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.
That's Not Me
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that's not me
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
But that's not me
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl
Just one girl
I'm a little bit scared Cause I haven't been home in a long time
You needed my love
And I know that I left at the wrong time
My folks when I wrote them
Told 'em what I was up to said that's not me
I went through all kinds of changes
Took a look at myself and said that's not me
I miss my pad and the places I've known
And every night as I lay there alone I will dream, I will dream
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
The song "That's Not Me" is a introspective look at the artist, Brian Wilson's life journey. The first verse speaks to the need to prove oneself and show independence, while the following verse focuses on what really matters in life. The chorus of the song, with the line "That's not me" emphasizes the fact that the artist's persona and true self are not aligned, and he is trying to reconcile these two parts of his identity.
The second verse of the song reflects on the fear of returning home after a long period of time, as well as the regret of leaving when someone needed his love. The line "Took a look at myself and said that's not me" highlights the artist's moment of self-realization, in which he recognizes that the version of himself he had become was not authentic. The latter half of the song speaks to the dreams he once had and his journey to the city to pursue them, realizing that the "lonely life" he found was not what he had hoped. The repetition of "I once had a dream, So I packed up and split for the city" represents the artist's desire to hold onto his dreams and continue to pursue them despite feeling lost.
Line by Line Meaning
I had to prove that I could make it alone
I felt like I needed to show that I was self-sufficient and didn't need anyone else's help.
But that's not me
But deep down, I know that's not who I really am.
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
I wanted others to see how much I'd grown and changed as a person.
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
I could focus on achieving fame and success on a grand scale.
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl
But what really matters to me is the impact I can have on one special person.
I'm a little bit scared
I'm feeling anxious and unsure about my current situation.
Cause I haven't been home in a long time
I've been away for too long and I'm starting to feel homesick.
You needed my love
I know that someone important to me needed my support and affection.
And I know that I left at the wrong time
But unfortunately, I wasn't there for them when they needed me the most.
My folks when I wrote them
When I wrote to my parents to let them know what I was up to,
Told 'em what I was up to said that's not me
they told me that the person I was trying to become wasn't the real me.
I went through all kinds of changes
I went through a lot of personal growth and transformation.
Took a look at myself and said that's not me
But after some soul-searching, I realized that the person I was becoming wasn't really who I wanted to be.
I miss my pad and the places I've known
I really miss my home and familiar surroundings.
And every night as I lay there alone I will dream, I will dream
Every night, as I try to fall asleep by myself, I can't help but daydream about the things I miss and the things I hope for.
I once had a dream
I used to have a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve and who I wanted to be.
So I packed up and split for the city
That's why I decided to leave my old life behind and move to the big city.
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
But once I got there, I quickly realized that being alone and pursuing fame wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped.
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready
But going through that experience helped me to learn more about myself and what really matters, and now I feel more prepared for the future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN WILSON, TONY ASHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind