them sunshine tomorrow" extends Wilson's desire for a good future for everyone while simultaneously reconstructing the opening line - life will go on, but let his love interest be a part of it. The song concludes asking to not take his love interest out of his life, and to continue as a permanent fixture in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the wind blow
Let things be as they are and let life go on
Let the grass grow
Let even the most mundane things in life continue undisturbed
But don't let her go
But under no circumstances should she leave my life
Don't take her out of my life
Please don't take her away from me, keep her in my life
Let the moon glow
Let nature take its course, let even the moon continue shining its light
On the fallen snow
Even on winter's whitest days, let her still be part of my life
Well I just got to know
I need to be reassured, I need to be told with certainty
Know she'll be a part of our life
That she'll continue to play a vital role in our lives as a couple
Forever
For all of eternity, she should never leave my life
Let the bees make honey
Let nature continue its cycle of productivity, let things keep moving
Let the poor find money
I wish for good things for everyone, even those less fortunate than me
Take away their sorrows
I wish for a better quality of life for all, and for their problems to disappear
Give them sunshine tomorrow
I hope that their tomorrows will be brighter and happier ones
What would I do without her tell me now
I can't imagine life without her, please don't take her away from me
Let the bird sing
Let all that is good in life continue and flourish, like the singing of birds
With the coming spring
With the changing of the seasons, I hope for new beginnings and opportunities
Let the church bells ring
Let even the sounds of religion ring out, for good things to come
Let the rain fall
Let even the storms pass and bring renewed life
Please keep her a part of our life
I implore you, please keep her with me and always part of my life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL LOVE, BRIAN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind