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.
Love and Mercy
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Producer: brian wilson/russ titelman
Engineered by jim linker and rob klohs at dolphin sound in honolulu
Mixed by hugh padgham assisted by bob vogt at a & m recording studios
Brian wilson/eugene landy
I was sittin' in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin
Oh the violence that occurs seems like we never win
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was lyin' in my room and the news came on t.v.
A lotta people out there hurtin' and it really scares me
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was standin' in a bar and watchin' all the people there
Oh the lonliness in this world well it's just not fair
Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo
Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo
Ahhhhh-ahhhhhh-ahhhhhh-ohhhhhh-ohhhhhh
Hey love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Love and mercy tonight
Love and mercy
Brian Wilson's song Love and Mercy is a poignant reminder of the need of each human being for love and kindness in difficult times. The lyrics are elegant in their simplicity and speak of the sense of hopelessness that many people feel when they see violence, pain, and injustice around them. In the first verse, the singer describes sitting in a movie, reflecting on the violence that takes place onscreen that seems never to end. In the second verse, the singer is watching the news on television and is apparently troubled by the hurt suffered by others.
The chorus of the song states that "love and mercy" are what we all need in such times. The message is simple yet profound: though life is often painful and challenging, we must remember to be kind and loving towards ourselves and others, especially in times of difficulty. Love and mercy are two building blocks of human life, and to get through difficult times, we must exhibit these in every way we can. The song is beautifully accessible, and its message is one that many people can find a source of comfort in.
Some interesting facts about Brian Wilson's song Love and Mercy include that it was intended for a solo career after the breakup of The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson wrote the song in 1985 and intended it for use on his first solo album, which unfortunately never materialized as scheduled. Instead, it was released in 1988 as a single and was included in the album "Brian Wilson." Also, the video for the song includes footage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington. Another interesting fact is that Love and Mercy reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1988. Additionally, co-writer Eugene Landy was later accused of taking over Wilson's life and manipulating him into creating music.
Furthermore, the song's outro repeats and builds off the melody of Paul Dano's Brian Wilson portrayal during the recording of "God Only Knows" in the biopic "Love and Mercy" released in 2014. It has been used as the ending credits music for that film as well. The song was praised for the appreciation shown towards the Mercy Beach Men - Brian Wilson’s former alcohol and drug therapists. Also, it played a prominent part in promotions for the Beach Boys reunion that occurred shortly after the song's release. Finally, Brian Wilson developed the song's chord progression as an answer to Lennon/McCartney's "Michelle" and it was intended for Mike Love before it became a Wilson/Landy collaboration.
Chords:
Verse: D, G, D, G, Bm, G, D, A
Chorus: D, G, D, A, D, G, D, A, D.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sittin' in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin
I was bored and uninterested in the violent movie playing, while physically expressing my disinterest.
Oh the violence that occurs seems like we never win
The consistent presence of violence and its insurmountability is a distressing and hopeless experience.
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
The remedy for the distress and hopelessness is love and mercy, which is what is needed in this particular moment.
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
The expression of love and mercy is being offered to those listening and their associates.
I was lyin' in my room and the news came on t.v.
I was passively receiving media coverage of real-life suffering and it frightened me deeply.
A lotta people out there hurtin' and it really scares me
The immediacy and prevalence of people affected by turmoil and pain is a concerning and daunting reality.
I was standin' in a bar and watchin' all the people there
Observing the people at the bar, I noticed a pervasive loneliness in the world that is unjust.
Oh the lonliness in this world well it's just not fair
The prevalence and unfairness of loneliness in society is disheartening.
Hey love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Once again, the solution to the problems stated before is love and mercy.
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Reiteration of the message that love and mercy can ameliorate current issues.
Love and mercy tonight
Final affirmation of the theme of love and mercy resolving problems at hand.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brian Douglas Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MilkshakeEnthusiast1992
I was sittin' in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin
Oh the violence that occurs seems like we never win
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was lyin' in my room and the news came on t.v.
A lotta people out there hurtin' and it really scares me
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
I was standin' in a bar and watchin' all the people there
Oh the lonliness in this world well it's just not fair
Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo
Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo
Ahhhhh-ahhhhhh-ahhhhhh-ohhhhhh-ohhhhhh
Hey love and mercy that's what you need tonight
So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight
Love and mercy that's what you need tonight
Love and mercy tonight
Love and mercy
@fanfaretloudest
Special R. I. P. to Melinda, Brian's wife. Hope everyone sends love and prayers to Brian who must be really hurting right now.
@jwhitt6393
He needs shortin bread 🍞.
@acousticshadow4032
Brian, I cannot fathom how you could have any real idea of just what your music has given us. Thank you.
@SQTierHog
Your comment got me choked, because what you wrote is true.
@morrisleming1303
Paul.McCartney.......said....Brian....was...the....greatest....song...writer....ok.....Brian.. said the.same..thing....to.. Paul ....very humble ...true..... artists
@arnewandersson8059
Brian is my bin hero. Anytime.
@berthaford2152
🙏
@Barbara55126
❤❤❤
@energyasylum997
Brian, it's 2023 and you are still in our thoughts, prayers and we wish you well!!!! You are brilliant and we cherish you my friend! HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY BRIAN!!! 💪✌🤙🙏✌
@gudmundurhrafnkell
Yes brother 💯💪