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.
Make a Wish
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To make wishes all come true
Help our troubled world along
Time to come to its rescue
Make a wish, make a wish
Make it come true
Make a wish, make a wish
It starts with me and you
No more walls to separate
No more laws to segregate
Enough food under the sun
Homes and hope for everyone
Make a wish, make a wish
Make it come true
Make a wish, make a wish
Your dreams pursue
It starts with me and you
Find cures for all disease
Forest growin' brand-new trees
Need clean air for us to breathe
Purify our lakes and seas
Make a wish, make a wish
Make it come true
Make a wish, make a wish
Your dreams pursue
It starts with me and you
One big global vision
Spinning out in space
We are all connected
With the human race
Racial peace, equality
Say goodbye to bigotry
Crowds and violence disappear
Love replaces hate and fear
Make a wish, make a wish
Make it come true
Make a wish, make a wish
Your dreams pursue
It starts with me and you
No more wars just harmony
In God's grand community
Keep our children home at last
All this craziness must pass
Make a wish, make a wish
Make it come true
Make a wish, make a wish
Your dreams pursue
It starts with me and you
Finding cures for all disease
Forest growin' brand new trees
Help our troubled world along
To make wishes all come true
The lyrics to Brian Wilson's song "Make a Wish" are a plea for a better world. Wilson wishes that he had a magic wand to make all wishes come true and to help the troubled world we live in. He wants to see a world without walls, laws that segregate us, or disease. He wants us to pursue our dreams together and, in doing so, create a better world. The song is a call to action, asking listeners to start with themselves and work to make the world a better place.
Throughout the song, Wilson lists a series of wishes. He wants to see racial peace and equality, an end to bigotry and violence, and a world without war. He also wants to see new trees growing in forests, clean air to breathe, and purified lakes and seas. The song presents a vision of a world where everyone is connected and working towards a common goal. The lyrics serve as a reminder that we can make a difference and create a better world if we work together.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I had a magic wand
I desire to have an enchanted tool to make anything possible
To make wishes all come true
To grant any wish that is requested
Help our troubled world along
Assist this world facing difficulties
Time to come to its rescue
Time for saving it from harm
Make a wish, make a wish
Express your desire clearly
Make it come true
Make it actually happen
Your dreams pursue
Chase after your aspirations
It starts with me and you
It initiates with us - individually and collectively
No more walls to separate
No boundaries to divide us
No more laws to segregate
No more rules creating separation
Enough food under the sun
Provision of sufficient sustenance
Homes and hope for everyone
Residences and optimism provided to all
Find cures for all disease
Discover remedies for all illnesses
Forest growin' brand-new trees
New trees are flourishing in the forest
Need clean air for us to breathe
We require pure air to inhale
Purify our lakes and seas
Clean our waterways
One big global vision
A sole worldwide idea
Spinning out in space
Expansive and infinite
We are all connected
We are all interrelated
With the human race
With all people
Racial peace, equality
Peace and evenness regardless of race
Say goodbye to bigotry
Reject unfair prejudice
Crowds and violence disappear
Multitudes and brutality evaporate
Love replaces hate and fear
Love takes the place of hate and fear
No more wars just harmony
Only harmony instead of war
In God's grand community
Within the expansive association of God
Keep our children home at last
Finally safekeeping our offspring
All this craziness must pass
The madness needs to end
Contributed by Aria W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
kevin troutman
Like no one else in my lifetime, this man's music can be turned to again and again when I need to heal and nothing else is doing it.
Malekai Webos
This should be the theme song for the Make A Wish Foundation