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.
The Man With All the Toys
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone found a lighted house late one night
And he saw through the window a sight
A big man in a chair
And little tiny men everywhere
He's the man with all the toys
And he must have been tempted to go in
He stayed out in the cold
And when he left them he told
About the man with all the toys
He's the man with all the toys
The man with all the toys
He's the man with all the toys
The lyrics of Brian Wilson's song, The Man With All the Toys, transport the listeners to a magical world that is filled with wonder and delight. The opening line of the song sets the tone and introduces the main protagonist of the composition, the man with all the toys. The song speaks of a person who has amassed a vast collection of toys, much to the delight of all those who visit him.
In the first verse, the lyrics describe a person who finds a lit-up house with a window, making him curious about what's inside. When he peeks through the window, he sees a huge man sitting in a chair, surrounded by little, tiny men who are playing with his toys. The songwriters, Brian Wilson and Mike Love, touch upon the theme of the joy that playing with toys can bring, regardless of one's age. The second verse talks about how the person who finds the house, must have been thrilled at the sight and might have been tempted to enter the house but instead decides to stay out in the cold, leaving us wondering why. And then, he tells others about the man with all the toys.
The song ends with the titular phrase, The Man With All The Toys. It is repeated twice, in order to emphasize and reinforce the significance of the character mentioned. The song is a testament to the power of child-like wonder and the enchantment that toys can bring, even if you are an adult.
Line by Line Meaning
He's the man with all the toys
The person being referred to is someone who has a lot of toys.
Someone found a lighted house late one night
A person stumbled upon a brightly lit house one evening.
And he saw through the window a sight
The person peeked through a window and saw something interesting.
A big man in a chair
The person sitting in the chair was big in size.
And little tiny men everywhere
There were many small men scattered throughout the room.
Well how thrilled that someone must have been
The person who found the house must have been ecstatic.
And he must have been tempted to go in
The person was probably tempted to enter the house.
He stayed out in the cold
Despite the temptation, the person chose to stay outside.
And when he left them he told
The person who found the house eventually left and told others about what he saw.
About the man with all the toys
The story the person told was about the man who had many toys.
The man with all the toys
This phrase is repeated multiple times to emphasize the person's possession of many toys.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN DOUGLAS WILSON, MIKE E. LOVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johnny A
god bless brian wilson. pure genius.
Steve Skouson
All this, for Jimmy Buffett's birthday!
I'm not really sure that the Almighty's
Son was born on the 25th of December.
But, Jimmy WAS!
THANKS, Brian! Your music is indeed
timeless!
steve
John Hinz
Such a special song!
nycbbbco
Brian Wilson=genius
David Torres
A very interesting holiday music🎄🎼
BustardBuzzard
Rock On, Brian.
Jaime Dingledine
So what's the point? Brian is responsible for the original and has every right to do new versions any way he so chooses-it's not a contest between versions. I tried doing a vid with the original but YouTube wouldn't let me upload it. As far as this version goes, I have to disagree with your first (and somewhat classless) comment. Cheers.
Eileen Ingala
i'm posting a daily christmas song on my fb page - this is today's choice
Matt
Wow
Rita McAlister
that's not the original singer on the green album cover....