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.
They Can't Take That Away from Me
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(The way you wear your hat)
The way you sip your tea
(The way you sip your tea)
The memory of all that
(The memory of all that)
No, no, they can't take that away from me
(The way your smile just beams)
The way you sing off-key
(The way you sing off-key)
The way you haunt my dreams
(The way you haunt my dreams)
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On this bumpy road to love
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
(The way you hold your knife)
The way we danced till three
(The way we danced till three)
The way you've changed my life
(The way you've changed my life)
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On this bumpy road to love
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
(The way you hold your knife)
The way we danced till three
(The way we danced till three)
The way you've changed my life
(The way you've changed my life)
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
In Brian Wilson's rendition of the classic song "They Can't Take That Away from Me," he sings about the memories and experiences that no one can take away from him, even if he never sees the person again. The lyrics depict a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the small details of the person's personality and their time together. The way the person wears their hat or sips their tea, even the way they sing off-key and haunt his dreams are all details that he cherishes and holds onto.
Wilson also sings about how the person has changed his life, and that too is something that no one can take away from him. The way they held their knife or danced until three in the morning are just expressions of those moments that have impacted his life in ways that cannot be erased.
The final verse repeats the same descriptions, emphasizing that these small moments are precious and hold a special place in his heart, despite the possibility of never seeing the other person again. In this way, Wilson sings about appreciating the present moment and valuing the connections and memories made with others.
Line by Line Meaning
The way you wear your hat
The unique way in which you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The particular way in which you sip your tea
The memory of all that
The reminiscence of all those pleasant moments
No, no, they can't take that away from me
Those moments will always remain with me and cannot be taken away by anyone
The way your smile just beams
The bright and radiant smile on your face
The way you sing off-key
Even the off-key singing that you do in your unique style
The way you haunt my dreams
The way you appear in my dreams, leaving an indelible impression
We may never, never meet again
It's possible that we may never cross paths again
On this bumpy road to love
As we navigate the ups and downs of finding love
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of
But I will always cherish the memories of what we shared
The way you hold your knife
The way in which you hold a knife, even the small details that make you unique
The way we danced till three
The particular way in which we danced till the early hours of the morning
The way you've changed my life
The profound impact that you have had on my life, big or small
No, they can't take that away from me
No one has the power to erase those significant moments from my memory
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind